Let's Talk About Anime

[havoc xiii]

Meh you also like snow...so yeah GOOOO GUNDAM WING!!!! Heero blow Amuro out of the sky!!!!

[Freehold DM]

havoc xiii wrote:

Meh you also like snow...so yeah GOOOO GUNDAM WING!!!! Heero blow Amuro out of the sky!!!!

...I'm going to pretend I didn't see that.

[Alzrius]

So I initially wasn't going to post my thoughts on Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, as it's a continuation of Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, which I've already reviewed. However, after giving it some consideration, I have some further thoughts on Kingdom that I felt like sharing.

What struck me most about Kingdom of Magic is that this is where the show largely stops pussyfooting around with regards to whom the main character was. In the previous season, it seemed to be trying to portray both Aladdin and Alibaba as being the main characters - with Morgianna awkwardly added as a third wheel - in a sort of Merlin and Arthur (or perhaps Doc Brown and Marty) relationship. This was a presentation that the show never seemed completely comfortable with, as Alibaba kept vacillating between insecurity and incompetence; while the show was clearly trying to show us the "zero" side of a "zero-to-hero" arc, the "hero" part never materialized.

In Kingdom, the show dispenses with the pretense of multiple main characters altogether, and puts Aladdin front and center.

The main reason for this is that the three characters split up early in the season. While Alibaba is given a quick arc that frustratingly cuts away just as he starts to show some personal growth, and Morgianna is all but forgotten after a single episode devoted to her, Aladdin gets the lion's share of the series devoted to his exploits. He essentially hogs the spotlight all to himself.

This isn't to say that the show doesn't have a large cast. It does, but the vast majority of them are a wide array of new supporting characters that round out Aladdin's story. It almost feels like a different show, simply because of how much of the cast from the previous season is pushed to the back-burner.

That said, the show does retain its focus on machinations happening across the world stage. War is brewing, and we get quite a bit of intrigue regarding how its shaping up.

This is more interesting than it first appeared, because here the show draws more heavily on real-world politics to create diversity with regards to the motivations of various factions. This results in a surprisingly strong portrayal of a situation where most (though not all) of the world's power-players aren't evil for the sake of being evil, but instead all have noble goals that are being questionably implemented.

Nowhere is this more obvious than with the country of Magnoshtatt, which is very clearly meant to be analogous to contemporary Israel. Moreso than the cosmetic relationship that other countries have (e.g. Leam is the Roman Empire, and Kou is Imperial China), Magnoshtatt presents a small country that's declared itself to be a haven for wizards everywhere, after the previous government (which itself exploited the wizards horribly) was violently overthrown, and which now oppresses non-wizards (and as if to deliberately dispel all doubt about the inspiration for Magnoshtatt, the non-wizards are called "goi").

(While the state of Magnoshtatt is a core issue for this season, I don't think that the anime is trying to send any particular message about Israel, so much as it is drawing on it for inspiration.)

All of this sets the stage for a final conflict that, while it certainly has a greater narrative climax than the previous season, still felt lackluster to me. While it culminated in a flashy final battle against a major enemy, this largely served to side-step the underlying political tensions that had been brewing, rather than solving them. Moreover, the driving force behind the antagonists remained unresolved, even if they had been given more exposition.

Overall, Magi: The Kingdom of Magic was a credible sequel to the original series, and built on it rather well, but still felt like it didn't live up to its potential. There's so much going on that this season simply can't manage to show it all, and so various things - from Alibaba's personal growth to the resolutions between the various international actors to Morgianna altogether - get lost in the attempt.

Ultimately, there's (still) not enough room here to tell the story that the series wants to tell. It's unfortunate that it doesn't seem like there'll be a third series to let it continue to do so.

[Alzrius]

Having recently finished The Familiar of Zero ("Zero no Tsukaima") after it was recommended earlier in the thread, I came away from it with a positive impression. While fairly shallow in what it wants to depict, the show never loses sight of the fact that it's meant to be lighthearted fun. Moreover, it was pleasantly surprising that it invested as much in the characters as it did.

