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Haikyuu Episodes 16-18: The match against The Iron Wall was fantastic viewing, edge of the seat stuff cheering them on!
 
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Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu - Episode 3 - 5 (out of 13)
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu - Episode 1 - 2 (out of 13) (First Impressions)
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What’s surprising about my time with Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is just how unwavering my passion truly is for this show. Episodes go by and I come away enamored time and time again by this wonderful, phenomenal series and it displays no signs of stopping. Episode 3 right off the bat familiarizes me with the close proximity and comfy nature of this series with some beautiful pillow shots that focuses on the lush backgrounds that scroll past the screen as characters monologue and talk away. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu really feels less like a show and more like a film due to its relaxed nature, be it the pacing of the episodes themselves or the way in which each scene meanders in pleasing manners that allows for you to soak up the entirety of the atmosphere that this show exudes. Unfazed by the 25 minute run-time the animators bask in the scenery and likewise the camera almost takes joy from caressing the backgrounds. Everything moves slow, slow enough that you have enough time to take everything in and enjoy the ride. Each and every shot looks beautiful. Episode 3 is a love story and its depictions of the characters and their interactions are perfect. It’s also a story of friendship and companionship and like the characters themselves your heart almost can’t bear to be apart from this fantastic show and as the minutes go by you feel as if it could last forever. The camera takes it time, lingering, it too unable to take its eyes off if the characters and its world. A plethora of wide angle shots find their way into this episode as the characters wonder outside and it truly allows for the lovely backgrounds to be captured in their full splendor. The way in which the camera also focuses on body parts, shots devoid of a face, be it a hand or a foot allows for emotions to be depicted in non-direct manners.
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By cutting away from the main action and instead focusing the camera on a visual element such as an object in the distance, a landscape or even just a character brushing their hair, cooking or folding some clothes you conjure up a sense of place, adding credence to the fact that these are real worlds with real people going about their daily lives. They also inject much needed tranquil and serene moments in order to create a much more elegant method of pacing, almost like a visual form of punctuation in-between scenes. They also can be utilized in order to evoke a feeling of irrelevancy that the human characters actions have on the nature that surrounds them. Not much Rakugo itself is depicted in this episode and instead the focus is placed on the characters and their interactions and development. It’s a phenomenal episode, heartfelt and earnest it further enriches the characters and the world that they inhabit.
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The next episode is a continuation of this focus on the characters however we do see a return of the Rakugo with a 6 minute uninterrupted bout of storytelling that truly had my imagination running wild. The voice acting is such a delight in this series and its integration here is some of the best examples of its use in an anime to date. Like with a Rakugo performance, the voice is imperative to its success and this show demonstrates the power of great audio. The performances are both captivating and enthralling and it enables the entire show to feel like a true ode to the art of Rakugo itself. The episode introduces a new character, a love interest and her integration into the show feels organic and honest and it adds a much needed dynamic to the series.
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Episode 5 continues with the angle of love with the relationships developing further. The romance is portrayed in a way that feels natural and beautiful, conjuring up emotions that feel all too real and palpable. The beautiful character designs have a lot to do with this, truly capturing the era of which this show takes place in and the show business nature of the profession that they reside in. Beautiful characters are not to say perfect but rather human with each facial expression feeling genuine. It’s a highly attractive show that has your eyes glued to the screen with no signs of giving up. The episode ends on a play that feels like a huge pay off and a culmination of the previous episodes.
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A Certain Magical Index-Episodes 22-24 (Complete)

A good series overall. I'll be interested to see how Railgun compares. I don't plan on watching Railgun straight away though, but I have it on BD already, so I'll get to it at some point in the near future.

Berserk (2016)-Episode 6

Well that was just...weird.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable-Episode 19

I never thought Harvest would have so many uses!
 
