Topic: Anime & Manga (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)

It's on Crunchyroll & Funimation. It's titled Star Blazers 2199 to cash in on western Nostalgia, and it's even dubbed on Funimation's website, though that's subscription-only if you want to get more than couple episodes in. It's also worth noting that it was originally released in Theaters in Japan, 3 or 4 episodes at a time. They're currently doing the same with Space Battleship Yamato 2202, which loosely adapts Yamato II and Arrivederci Yamato. Which means we get high-quality animation, at the cost of having episodes take forever to release. There are currently 18 episodes out for Yamato 2202, but it'll take at least another year before the series is finished.

Sorry for the double-post, but I just found out about Studio Trigger's Promare project, in collaboration with XFlag, a studio I've never heard of before, but apparently has creators that worked on Gurren Lagann working for them.

Really just wanted to point it out for anyone else who missed it, I honestly have no idea what to make of it at this point, the trailer was short and confusing, and I'm not sure I like the visual style in it. I usually like Trigger's shows, but the last two collaborations that heavily cribbed from their Gainax creations were heavily underwhelming, so I guess I gotta wait 'n' see if they just needed the right team and experience to pull it off, or if they're just desperately trying to cash in on nostalgia. I dunno, maybe this time they won't waste so much screentime on overly convoluted teenage love polygons that don't advance the plot, forcing them to cram in way too much exposition when it's finally time to let the adults talk...just sayin'...

Well to be fair, their collabs were written by different people outside of their own team while this is being made by the same guy who made Gurren Lagann in the first place so it will probably be really good. I think.

I dunno. Judging Trigger on some collab thing that they had little to do with beyond animating is like judging Gainax for their mediocre shows they made between the ones people remember.

Oh, I still like Trigger's output in general, but in this case, it's just hard for me to get excited because I don't know what I'm dealing with. Then again, I've been routinely reminded that anime in general is much more of a gamble than video games. Trailers and previews just aren't that useful, and a bad ending alone could potentially ruin a series I had been enjoying. I really don't feel like I'm rewarded for breaking out of my comfort zone, and then I get situations like this, where I feel so heavily target that I kind of have to be cynical...

I mean it's better than being disappointed because of having extremely high expectations so that's fair. I find it best to go into a series not expecting it objectively be one thing in terms of quality or enjoyment.

I unfortunately don't know how to do that, because I usually need a minimum level of excitement in order to commit myself to...pretty much anything. It's genuinely a problem.

Finished Dragon Pilot: Hisone & Masotan (Netflix Original) tonight. Not something I'll be itching to watch again in the future I feel, but I enjoyed it enough for a single viewing. Pretty cute series with pleasant art direction.

Finished the Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0-3.0 movies about a week ago in about 2 binge sessions. I've been sitting on both Neon Genesis and the Rebuilds of Eva for a while and haven't actually watched any of them until a couple weeks ago where I finished Neon Genesis Evangelion in a little under 2 weeks. And I honestly have been speechless for almost the past month now, and have been going under an existential crisis/rejuvenation ever since I finished Neon Genesis and End of Eva. In terms of how I felt about the original series overall, it's crazy how well Gainax and Anno were able to impact me in such a way with the show. Shinji is in fact an idiot, but he has enough relatable and interesting qualities that I found at least personally to make him a fascinating, yet incredibly messed up character. Asuka probably has become one of my favorite characters of all time, her whole complex from her depressing past to how she just puts on a mask to attempt to seem like she is this perfect pilot and girl were crazy too, I really felt for her, but there wasn't much she could do when everyone else around her was just as messed up. I can still hear her screams of frustration from Episode 22 in my mind.

I've also been in love with the soundtracks, in particular Komm Susser Todd, Carnage, and Sakura Nagashi just to name a few. I'm a sucker for "epic" music with choirs and booming orchestras and all so a majority of it is up my alley.

In terms of the Rebuilds, I think they do their job well enough, even though they take a different direction than the original series and what not. 3.0 + 1.0 really can't come soon enough honestly.