To back things up for a moment, this series consists of four seasons, each consisting of twelve or thirteen episodes, for a grand total of fifty episodes altogether. For those interested in sitting down to watch the entire series, it's as follows: The Familiar of Zero (thirteen episodes), then The Familiar of Zero: Knight of the Twin Moons ("Futatsuki no Kishi") (twelve episodes), followed by The Familiar of Zero: Rondo of the Princess ("Princess no Rondo") (twelve episodes plus an OVA episode), and finally The Familiar of Zero F (twelve episodes).

The premise of the series is fairly straightforward: in a medieval alternate world of magic and monsters, Louise is a sorceress-in-training who's known as "Zero" among her classmates for her complete failure as a spellcaster (literally, every spell she tries to cast blows up in her face). When tasked to summon a familiar, Louise ends up summoning Saito Hiraga, a boy from contemporary Japan. Naturally, this is the beginning of a series of adventures that they and their friends wind up getting into. Of course, the nature of these adventures takes a backseat to the sexy hijinks going on.

The Familiar of Zero is quite unabashed of its status as a harem anime, and in this regard it's not concerned with trying to break any new ground. Louise - a walking bundle of insecurities due to her failure as a sorceress and her lack of notable curves - might as well have "tsundere" stamped on her forehead. Siesta fills in the role of the primary "other woman," serving as a foil by acting as Louise's complete opposite in both personality and measurements, etc.

What tickled me about the show is that, with fifty episodes to present itself, the majority of the characters do grow and change over time (though not necessarily very much) - the irony here being that such growth serves to eventually push them into various roles in the harem dynamic. It's quite incredible how much the show is willing to let this happen organically, letting the exposition take as long as it takes until the girls fall for Saito. Tabitha, for example, is a supporting cast member from the very first episode, but it's not until the end of the third season - almost three-fourths of the way through the show - that she develops feelings for him.

That's ultimately what the show is about. While there is a plot per se, it's typically secondary to the amusing interactions between the cast members and the often-ridiculous situations that they get into ("Oh no! A botched love potion is causing Louise and Jessica to make out!"). That said, when the show does put adventure front and center, it does a credible job of creating dramatic tension, making sure to keep the comedy segregated until the action is over.

It's worth noting that the show keeps things at a fairly "safe" level, in terms of fan-service. Indeed, you could very well call this "fan-service lite" for how much it shies away from anything really titillating. Panty-shots are incidental, when they happen at all, and while we do see some skin on occasion (e.g. the girls go to the beach, the girls disguise themselves as belly dancers, etc.), for the most part the clothes stay on. There's plenty of bouncing cleavage, to be sure, but nothing truly salacious.

Overall, the show does a good job of showing how something can be entertaining without having to be innovative. Similar to the rides at a theme park, you can tell exactly what it's going to be like before it begins, but that doesn't make it any less fun once you start. This is one of the better harem series out there, and if you like that genre, you'll definitely love The Familiar of Zero.

[Caineach]

Alzrius wrote:

So I initially wasn't going to post my thoughts on Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, as it's a continuation of Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, which I've already reviewed. However, after giving it some consideration, I have some further thoughts on Kingdom that I felt like sharing.

What struck me most about Kingdom of Magic is that this is where the show largely stops pussyfooting around with regards to whom the main character was. In the previous season, it seemed to be trying to portray both Aladdin and Alibaba as being the main characters - with Morgianna awkwardly added as a third wheel - in a sort of Merlin and Arthur (or perhaps Doc Brown and Marty) relationship. This was a presentation that the show never seemed completely comfortable with, as Alibaba kept vacillating between insecurity and incompetence; while the show was clearly trying to show us the "zero" side of a "zero-to-hero" arc, the "hero" part never materialized.

