Random anime and manga opinions

Visual Novel Community Anime/Otaku Discussions
#1

Been catching up with a lot of anime and manga series I’ve been missing out on. Quickie list of them, and what I thought.

Ah! Megamisama (manga, ongoing): Ugh… still not over. On the plus side, they revealed Kamisama. Oh… and Keiichi and Belldandy technically had sex now.

Gokukoku no Brynhildr (manga, ongoing): Holy fuck… I HATE KAZUMI!! Bitch needs to die. I mean I love yandere like the next guy, but I just hate how she’s doing it.

Gunslinger Girl (manga, ongoing): Bored with it now. Hasn’t been enough Rico and Jan to keep me going.

Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere (anime, two seasons): Rawr. Loved everything about it. Both seasons did a fantastic job at transcribing from the light novel. Getting the DVD’s.

Maoyuu (anime, one season): Meh… not all that great of an adaption. Don’t get me wrong, the anime is decent, but it only touches a fraction of what the light novel covered. One of those “better to read than to watch” series IMHO. YMMV. Not getting the DVD’s.

Onihime VS (manga, finished): The ending was aborted. It’s clear the series was terminated ahead of schedule. I assume it’s because the artist is more concerned with Freezing. Makes me sad.

Oreshura (anime, one season): Meh… not what I hoped it would be. Only liked it for Hime and A-chan. Hime didn’t get enough screen time IMHO, but A-chan filled my quota. Not getting the DVD’s.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (anime, one season): FINALLY got around to watching it… and now I regret not having seen it sooner. I’m with the bandwagon on this: BAD ASS SERIES. Now I gotta read the light novels. Fuck yea… getting DVD’s. Wish I did it earlier.

Sora no Otoshimono (manga, ongoing): They killed the twincest. Narg is unhappy about that. On the plus side, Chaos is still around and yandere as ever. Plus she has her adult form now!

Sword Art Online (anime, one season): Waaaay better handled adaption than Maoyuu. In fact, the anime handles the chronicle of events better than the novel… though that’s because the novel came first of course. Hard to say if I think it did a better job than Horizon… the events were faster paced, but then, Horizon has lot more wordy books. Getting the DVD’s.

The World God Only Knows (manga, ongoing): Actually getting bored of it now. Not as interesting anymore.

#2

I’ve been watching Maoyuu. It’s … not really all that great. It could be, but it’s not. It’s just pretty good.

Other than that I’ve been clearing out the backlog that accumulated for those 10 years or so I had undiagnosed sleep apnea.

Durarara: A fantasy series that’s actually original, with interesting characters. A dullahan roaming around Akihabara looking for its stolen head.

Spice and Wolf: Pretty damn badass. I don’t really have to describe this one, do I? I got into the light novels, and while I’ve been meaning to get round to the anime somehow I never did until recently.

K-ON: I really don’t know why this show is awesome. It shouldn’t be.

Haven’t been reading much manga lately. Been reading actual novels instead. I’d recommend Night Circus and A Scheme for Full Employment. Finally got around to reading the first sequel to Bridge of Birds - and I have to say, while Bridge of Birds itself is amazing, the first sequel is merely pretty good. Haven’t read the last one yet, but I can see why not making any more was the right decision. :frowning:

Oh and Narg: Did you ever get round to reading Irredeemable?

#3

I finished up both seasons of Code Geass. Not bad, it did run out of steam towards the end, but I wasn’t disappointed, so I really can’t complain. I’ve got other anime to watch, but honestly it feels like more of a chore than a pleasure. Maybe later.

As for manga, I’m just keeping up with my regular series.

Vagabond, badass and philosophical.

Berserk, badass and fucking brutal.

Blade of the Immortal, badass and psychological.

GTO:14 Days in Shonan, badass sensei.

Waiting for the manga version of Vampire Hunter D Volume 6. These honestly take so much longer to make than they should, but she does an excellent job so I cut her slack with the ridiculous amount of time between releases.

#4

Hmm… quickie correction about my first post. I was under the impression that Madoka was a light novel turned into an anime, when it turns out to be the other way around. So no need to read the novel. On a similar point: the first two movies are just a “director’s cut” of the anime TV series… so no real point in seeing them unless you REALLY just need another fix of more Madoka. Third movie is supposedly a totally new story, so that sounds promising. The “Another Story” manga is a prequel and alternate reality to the anime plot (the story of Mami and Kyouko being partners and then falling apart) … and very good – not to mention depressing; but this is Madoka after all.

