Topic: Anime & Manga (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)

Over the past couple of weeks I've rewatched Neon Genesis Evangelion, which I finished up tonight.

Still wierd as heck, but it's as good as always as well. The animation looks fantastic to this day (really like the look of Unit 01, too), and despite how cryptic and odd the storyline is, I like TRYING to figure it out (no matter how pointless it may be, lol). Still, I think I understand it a bit better after this most recent watch, maybe...

Oh, and I had forgotten how awesome the OP was (the song especially), so seeing that again was a plus.

@CanisWolfred It's very probably better off enjoyed in digestable little chunks. My problem was that I was watching it for the second time (having got about 1/3 though several years ago), and was really desperate for a conclusion, so I was a bit reckless with my watching habits. You're probably not in the best position to enjoy something while staring at the screen thinking, "just end already!".

Still, I remember enjoying the bits I'd enjoyed the first time I watched it, and feeling a bit iffy about the bits about the bits where I started to drift off, so I don't think all my issues were a result of over-binging.

I'm generally pretty good at spacing things out. With currently airing shows you're obviously limited to once a week, but even with older shows, it feels odd to watch more than two episodes in one go. But I was so desperate to have DN conclude - partly to wrap up a story I'd had incomplete in my head for years, and partly so I could move into something else - that I went about it in fist-fulls.

It's probably especially important to give DN some time, given the scale of time that the story eventually takes place over.

@RR529 It's really hard to understate just how important NGE was to the evolution of late-90s/early 2000s anime. The show itself, despite its inconsistencies, still burns with a unique and compelling creativity to this day. I watched it myself in the early 2000s via dubbed VHS tapes. Horrendously expensive: $25 a pop for two episodes on a tape back then. New anime fans really don't realize how nice they have it now with inexpensive season sets, multiple streaming services, etc.

Discovering the show as a preteen is one of my fondest memories as an anime fan.

Anyway, two questions:
1) Did you watch the alternate versions of episode 22-24 that added bonus footage to the episodes? A lot was added, in particular, to Arael's assault on Asuka's mind. It's quite chilling.
2) Have you seen the movies? In particular, End of Evangelion? If you haven't, I wholeheartedly recommend finding a way to watch it. The DVD release is pretty rare these days, but I bet you can probably find a way to download or stream it somewhere. To this day, it's one of the most disturbing and surreal films I've ever had the pleasure of watching.

@Ralizah, Not really sure if the episodes had any extra footage (the last time I fully watched through it was back when AS aired it, so years ago), and yes, I have watched EoE, though as weird as it was, I may try digging around to find a way to watch it again (the last time I watched it, I hadn't seen the series in awhile, so it'd probably be good for comprehension to try and watch it while the series is fresh in my mind).

@RR529 Are you watching it via old DVD set or the newer platinum set? I think the extra footage is included by default in the newer set.

@Ralizah, I actually sorta watched it online... (I know, I know)

Although I'm in my 20's, I'm still too nervous to let my family know I watch anime (I swear my father is turning into Archie Bunker day by day), so I've avoided physical media & Netflix (shared account).

I tried out Crunchyroll on my tablet, but the videos won't play for some reason (though Netflix & YouTube work fine).

I don't know who this Archie Bunker is, but I think I like him.

@CanisWolfred, he's the central character of All in the Family, a popular 70's sitcom that fiercely tackled the political & social issues of the time (though sometimes I'm surprised at just how relevant a issue can still be). Most of the strife is between Archie (a conservative, as noted above in that video), and his liberal minded son-in-law, who is staying in the house as he studies for college.

Interestingly enough, it spawned 5 spin-offs. Archie Bunker's Place (he bought a bar near the end of AitF, and this is more of a sequel, that shifts the focus from home to work. Lasted until '83), Maude (you may have heard of this one. She started out as the cousin of Edith, Archie's wife), the Jeffersons (started out as the Bunkers' neighbors, before "Movin' on up"), Gloria (short lived 80's sircom focusing on his daughter), and 904 Hausser Street (Definitely misspelled this. Yes, the house got it's own short lived spin-off in the 90's, with a new family in it).