In Kingdom, the show dispenses with the pretense of multiple main characters altogether, and puts Aladdin front and center.

The main reason for this is that the three characters split up early in the season. While Alibaba is given a quick arc that frustratingly cuts away just as he starts to show some personal growth, and Morgianna is all but forgotten after a single episode devoted to her, Aladdin gets the lion's share of the series devoted to his exploits. He essentially hogs the spotlight all to himself.

This isn't to say that the show doesn't have a large cast. It does, but the vast majority of them are a wide array of new supporting characters that round out Aladdin's story. It almost feels like a different show, simply because of how much of the cast from the previous season is pushed to the back-burner.

That said, the show does retain its focus on machinations happening across the world stage. War is brewing, and we get quite a bit of intrigue regarding how its shaping up.

This is more interesting than it first appeared, because here the show draws more...

Currently, some other anime forums are expecting a season 3 in winter of 2016 or spring 2017, because of the rate that they are going through the material in the manga.

Also, I felt like season 2 focused more on Aladdin and Alibaba was more or less forgotten about. Interesting how we came out with different perceptions.

[Alzrius]

Caineach wrote:

Currently, some other anime forums are expecting a season 3 in winter of 2016 or spring 2017, because of the rate that they are going through the material in the manga.

That'd be nice; the story felt unfinished, even if it came to a decent stopping point.

Caineach wrote:

Also, I felt like season 2 focused more on Aladdin and Alibaba was more or less forgotten about. Interesting how we came out with different perceptions.

Are those different perceptions? I thought that was basically what I said.

[TriOmegaZero]

There's a....something...I had to share, especially for Ash and the gang.

Don't want to derail this thread, so please post in the linked one.

[Caineach]

Alzrius wrote:

Caineach wrote:

Currently, some other anime forums are expecting a season 3 in winter of 2016 or spring 2017, because of the rate that they are going through the material in the manga.

That'd be nice; the story felt unfinished, even if it came to a decent stopping point.

Caineach wrote:

Also, I felt like season 2 focused more on Aladdin and Alibaba was more or less forgotten about. Interesting how we came out with different perceptions.

Are those different perceptions? I thought that was basically what I said.

Yeah, we agree. I was just dumb and got the character names mixed up while reading your stuff.

[John Benbo]

Really enjoying the 2nd season of Psycho-Pass.

Spoiler:

I watched season 1 a few months ago and enjoyed it but so far I like this 2nd season a lot better. The metaplot is made apparent almost right from the start and so far has a lot of cool twists and turns. There seems to be less focus on character backstories (since we know the main characters already) which means more time devoted to the story. Akane gets to be front and center and she's definitely changed after her experiences in season 1.

[Tacticslion]

Skipping the 690-give-or-take posts to get here.

I figured I'd share some of the anime I've seen more-or-less recently...

So here we go!

- Madoka Magica: I finally watched this to see what all the fuss is about. And... it was good. Very good. Second most difficult and harsh Magical Girl genre thing I've ever been through, but the shock-value was relatively tame, as I went in knowing it was there and all the shock-value and uber-depression for the Magical Girl genre was already stolen by Sailor Nothing (it's... really good, but exceedingly harsh). It was a solid examination of the genre, it's flaws, and potentially depressing elements, while still, in the very end, being ultimately uplifting and hopeful, despite it's own dark premise and bitter moments throughout.

- Occult Academy: a kind of surprisingly funny show about a girl searching for her father's murderer, and a time-traveler seeking to change the future. The final battle/moments had me absolutely certain that either the Tick was coming, or I was watching his origins. The love quadrangle angle was... strange, to say the least, as the male lead (though he wasn't the protagonist) held no definable qualities to make me think that he'd be such a desired commodity. That said, at least one of the attractions was explained at the end, and one could be sort of explained by the... impression... he made upon arrival. Still, it felt a little "male gaze"-y to me. That said, it was a fun ride, that didn't go where you expected, and had fun times throughout, and I generally liked the characters, despite the surprisingly slapstick violence.