If you're going for blurays/dvds, Sentai is doing a Black Friday sale that ends after today. I went for Squid Girl since it's normally $80, it's on sale for $13. owo
(...of course there's shipping, and apparently you have to go for the priority option...or a more expensive one, bleh. But whatever, $20 for both seasons, I'm in, lol)

@Deku-Scrub Oh man, all of Evangelion in two weeks must have been a lot to digest. Glad you liked it, though. Still THE anime of the 90's, as far as I'm concerned, and I've yet to find another film that is powerful and provocative as End of Eva.

On that note, Netflix is airing the original series + original two movies next year. I really wonder how EoE is going go down with this current generation of viewers... it seems a bit extreme for such a mainstream platform.

@Ralizah Oh you have no idea, but it was definitely one heck of a watch for me and as a show overall. End of Eva instantly became my favorite movie in general after I finished it, there are plenty of fun films and a handful of more "metaphorical/mature" type films I have watched but this one hands down blew away whatever competition existed before with its imagery, symbolism, and overall construction.

I heard about Evangelion coming to Netflix yesterday basically just when the news dropped, and at first was excited, but then it began to sink in what it could mean for the show and its image. With how sensitive people tend to be these days I'm worried for it being painted as a "disgusting" or "taboo" series for its extreme imagery, EoE especially. Granted this all comes down to how many people actually watch it, as I doubt the core base of Netflix viewers watch much anime. On the flip side, from my prior knowledge Evangelion is a pain to get a hold of the rights in the West, so Netflix is probably going to want to push this show really hard in advertising of their service.

@Deku-Scrub I first watched EVA as a preteen when it released on VHS in the late 90's, and it made an anime fan out of me for life. I'd argue it was a huge early factor in the "Anime boom" that happened throughout the Western world in the early-to-mid 2000's. Well, anyway, I'd never quite seen anything with such searing emotional and psychological depth. I also appreciated the (unique at the time) apocalyptic tone and amazing fight scenes, of course.

End of Eva is pure art. It's not often tons of money (it's still a VERY gorgeous looking movie, all these years later) and the complete dedication to a confrontational personal vision so perfectly come together. If Hideaki Anno ever hit "full auteur" mode in his career, it's with this movie. I love everything about it: the epic scope of the narrative, the nightmarish and hugely creating imagery, the amazing soundtrack (I've liked most of Shirō Sagisu's work in anime, but this movie was his masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned; the music is as raw and angry as the film itself), and even the sheer audacity to give something like this a huge, wide release (remember, this was in theaters in Japan, which still blows my mind a little). I first watched a raw screener on my computer years before Manga Entertainment actually acquired the film and released in internationally, and while I didn't understand a lick of what was being said, the film still worked itself on my young subconsciousness as an abstract and brutal pantomime of sorts; the emotion still got through, loud and clear.

Japan got a lovely Blu-Ray set of the entire series a while back, whereas, in the West, the rights for the original series and movies have been floating in the ether, with nobody wanting to risk shouldering the cost of licensing this classic again. Hopefully its exposure to a new generation of fans through Netflix will convince someone to release that set domestically.

Apparently Netflix is financing a 3rd season of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and is going to produce a live action version of Cowboy Bebop

They seem to be going all in on anime properties lately.

JoJo no kimyō na bōken: Vento Aureo is great and another spectacle by David Productions. Don’t think they’ll do Part 6, though.

So hey, I just realized that there's a new trilogy of Eureka Seven movies in the works, known as "Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution." The first one's already available on Blu-ray. I haven't seen it, but it appears to be a compilation film with ~20 minutes of new footage detailing the events before the series started, involving Renton's father and his accomplishments that were frequently referenced throughout the series.

But what I'm excited about is the second film, starring Anemone, my favorite character from the series! There's clearly some multiverse shinnanigans going on, but I'll take it if it means getting to know more about her. This one also shouldn't be able to rely heavily on reused animation the way the first film did, since Anemone didn't have nearly as many scenes as Renton. Plus, looking at the PV and 10-minute preview I found, I think they'd be hardpressed to condense all that new content into just 20 minutes.

