Topic: Anime & Manga (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)

Read the newest chapter of Bleach!

Apparently Comiket 88 is coming up soon (August 14th-16th) and a sports drink company called Weider in Jelly decided to create a short, 'Survival Guide,' to the event. The resulting video is kind-of amazing;

Decided to give the funimation app a try. I been binge watching Dragon Ball. Last time i ever watched the beginning (kid Goku) was in the late 90's. Im surprised how much i remember.

Toonami Saturday night!

DBZ Kai - Ginyu got frogged, and Gohan & Krillin spirited the Dragon Balls away from a slumbering Vegeta, but they have to hurry because Frieza is racing towards them fast, and he's not happy.

Akame Ga Kill - Good first impression. Art style is a bit generic, but it has a bold use of color & the designs are pleasing to the eye (other than some cases of "anime hair", characters look realisticly proportioned, and not too cartoony, like in One Piece). The story seems like it'll be a tale of bad people killing even worse people (something that's demonstrated really well, here. Due to the promos, I knew his friends weren't going to make it, but I had no idea it was going to be who it was that killed them). Despite their profession, the main cast seems likable, and I'll be looking forward to see how it progresses.

Michiko & Hatchin - Mitchiko wrestles with the decision of quitting her search for Hiroshi when she runs across a charming man in a small town Hatchin & herself stop off in. Only problem, he's married...

Sword Art Online II - It looks like the world of SAO is being rebuilt inside of ALO, high in the sky above Alfheim (the game world of ALO). Some more of the floors have reopened, including the one that has the cabin Kirito & Asuna called home while in SAO, and since it was one of the few places in the game they have fond memories of, they reclaimed it. Meanwhile, a new swordfighter by the name of Sekken has shown up, and with his high skill set & unique abilities, it seems as if he transferred in from another MMO, and no one can seem to beat him in a duel, even Kirito. However, he seemed to give Kirito a strange messege before Kirito backed off his attack, so Asuna's going to challenge him to find out what it was.

Naruto Shippuden - Asuma's group begins battling the Akatsuki, particularly the offbeat Hidan, who appears to be immortal (he has been completely run through by two blades, yet treated it as nothing but a nuisance).

One Piece - In the biggest cop out ever, the Strawhats' irreparable ship (the Going Merry) has found it's way to our heroes all of it's own accord, and has saved them from the firey assult of the Buster Call. They spend most of the episode manoeuvering around the gigantic ships of the enemy, and finally set sail to freedom, leaving the burning remains of Enies Lobby behind (but not before Robin gives Spandam a going away present for his "hospitality").

After watching 43 episodes of Dgimon Tamers, i must say, i heard this show took some dark turns but wow... just WOW :0.
I've watched/read lots of darker stuff but this must be the first time i was genuinely suprised and a bit creeped out by a show. Maybe i'm just a softie for digimon.

That Toonami opening for Akame ga Kill was so off-sync... And they changed the credits music (like FUNimation did with Space Dandy).

Oh well.

Blue Exorcist is good but it gets BAD in record time in the last...1/5.

I watched episode 5 of Dragon Ball Super last night!

Mostly just the confrontation between Goku & Beers (yes, I actually found out that "Beerus" is just a misinterpretation of how the Japanese say Beers, while Whis is short for Whiskey. Toriyama's love for name puns coming through again) on King Kai's planet. They made it stretch for pretty much the entire episode by having Goku try to fight him as a Super Sayain & SS2 as well (instead of jumping straight to SS3).

Now that I think about it, the name of the fat "Beerus" in the OP is Champan (which I think Toriyama revealed in an interview awhile ago), which would probably be Champagne, if the alcoholic naming puns is true.

Toonami Saturday night!

DBZ Kai - Piccolo is back & on Namek! Vegeta catches on, and is about to have his own wish granted when the dragon goes kaput. Luckily(?) for Gohan & Krillin, Frieza shows up before Vegeta can exact his vengeance upon them, and diverts his attention.

Akame ga Kill - We get properly acquainted with the members of Night Raid. Most of them seem nice enough, though Mai (pink haired girl) is going to get old fast. Akame herself & the blonde haired girl the most interesting, though. Tatsumi proves himself in battle against a tough opponent, and is now officially part of the group.

Michiko & Hatchin - Mitchiko hunts down a false Satoshi, and together they have to play a life and death game to avoid the wrath of the real deal. They survive, and Michiko is apparently about to get the meeting she's been looking for. Meanwhile, it looks like Hatchin is running off... again.

Sword Art Online II - In the real world, Asuna may be forced to leave her current school (and friends) behind, as well as Kirito, due to the actions of her mother, who is a b**** with a capital B (she wants Asuna to transfer to a more "respectable" school, and to accept an arranged marraige into a wealthy family). While in the game world, she has an epic duel with Zekken (really a girl), who chooses Asuna to join her group for some mysterious purpose.

Naruto Shippuden - Mr. creepy Akatsuki guy "curses" Asuma so any damage he takes himself transfers over to Asuma. Luckily, one of Asuma's studens breaks apart the technique, and the fight is back on.

One Piece - The gang says goodbye to a valued member of the crew... the ship. While this may have been more emotional if you've been following the show from the beginning, it came off as just a bit heavy handed, to say the least, personally. It makes more sense when knowledgeable about Japanese culture though, where it's believed even the tiniest rock has a spirit, and can be made to be happy, angry, sad, ect.

Also, they reviewed J-Stars VS Victory + (PS4): 7/10

Watching Gundam Unicorn (currently on episode 4). And holy **** it's ****ing amazing, maybe even being worth of calling it God-tier (and I rarely say God-tier to a very few anime series) if the last 3 epsiodes doesn't take a sudden nose dive.