- Kill la Kill: the finest piece of nonsense I've ever been privileged to watch. (I am, in fact, planning on watching Guerren Lagan soon enough, however, so that will likely displace it based on my understanding, but haven't gotten to it yet.) It... it... it's kind of poetic in the way it just... doesn't... care. I mean, it embraces the nonsense to a ridiculous degree. Another story ostensibly about a girl finding out who murdered her father (weird that I ran across two of those so close together?), it's filled with ludicrous (and highly-acknowledge) fan-service... but I enjoyed it nonetheless, and that daggum hero theme became incredibly effective by the end. Dang it. "Where the fanservice is plot, and style is the substance" indeed, internet. Indeed.

- Ozuma: it was... okay. It certainly had all the elements for a great and engaging story, and the art was exceedingly impressive: every character was thoroughly unique, and well animated. Additionally, the entire thing was tightly plotted with several "reveals" (though I saw a couple coming a mile away). But... I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I should be enjoying it. I found myself bored or distracted during the show, and didn't really get as invested as I thought I should. Because it was predictable? Maybe. Still, if you're up to it, give it a try.

- The Princess and the Pilot: excellent. It's a slower film (movie, not series), that follows a young pilot mercenary who is part of a country with a deeply ingrained caste system who is of low birth. His country and another are both at war with a third... who is kind of winning. Due to his extreme skill, despite his detractors, he is given the enviable position of flying a princess across the ocean (and through enemy lines) to bring her safely to her prince in another country. It hits every cliche you'd expect, but it had me loving the characters and their interaction the whole way, so much so that I didn't really care. Well written, well animated, simply lovely. Looks a lot like Studio Ghibli production, though I don't believe it was.

- I Can't Understand What My Husband is Saying: it's... well, it's purposefully excessively silly, but also really touching in it's own way. The plot is a slice-of-life about a perverted nerd without a job and his newly married (much more "normal") wife. By the end, you can buy that they ended up together, why, and how, and why she chose to marry him even though she shares no direct interests, and he's rather weird. They deal with really, really weird family (many of whom disapprove), and normal life troubles as well, and run into problems understanding where they other is coming from often enough. And the thing is: they make the marriage work, and it's really beautiful. Good series, exceedingly sweet, despite it's supposedly absurd premise. Relies a lot on Japanese culture and understanding, however, to get many of the jokes or implications (which often flew over my head until I read comments). In 13 episodes of three minutes each, it's a total of 39 minutes, and it's... nice.

- I just finished No Game, No Life, and it was... okay, I guess? The problems include the excessive fan service (and I do mean excessive... blech, and really creepy, by the way) and slight feeling of "Mary-Sue-ness" of the main duo... buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut the last part is actually deeply undercut by their very genuine and consistent flaws. They are extreme geniuses, but they are flawed geniuses with deep-seated phobias, irrational urges, failings that cause them real trouble, which, amusingly, "saves" them as characters in the show and makes them interesting. Beyond that, it's an exercise in watching them win in creative ways when faced with "impossible" situations. The biggest problem (aside from the creepy fan service*: seriously, ew) is the ending - it's sudden and comes out of nowhere. Everything else is top-notch and extremely well done. I just wanted the series to finish the story it started telling.

- In terms of much better (not-exactly-) anime** I've seen lately, is There She Is!!, which is simply fantastic. Starts out derpy-slapstick (along the lines of Peppy LePew), goes to a little anvilicious in the "morals" department, and ends wonderfully. The set on NewGrounds has a bunch of Easter Eggs - I dunno, maybe the YouTube one does? I haven't checked it. Anyway, it's ~24 minutes you won't mind having spent, I think!