Only other thing of note is that the transitions to 3D can be quite jarring. I dunno how frequent it would be, or why they're even bothering, but I guess it's to save time and money somehow? It's not like the scenes I saw had a lot of action, I'm not really sure if the benefit would be that substantial...oh well, it's not a deal-breaker for me, at least. Especially since I've seen worse, and they don't seem to be using as much CG on the action scenes, so they don't look out of place compared to the older E7 series.

The important part is that they're not Eureka 7 AO.

Even though i've been a huge fan of animation and comics as a whole from a young age i'll admit I never cared for most anime & manga. Anime may often look good visually but I generally find the actual content can be fairly off putting pretty easily. And certain genres (I.E. Shonen) have even more problematic, over done &/or cliche elements then even U.S. superhero comics.

That said I do enjoy a good all-ages series. I find that like with most media anime aimed at kids/all-ages like Pokemon and Pretty Cure (especially in recent seasons) is actually more progressive and more well written then a good chunk of stuff aimed at teens/adults.

That said I do enjoy older content like Revolutionary Girl, Utena, Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Magic Knight Rayearth, Cowboy Bebop, and the Stuido Ghibli films. I kind of miss when the medium had a more "girl power" slant to it, as a lot of anime in the 21st century has seemed fairly misogynistic as if that side of the animation/comic coin is moving backwards instead of forwards.

Though I have noticed things improving a bit as of late as we've gotten series like FLCL Alternative that had a fat character that wasn't just there to be a joke and on the manga side we've had some more interment (somewhat biographical?) Series like My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness/My Solo Exchange Diary, Sakoto & Nadia, and The Bride Was A Boy, etc. Which are all solid slice of life series about diverse life experiences and don't just use varying groups of people solely for fan-service titillation like many other series do.

@LilDoggo48 Always remember that they're shows stemming from a different cultural mindet, though tbh, I've heard similar co,mplaints about mysogny in regards to anime from people living in Japan, so you're not entirely off-base. Anime itself happens to be feuled by its own, often highly-insular otaku sub-culture, as well - both in terms of target audience, and the people working in the shows/manga.

But hey, Pretty Cure's still dominating the Magical Girl scene, while a few others show up from time to time. We have have the benefit of hindsight, but series like Revolutionary Girl Utena & Cardcaptor Sakura were rare gems even in their day.

I'm not exactly well-versed in more modern shows for girls that uh...trandscend the standard mold, I guess? But I do know that at least a few years back, there were Yuri Kuma Arashi, Michiko & Hatchin, Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, and Puella Madoka Magica. Oh yeah, and I remember Princess Jellyfish was poular for a hot minute back in 2010. I never saw the appeal in it, but it did go quite a bit against the grain for its genre, to say the least.

Not to mention Cardcaptor Sakura of all things got a modern sequel last year! I know you were talking about more than just Magical Girl shows, but damnit, I'm still shocked it happened! Really seemed like last year was the "year of the nostalgic throwbacks." Honestly, I couldn't be happier, once I got over the fact that nothing that was trying to be new last year appeal to me except for Double Decker and something from the Winter season whose name I forgot...

Apparently Rumiko Takahashi has a new (manga) series premiering in the spring, so I'm pretty excited for that.

Not much in the way of anime for me recently, though. Due to my current work schedule I really can't keep up with Toonami (I'm off on the weekends, but because I work mornings I'm generally ready for bed by 11:00 on any given day, lol), and haven't happened to watch any on Netflix recently, either (I mean I'm currently watching season 2 of Castlevania, but that's not really anime...).

@Xploder9825 Comedy is extremely difficult to translate, so you're right on the money, most don't get localized, and a lot that due often have to have jokes reworked to appeal to non-Japanese audience. I know I could never really get into any of the more authentic ones without viewing them more as a curiousity than a comedy.

A lot of sports and SoL shows do get licensed, though, at least through Crunchyroll's simulcasts. Old ones rarely get picked up, so you're SOL if you're looking for more vintage sports anime via legal channels. Obviously I don't know how many are of high quility or might appeal to your tastes, since I have a very strict action-only diet in regards to the media I consume, but I do try to keep an eye on anime as a whole, for the sake of easy conversation.

@GyroZeppeli Jojo Part 5 being good isn't a spoiler. Also, why wouldn't they do part 6? That's the one I've been looking forward to the most since they started this adaption.