I've heard that the animation for Dragon Ball Super wasn't very good. How does it look to you?

I don't get the big uproar, personally.

It's not standout by any means, but I don't think it's terrible by any means either. The lowest it's been has been the fight between Goku & Beerus on King Kai's planet, and I think that was a case of sacrificing detail for fluidity.

I also think it's worth pointing out that this first arc is a remake of Battle of Gods, which itself was more lighthearted & comedic than your typical DBZ story. I'm sure they only have so much in their animation budget, and want to save it not only for the more serious moments, but the completely original serious moments, at that.

Off-topic, but I got around to watching that Monster live action movie the other night.

It wasn't very good. Tonally all over the place, awkward pacing and structure, and at least 10 actual minutes of screen time dedicated to female characters crying hysterically. Plus complete overuse of the whole "oh no, the killer wasn't really dead!" cliché. Jason Voorhees would be proud. I rated it 2/5.

For a better Asian revenge film starring a mentally disabled female protagonist, I would suggest Chocolate instead. Still a silly story, but much better pacing and some really great action choreography.

Despite watching anime semi-regularly, I have never seen an idol anime, unless K-On counts.

You can choose to do this too.

why would I be sick of something I never watch?

I mean, some of the anime I like have idol characters, but they're usually...good characters so...?

though to be fair, I'm frequently sick of FPS despite rarely playing FPS in the past few years...

Toonami Saturday night!

DBZ Kai - Missed first half. Showed up in enough time to catch Frieza's transformation, and to see Krillin get owned (as usual).

Akame Ga Kill - We get to know Mai better. This episode is full of clichés, and while I'm not a fan of Mai's character type, I still enjoyed the episode as a whole. Looks like there's a new killer in town, and he doesn't look nice.

Michiko & Hatchin - Mitchiko was absent this week, as we get a Hatchin episode about her making friends with a girl her age, and helping said friend to get over her first heartbreak.

Sword Art Online II - Asuna joins a group of players who want to beat a floor boss all on their own (something that's never been done before, as usually it takes many groups of players working together to do this). Things may not go their way however, as a large guild is blocking their way, and Asuna's overbearing mother wants her to give up the virtual world altogether, and has already forcefully pulled the plug once before.

Naruto Shippuden - It looks like Hidan may have been defeated, but as it turns out, he can still keep on ticking even when decapitated. His partner re-attaches his head, and distracts the three less skilled Leaf ninja so Hidan can have his revenge against Asuma. Unfortunately, it looks like he may have succeeded...

One Piece - The gang is resting up after their harrowing escape from Enies Lobby, and it even looks like they may get a powerful new ship, all for free. Peace isn't short lived however, as a legendary Vice-Admiral shows up to confront the pirates. The big shock? This Vice-Admiral is Luffy's grandfather!?!

Also, they had a new show montage thingy.

GATE is making me really want to read the manga. It's getting really interesting, so I'd love to get all the extra details that come with a literary format.

Haven't started watching Gangsta yet. At this point, I'll probably just want to marathon it.

And I dropped everything else within 2 episodes. On the other hand, I picked up Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers. It started out as a typical "heroes must kill the demon and save the world" plot, but after a few episodes, it begins to play out as a fairly intriguing whodunnit in the vein of Another or Umineko, though not nearly as violent as either of those. A few of the character designs though... yeesh.

I hope for the return of the Bleach anime.
Thinking about watching it again and then read the rest of the manga.

Yeah, I think they should finish out the anime Final Act style, once the manga ends.

I am caught up with the manga, and while the current arc started out great (as good as the Soul Society arc), Kubo has been drawing it out as much as possible, with some really strange enemies, enemies with totally BS powers, or both.

For example, Mayuri (the captain of squad 12, the scientist) & Kenpachi are fighting a giant hand, which is one of the current villain's 4 strongest underlings.

Toonami Saturday night!

DBZ Kai - Frieza's getting irritated due to the surprising power of Gohan & Krillin, and just when he thinks he has them killed, they somehow seem to pop up again unharmed (thanks to Dende). Frieza's about to get serious, but thankfully for our heroes, Piccolo arrives on the scene.

Akame ga Kill - The most powerful weapons in the show's universe are explained (there are 48 of them, and all members of Night Raid, other than our new recruit, have one). The enemy this week is a rouge prison executioner turned mass murderer, who uses one such weapon himself (which allowed him to read his opponents thougts).

Mitchiko & Hatchin - Mitchiko is taken to gang leader and former acquaintance Satoshi (an old friend of Hiroshi, the man she's looking for). He's a pretty sadistic SOB, and luckily for Mitchiko, a police raid saves her from death at his hands. Both escape, though.

Sword Art Online II - Asuna & the Sleeping Knights get past the guild thanks to a little help from Kirito, and are able to face off the boss and win. Asuna's new friend refers to her as "sis", and once she realizes her blunder, logs out in an emotional manner. What's behind this?

Naruto Shippuden - A long standing character passes away (A much more effective mourning moment than the crew of OP saying their goodbyes... to their ship). Lots of flashbacks of key moments of him in past episodes. The enemy is called away.

One Piece - Luffy's grandfather is introduced, and in the second flashback heavy episode of the night, the gang is reintroduced to faces from the past. In an even more surprising turn of events, the identity of Luffy's father is revealed, who is perhaps the most dangerous person in the series.

Also, they announced a Mitchiko & Hatchin marathon next week, for Labor Day weekend.