- So, I just finished watching BAKUMATSU GIJINDEN ROMAN. It... is much better than I anticipated. Point in fact, when I first started it, I allowed it to play while doing other things, and only catching every once in a while to know the gist of what's happening. ... aaaaaaaaand then I actually sat down to watch the end of, what, episode three? And then I saw four (filler episode), and then five (character introduction), and then by six I was thoroughly hooked. Dang it. Definitely recommended, and more than I initially would have thought. The animation is smooth and pretty, the characterizations are great, and there's even a pretty-decent in-story reason for the nutty cast of characters that has gathered around the protagonist (though it takes until episode nine to have it all spelled out). I have mixed feelings about the villain (though from a Japanese perspective, he certainly would be), and I'm left wondering if he's supposed to be the historical figure or not - they were, I think, purposefully ambiguous, even in the way they portrayed him, and his appearance doesn't mesh with the timeline at all, even within the show; this was probably done for socially sensitive reasons. EDIT: Upon re-watching the last episode, it's pretty clear he's not the same guy. Anyway: it's good, either way.

* Not all the fan service is creepy. All of it is entirely needless, but not all of it is creepy. The whole mind-control, and the whole child thing, though? Ugh.

** Yes, I know. It's Korean. Yes. I know the difference. It's still worth watching. ;P

[Freehold DM]

Agreed on the marysue Ness of ngnl. It has turned me off from the series. I need to go back and finish log horizon, another marysue series.

Slowly making progress through macross 7 and Ms igloo apocalypse 0079. Am loving the propaganda battle perspective of the latter. Has to be the second time I have actively cheered for a zeon pilot.

[TriOmegaZero]

I wonder how your view of Madoka will change when you see the movie. Because holy carp.

[Freehold DM]

I don't have adequate tear ducts for madoka.

[Movin]

Meh. I wouldn't suggest the Madoka movies to someone who is a fan of the series. the third movie was the only one worth watching for someone who was already a fan. The first two movies are just rehashes of the series cut down for movie format. The third basically leaves the entire series on one gigantic cliffhanger that I am unsure will ever be resolved. I can understand why they chose to do so but it really aggravated me as a fan.

I was expecting Gurren lagan in a different premise when I started watching Kill La Kill, I was not disappointed.

There are quite a few gems on Newgrounds. Crookedsixpence's Mockingbird's song is a good one if sad, and basically any of Chuluaid's Brackenwood series is fantastic. But that's western animation so I'll leave it lie.

Alice in borderland seems promising, though I have only seen two episodes so far.

[Blayde MacRonan]

More AnimeExpo shorts...

From the folks at Trigger (Kill la Kill): Power Plant 33

From a new studio called Sola: evangelion:Another Impact (Confidential)

[Sissyl]

Madoka (the series) was amazing. I don't really agree that it suddenly became dark - it was plenty dark already when the s@*@ hit the fan.

[TriOmegaZero]

And the third movie pretty well picked up on the series and upped the ante

I marked out when

Rebellion Spoiler:

Sayaka summoned her witch.

[havoc xiii]

Ah yes I feel accomplished now I have finally watched all of Inuyasha, also finished SAO II need to start Psyco Pass season 2 now. Maybe after that watch all of GUNDAM WING again. ^_^

[Freehold DM]

I'm sure I can find something for you to watch other than Gundam Wing...

Have you watched Hell Girl? Watch Hell Girl. It largely succeeds where the Vampire Princess Miyu series does not.

[havoc xiii]

My wife has already seen all of hell girl. Maybe something by Whedon....hmmm.

[Freehold DM]

Your wife had good taste. I own the entire series.

I was so happy when am AI cosplayer came to the booth last year.

What about princess resurrection? Have you seen that? Watch princess resurrection.

[Dragon78]

A "Whedon anime" is there such a thing, that would AWESOME!

I would love to see Kill la Kill.

I am curious about Madoka Magica but not big on depressing or dark with a few exceptions from back in the day.

[Freehold DM]

Dragon78 wrote:

A "Whedon anime" is there such a thing, that would AWESOME!

watch devil hunter yohko.