I've always really wanted to check JoJo's Bizarre Adventure out but always felt overwhelmed somewhat in regards to where to start. I'll get around to it at one point, looks fun.
 
qaiz said:
I've always really wanted to check JoJo's Bizarre Adventure out but felts overwhelmed in regards to where to begin. I'll get around to it at one point, looks fun.
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Start with the 2012 series, It adapts the first two parts of the Manga. After that, it's Stardust Crusaders Seasons 1 and 2, which adapts Part 3 of the Manga, followed by the currently airing Part 4 adaptation, Diamond is Unbreakable. It's all on Crunchyroll if that's your thing. There is a cheap and cheerful DVD release of the 2012 series, although the image quality isn't very good and it has dubtitles, which is pretty much a deal breaker considering the japanese voice acting is fantastic. If you have the money, the Japanese blu rays for the 2012 series have English subtitles, though it's broken into about 8 volumes, so it's a little pricey. Viz Media are bringing out the 2012 series and both seasons of Stardust Crusaders on Blu Ray in the near future, which should fix the issues of the poor DVD, so, if you don't stream, that would be your best bet.
 
IncendiaryLemon said:
Start with the 2012 series, It adapts the first two parts of the Manga. After that, it's Stardust Crusaders Seasons 1 and 2, which adapts Part 3 of the Manga, followed by the currently airing Part 4 adaptation, Diamond is Unbreakable. It's all on Crunchyroll if that's your thing. There is a cheap and cheerful DVD release of the 2012 series, although the image quality isn't very good and it has dubtitles, which is pretty much a deal breaker considering the japanese voice acting is fantastic. If you have the money, the Japanese blu rays for the 2012 series have English subtitles, though it's broken into about 8 volumes, so it's a little pricey. Viz Media are bringing out the 2012 series and both seasons of Stardust Crusaders on Blu Ray in the near future, which should fix the issues of the poor DVD, so, if you don't stream, that would be your best bet.
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Thanks for the detailed reply, I really appreciate it. My brother is a fan of the series and has urged me to check it out for some time and it's always looked like something that I'd enjoy. I'm still watching Utena and Rakugo but once I'm done with those two I'll assess my backlog and see where everything falls. I'm not a streaming person and don't have a Crunchyroll account but its nice to know that it's all there for me as an option, I think that I'll pass on the DVD set but the import friendly Japanese sets look enticing. I also want to pick up the manga at some point, every time I walk past a volume I can't help but pick it up and gawk at the nice art. Thanks again.
 
qaiz said:
IncendiaryLemon said:
Start with the 2012 series, It adapts the first two parts of the Manga. After that, it's Stardust Crusaders Seasons 1 and 2, which adapts Part 3 of the Manga, followed by the currently airing Part 4 adaptation, Diamond is Unbreakable. It's all on Crunchyroll if that's your thing. There is a cheap and cheerful DVD release of the 2012 series, although the image quality isn't very good and it has dubtitles, which is pretty much a deal breaker considering the japanese voice acting is fantastic. If you have the money, the Japanese blu rays for the 2012 series have English subtitles, though it's broken into about 8 volumes, so it's a little pricey. Viz Media are bringing out the 2012 series and both seasons of Stardust Crusaders on Blu Ray in the near future, which should fix the issues of the poor DVD, so, if you don't stream, that would be your best bet.
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Thanks for the detailed reply, I really appreciate it. My brother is a fan of the series and has urged me to check it out for some time and it's always looked like something that I'd enjoy. I'm still watching Utena and Rakugo but once I'm done with those two I'll assess my backlog and see where everything falls. I'm not a streaming person and don't have a Crunchyroll account but its nice to know that it's all there for me as an option, I think that I'll pass on the DVD set but the import friendly Japanese sets look enticing. I also want to pick up the manga at some point, every time I walk past a volume I can't help but pick it up and gawk at the nice art. Thanks again.
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No problem. In terms of physical media, you will be waiting a while after 2012, I don't think a date has even been set for the US sets of Stardust Crusaders onwards, so I think Crunchyroll would be the best option. If you haven't used it already, you can get a free month, which, depending on how much time you set aside for anime per day, would probably be enough time to get through Stardust Crusaders.
 
IncendiaryLemon said:
No problem. In terms of physical media, you will be waiting a while after 2012, I don't think a date has even been set for the US sets of Stardust Crusaders onwards, so I think Crunchyroll would be the best option. If you haven't used it already, you can get a free month, which, depending on how much time you set aside for anime per day, would probably be enough time to get through Stardust Crusaders.
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Thanks for the tip, depending on the show I can blow through an entire cour in a single sitting or a few episodes every day or two, a month should be more than enough to gauge my interest however.
 
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