I’m glad to see I’m not the only person who found it… well… wanting. I don’t know… maybe I was expecting too much of it. :expressionless:

Yes! And it was deliciously depressing. Loved it. :o

#5

Welcome Back , Narg.

Ya I agree Onihime VS kind of ended on a meh note. Not that it ended badly but was hoping for a winner and a better resolution to the whole heart thing.

Sword Art Online enjoyed it but Aniplex of America got it. If it’s not mind crushingly expensive, I’ll pick it up, but after what they did with Fate / Zero (Import only $700+ for the set), I’ll wait and see if they get a clue.

#6

It’s weird. I like the show (enough to watch close to 10 episodes of it so far!) but even though I like it enough to keep watching, there’s a lot I don’t like as well. It kind of ends up in the same spot as Ni no Kuni: a game made up of equal parts badassery and godawful dreck, whose badass parts are not quite enough to make up the difference.

A couple of things about Maoyu bug me. The Hero and the Demon Lord both have the relationship maturity level of, like, ten years olds with a crush … at the same time he’s got an established enough reputation as a badass warriors of enough renown to be named Hero of the Realm, and she’s politically savvy enough to be ruler in her own right (and not just a figurehead). It just doesn’t gel, except of course that the writers are writing for a target audience that won’t relate to 30-year-old characters actually having a realistic romance.

Also, the Demon Lord’s plans don’t rely enough on ingenious use of what’s already there, and instead rely on pulling superior technology out of thin air to solve all the worlds’ problems. She’s got stuff that’s way better than anything anyone else has ever seen before. Pulling out the potato, okay, fine. But then also pulling out the printing-press? Where’s she getting all this from? If it’s been sitting around for all this time, why didn’t whoever had it walk all over everybody? Is her special power that she’s a Whispered (from Full Metal Panic)? The series had better have one hell of an answer for these questions, but based on the fact that the writers don’t even seem to notice, I doubt they will.

Edit: So I apparently watched 8 episodes out of 12. I was under the impression it was going to be a full season show. If it’s only 12, well, then I have to significantly revise my opinion of it downward. The way it was paced, I was sure it was just really getting underway; instead I’m almost at the end?

#7

Just started watching Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere…and does it get any easier to follow? I admit I’m only two episodes in but so far it seems like the story’s just started in the middle of things, there seem to be too many characters to keep track of, and I barely get the premise for the setting.

#8

No it does not. The novels are called “door stoppers” in Japan, because they’re so big compared to traditional light novels.

Here’s an English wiki that will help make sense of things.

There’s so much backstory and fluff to the series, even the native Japanese need Cliff Notes to figure it all out.

#9

Okay, the Q&A segments actually helped and the history of the setting is actually interesting after reading through it (kinda wish they’d given it better exposition). Thanks :smiley:

#10

So I just watched episode 1 of And Yet the Town Moves. I wouldn’t have thought so, but it was actually funny. (Probably my favorite part of the episode was when the two girls are trying to hide from their homeroom teacher on their way to work. Statues for the win!)

#11

Wait, hold the fucking phone, seriously??? I was planning to wait until the series was over to start reading again, but now it seems like I need to again…damn you for getting you’re hooks back in me Fujishma :x :x

Aside from that, here are the manga I’m reading/have read:

Mahou Negi Sensei: I was a little disappointed with this series and how it ended. The resolution felt like a bit of a cop out to me since he never chose a girl. Also, there were hints of very meaty story arcs that were abandoned as evident by the final class roster. Saying Zazie is the princess of the demon realm and then ending the manga was almost criminal in my opinion, but sources say Akamatsu-sensei has a new manga coming out this summer and hopefully it will fix Negima.

Shingeki no Kyojin: The basis for the hit anime. All I can say without spoilers is that it presents an alternate history of a medieval Earth. Also, people fly through the air with something akin to ziplines. Highly recommended.

Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou: Easily the next big harem to come along. If you like harem manga at all then this series is for you. It comes out monthly and involves plenty of fanservice (with nipples!) and comedy with several tender touching moments interspersed throughout each chapter. It’s about a man with a harem of monstergirls, what other reason do you need to read it?-Highly recommended.