[Tequila Sunrise]

Has anyone seen a cgi movie called Harlock: Space Pirate?

Yes, it's every bit as ridiculous as it sounds, and I'm still not quite sure what I think about it after watching it twice. It's a lot like some fan of Final Fantasy and Pirates of the Caribbean was given free reign and a huge cgi budget. The phrase 'so bad that it's good' comes to mind, and there's something about it that's planted itself in my head...

[Tequila Sunrise]

Lemmy wrote:

There was talk that fanservice make men see women as nothing but sex toys...

So no talk of banning then, which means all this reaction against banning is just so much shouting at strawmen.

Lemmy wrote:

And I doubt any of the people complaining about fanservice were protesting the amount of pointless shirtless scenes in Twilight (you know... that series of books/movies that made an incredible amount of money despite its terrible story and bland protagonist).

*shrug* I can empathize with chicks without watching chick flicks.

[Tequila Sunrise]

Alzrius wrote:

Tequila Sunrise wrote:

And no, I'm not up for dissecting all these post-fragments with you; I'm back at school and don't have the time or the energy.

So you want to respond, but don't have the time or the energy to engage in the actual debate that's going on. That's fine, but it makes it rather hard to discuss the issue with you when you don't want to have the give-and-take that's at the core of a conversation.

I was rather naively hoping that, despite your vociferous criticism of the other side of the fanservice issue, you might be willing to put yourself in another’s shoes to at least understand why others see a problem.

Sorry for the mistake; it won’t happen again.

[Freehold DM]

Tequila Sunrise wrote:

Has anyone seen a cgi movie called Harlock: Space Pirate?

Yes, it's every bit as ridiculous as it sounds, and I'm still not quite sure what I think about it after watching it twice. It's a lot like some fan of Final Fantasy and Pirates of the Caribbean was given free reign and a huge cgi budget. The phrase 'so bad that it's good' comes to mind, and there's something about it that's planted itself in my head...

Indeed, it is a remake/update of the original series. Watch it with the fact that it was made in the 70s in mind.

I would not say it was "so bad it was good", I would say it was faithful to the original. I'm glad they didn't try to "update" it with ideas that make sense to modern sensibilities and continued with the rather outrageous 70's ideas.

[Dragon78]

I love Devil Hunter Yoko, it's one of the earliest anime I have seen.

[Lemmy]

Tequila Sunrise wrote:

So no talk of banning then, which means all this reaction against banning is just so much shouting at strawmen.

The line between censorship and banning is pretty thin, and can easily be crossed if we give precedent. And both are completely unnecessary and harmful to art as a whole.

Don't like something, don't consume it. Simple as that.

Tequila Sunrise wrote:

*shrug* I can empathize with chicks without watching chick flicks.

So... What's the difference between women getting something that appeals to their sexual desires and men getting something that appeals to their sexual desires?

I'd dare say... None.

And what is wrong with anyone getting that type of media?

I'd dare say... Nothing.

EDIT: You know what... This discussion is going nowhere. Let's drop it and let people just talk about the anime they like.

[Greylurker]

Tequila Sunrise wrote:

Has anyone seen a cgi movie called Harlock: Space Pirate?

Yes, it's every bit as ridiculous as it sounds, and I'm still not quite sure what I think about it after watching it twice. It's a lot like some fan of Final Fantasy and Pirates of the Caribbean was given free reign and a huge cgi budget. The phrase 'so bad that it's good' comes to mind, and there's something about it that's planted itself in my head...

if you want to watch the original they have it over at Crunchyroll

[Tacticslion]

Dragon78 wrote:

I would love to see Kill la Kill.

I am curious about Madoka Magica but not big on depressing or dark with a few exceptions from back in the day.

Both of these are on CrunchyRoll for free, here and here, respectively. This is 100% legal and free; it just has a few adds to ignore.