Interestingly enough, it's also the series that influenced Family Guy's opening sequence.

@RR529 Nothing wrong with streaming anime, I just wasn't aware that any of the services carried Eva.

I think the show was 704 Hauser.

Archie Bunker is too racist for my taste, although, on the subject of conservative tv dads, I'm quite fond of Hank Hill.

(insert jokes about an Archie Bunker anime here)

...I mean, it's funnier than referencing Cory in the House for the billionth time...

@RR529 For your tablet, was it the actual app or the website that you accessed? Because I thought you couldn't download an app that wasn't compatible with your machine? Meanwhile, the website still uses flash player, and I don't think Tablets can use that...

@CanisWolfred, it was the app. The ads (at least the first one before the show) would play, but the show itself wouldn't (at the time I was trying to watch Samurai Warriors, though I think I tried out a couple of others as well).

TBH, it's not the first video app I've had issues with either (FXNow wouldn't work for me either).

@RR529 It might be worth trying again every once in a while to see if it got updated. I have an iPad, and even on there, sometimes it'll freeze up and I have to wait for Crunchy to fix it before I can use it again. Then again, I've had a membership for a while now, and I recall having more problems when I was just a normal user, thanks in part to their ads.

Got around to watching Neon Genesis Evangelion: End of Evangelion tonight, and man what a trip... (more comprehensive thoughts in the Movie thread)

...Ok, because of my money situation, I'm going with Azumanga first...checked around and it seems the price is cheaper than Good Luck Girl, so...yeah. (still gonna look around and check it out online first, but yeah...lol)

@Joeynator3000 You won't regret it. Azumanga Daioh is hilarious, and I say this as someone who usually hates moe slice of life stuff.

Oki, lol...as long as it's funny and not full of blood and gore then I'll be good.

........watches a few Azumanga episodes
...This teacher character looks almost like Megumi, except this one is psycho....weird. lol

So, is anyone gearing up for the fall season? (for me, I think it has the highest number of shows I'm going to try out since I started keeping up with the latest releases).

Sundays - These have been giving me a "Saturday Morning Cartoon" vibe with the shows I've watched so far this year, such as the super hero focused My Hero Academia, and Dragon Ball Super & Kyokai no Rinne, which have nostalgic ties for me. With that in mind, this season will be...

• Dragon Ball Super (continuing)
• Time Bokan 24 (looks very "Saturday Morning Cartoon"-y)

Mondays - My Netflix movie night, so nothing.

Tuesdays - With Joker Game & 91 Days these past two seasons, they have sort have become my 20th century peroid show nights, so with that in mind...

• Last Witch Izetta (looks like it's going to be set in a sort of alternate WWII setting, with a supernatural twist based on the title)
• Luger Code 1951 (another mid 20th century supernatural series, this time with werewolves)

Wednesdays - Don't have a theme for this night yet.

• Nazotokine (don't know much about it, as it doesn't have a proper trailer, but I'll try it out)

Thursdays - Going to be my cutesy nights.

• Flip Flappers (Never watched a magical girl series before, but this looks well done, so I'll give it a go)
• Slayer Matoi (can't remember the exact name of this, but it's a magical girl series I'm only considering because of the whole traditional Japanese priestess motif)
• Ping Pong Girl (a sports series that fits in with the night's theme)

Fridays - My more hardcore action night.

• Soul Busters (I think that's the name of this one. Looks like the main character can summon traditional Japanese warriors or something)
• Drifters (Looks like a Samurai from the Feudal Era gets caught up in some serious stuff. Is it a new series though, or a continuation? I thought I've seen the name before...)

Saturdays - Toonami night, so nothing.

Is My Hero Academia getting its second season in the Fall/Autumn season? That seems quick!