#12

Well it’s only one panel, on one page… and it’s a technicality of sex between them. :stuck_out_tongue:

Chapter 290 if you’re interested.

#13

The season is almost over, but I figured mentioning some of the shows I’ve been catching over the last few months…

Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou (aka Dog & Scissors): Violent tsundere? Psychotic masochistic? Yandere? Yes please. Who knew professional writing was such serious business?

Mushibugyo: Jinbei is a total idiot, but the hotties still love him. Kuroageha is made of pure win.

Genei o Kakeru Taiyou (aka Day Break Illusion): Puella Magica clone… though one could argue it’s even more fucked up to be a magic girl in this copycat. They’re dropping like flies now. I love their despair! CRY SOME MOAR!!!

Servant x Service: From the people who brought us Working!!. Thus I can’t get enough of it. 100% lovable cast.

Rozen Maiden Zur√ºckspulen: Meh… needs more boku and desu… total boredom.

Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA: Alternate universe FATE setting. Has some pretty neat fight scenes, but otherwise unoriginal. Not enough magic girl suffering. Watch some Day Break Illusion instead.

#14

Kill la Kill: An awesome anime. Slapstick humor, fanservice, and badass action are always a plus… but the real gem: the badguys can win and the heroine can lose. It’s interesting to Ryuko retreat from a battle, because it adds depth to her. She’s pragmatic and intelligent enough to realize when a fight is a lost cause… and it makes the enemies a genuine threat. Not knowing if she’ll really win the next fight is suspense. 8)

Ore no N?nai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Rabu Kome o Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru: Generic harem comedy. Although this has a neat premise, that the main character has a “b-game choice menu” literally forced on him. Still generic though…

#15

About Kill la Kill, something that was pointed elsewhere that’s also interesting is that Ryuko has some aspects of the typical villain (complete with running away throwing some one liner); it’s more evident in the last episode, which would follow the usual formula (defeat - training/realization->power up)… if you were to reverse the roles.
It’s still a pretty rotten school, so it’s still to see if this would lead anywhere though.

#16

Neat observation. Never thought of it that way before. :slight_smile:
On the flip side, the whole “invincible hero” is something that seemed to gain more popularity through the decades. Heroes who constantly lost every battle except the last (or the one that counted), was a popular concept in the past. Shakespeare and Greek mythology for example. The old saying of, “you learn more from a defeat, than from a victory.” I saw Kill la Kill as going back to the old way heroes won the story, than the whole “Superman” effect that’s everywhere today.

Either way… yea, that Academy is by far the greatest evil. Ryuko doesn’t want to kill or harm anyone intentionally: she just wants justice. The Student Council are willing to kill people and harm innocents to get what they want. Even that Nudist Beach warrior tried to negotiate with Ryuko for a peaceful resolution… though the terms weren’t anything she could accept. The Student Council only accepts violence as the right answer. They’re extreme Social Darwinist…

#17

Log Horizon: An anime based on a light novel that’s cash cowing off the popularity of Sword Art Online. Mostly the same premise as SAO: except players resurrect if they die, NPC’s are sentient AI, and there’s no GM oversight. The plot centers around how without central authority, the powerful will do evil things if good people do nothing. The original light novel had a not-so-subtle political nudge that people need a strong government to prosper… anime hasn’t quite gone there yet, but I’m sure it’s coming. There’s also a manga called Nishikaze no Ryodan that features another protagonist in the setting, though it’s partly a harem romcom too. I’m rather enjoying the anime and that manga.

Non Non Biyori: A slice of life anime. If you like Working or K-On type anime, this will make you happy. It even has the VA who did Popura from Working, revisiting the “short and younger than she looks” character. Plot shifts focus from episode to episode. Random lighthearted stuff.

Yu-Sibu: An anime based on a light novel that’s cash cowing off the popularity of Maoyuu Maou Yuusha. Mostly a mindless fan service show. Lots and lots of bouncy gravity defying titties. Lost interest in it awhile ago…

Rozen Maiden: The manga looks like it’s coming to close. They’ve made major revelations about the Alice Game and Rozen himself. The damn rabbit is still a mystery though…