I'll say it again: Madoka (full name "Puella magi Madoka Magica") is a really hard thing to sit through. You watch young girls struggle with depression, loneliness, and violence while trying to maintain high spirits and feel good about themselves and what they're doing, despite seemingly being in an endless cycle that only ever ends poorly. As the series progresses, they learn more and more terrible and disturbing things and...

SPOILER ALERT (you should be aware of this if you know anything about the series, but still...)

NON-SPECIFIC SPOILER ALERT:

... some of their friends die...

/SPOILER ALERT

... but, in the end, it's a good and, surprisingly uplifting series.

Kill la Kill is weirdness dialed up to 11, and then embracing it.

As far as the other movies and such, I'm aware of the canon, TOZ, and... eh? I dunno. Sounds interesting, but still not as depressing as it could be. :)

EDIT'd: for accuracy.

[Sissyl]

Ehum. Puella magi Madoka magica. :-)

What struck me most about it was the impressive writing and how well it hung together. In form, it is a classic tragedy, and very impressively done. Note also that Fukushima happened between the first airings of episode ten and eleven, which delayed the series for a week and becomes rather poignant when you see the series.

[Tacticslion]

Sissyl wrote:

Ehum. Puella magi Madoka magica. :-)

Ah yes. My bad! Corrected.

(*grumble, complain* just because some people aren't distracted feeding infants while suffering from ADD and dyslexia...*grumble, complain*) ;P

Sissyl wrote:

What struck me most about it was the impressive writing and how well it hung together. In form, it is a classic tragedy, and very impressively done. Note also that Fukushima happened between the first airings of episode ten and eleven, which delayed the series for a week and becomes rather poignant when you see the series.

You know, I didn't know this, but I was thinking about it, the whole time! It evoked everything really well, actually.

For the curious.

[Aranna]

I was watching No Railgun again and it strikes me how much I identify with Misaka Mikoto, and it got me wondering is there an anime character you identify with? And why?

In my case the why is on many levels. While it is pretty obvious we aren't the same (I am not super powered for one :p ) I do have that compassion, the same "I will be your opponent" thing (although in my case it tends to just be in forum or face to face arguments), that willingness to overcome obstacles, we both have a not so normal best friend (in case you were wondering from other posts I made how a born again Christian girl ended up in a LGBT meeting), we are both basically nice to everyone regardless of their social level, we both were late bloomers.

Still I suppose Mikoto is pretty level headed compared to me at her age...

So will you share who you identify with?

[Tacticslion]

TriOmegaZero wrote:

I wonder how your view of Madoka will change when you see the movie. Because holy carp.

Not an anime, hence the spoiler:

By the way, the main reason Madoka wasn't as terrible is almost exclusively because of this. Be very careful with it. Anyone who isn't TOZ, be aware, there is definitely potentially-triggering material in there. A lot. Really excellent story, really, really harsh story.

[Movin]

Non-anime talk aimed at Tac/ anyone interested in quality Web fiction.:

If you happen to enjoy that sort of stuff Tac I'd suggest checking out the web serial Worm by Wildbow Though a few words of warning. Worm is friggen LONG if you are the type of person to get carried away by a book I would advise caution.
It is also chock full of super powered horrible things happening to good and not so good people. plus the more mundane but much easier to sympathize with trials of a high school girl being put through atrocious high school bullying and injustices of the legal system.

Bokkurano is also a good one if you happen to like deconstructs(Mecha) and tragedy. Wouldn't suggest it if you don't happen to have something happier on tap to chase it with though.

I can't think of what specific anime character I'd specifically identify with over others at the moment but then I'm sleep deprived so meh. Perhaps one in particular will show up.

[Alzrius]

Tequila Sunrise wrote:

I was rather naively hoping that, despite your vociferous criticism of the other side of the fanservice issue, you might be willing to put yourself in another’s shoes to at least understand why others see a problem.

I do understand why others see a problem. I simply don't find their points to have much validity, for reasons that I've discussed previously.

My hope is that any future responses you make will address those reasons, rather than the one making them.

Quote:

Sorry for the mistake; it won’t happen again.

Good; perhaps then you can move on to talking about the topic rather than the people who don't believe as you do.

[Sarcasm Elemental]

Quote:

Anyone who isn't TOZ, be aware

If you prick me, do I not bleed?

[Freehold DM]

Just finished msIgloo apocalypse 0079. Damn that was good. Better than I expected of a tale told from the Zeon side of the fence. I really wish I owned the gravity front. Time to move on to 08 ms team.

[TriOmegaZero]

Aranna wrote:

So will you share who you identify with?

Hmm, this will take some thought, if only because my anime consumption is prodigious.

[R_Chance]

Thank you all, for bringing this thread back to discussing anime. I don't have time to watch as much as I used to and I need my beta testing :)

[Aranna]

TriOmegaZero wrote:

Aranna wrote:

So will you share who you identify with?

Hmm, this will take some thought, if only because my anime consumption is prodigious.

I look forward to your answer.

[Freehold DM]

Interesting, Aranna.

[Freehold DM]

Aranna wrote:

TriOmegaZero wrote:

Aranna wrote:

So will you share who you identify with?

Hmm, this will take some thought, if only because my anime consumption is prodigious.

I look forward to your answer.

Between my my strange work history, love for cycling and intimate company, Kintaro Oe from Golden Boy.

[Blayde MacRonan]

Aranna wrote:

Is there an anime character you identify with? And why?

An intriguing question....

I will have to think on this....

[Movin]

So adult swim is showing kill la kill. Im a bit lost how the american cencors let that one pass. I think im going to watch it just to see what got cut.

[Blayde MacRonan]

Given that Toonami has shown all of Deadman Wonderland, Black Lagoon, and Hellsing Ultimate pretty much intact, I'm not too concerned about what they'll do to Kill la Kill. The main concern has been language (no f-bombs allowed, obviously). And the violence hasn't been altered with respect to those shows, so I doubt it'll happen with Kill la Kill.

And in answer to Aranna's question... I identify most with the Black Knight Ashram, from Record of Lodoss. Though he was introduced as a villain in the OVAs, I always felt there was more to him than was shown. Both Chronicles of the Heroic Knight and Legend of Crystania bore this out to be true. He was an anti-villain, the first that really made an impression on me. I suppose it could be argued that Char Aznable made just as much of an impression on me at a much younger age, but that realization didn't come until much later (thanks, Freehold).

Yep... definitely Ashram.

[Movin]

Hrmm... true. Hellsing ultimate made me happy, such gloriously rendered violence.

[R_Chance]

Aranna wrote:

I was watching No Railgun again and it strikes me how much I identify with Misaka Mikoto, and it got me wondering is there an anime character you identify with? And why?

In my case the why is on many levels. While it is pretty obvious we aren't the same (I am not super powered for one :p ) I do have that compassion, the same "I will be your opponent" thing (although in my case it tends to just be in forum or face to face arguments), that willingness to overcome obstacles, we both have a not so normal best friend (in case you were wondering from other posts I made how a born again Christian girl ended up in a LGBT meeting), we are both basically nice to everyone regardless of their social level, we both were late bloomers.

Still I suppose Mikoto is pretty level headed compared to me at her age...

So will you share who you identify with?

Captain Akuh from Big Wars. It was too short (70-75 minutes iirc), but the whole set up was interesting (the world, the technology, the alien enemy, etc.), I liked Akuh's character (as in dedication, resourcefulness etc.) and I'm a sucker for land warships like the Aoba... it would have made a good series. Which could have answered a lot of questions. *sigh*

[Freehold DM]

Taking a break from giant robot stuff to watch the original Guyver. Love this series. Also, one of the few series where I didn't find the dub horrid. It was just the right amount of cheese.