@Jollykarp Maybe it was the transition that made me feel like it was forced, It was like being thrown from heaven straight to hell xD
It is a shame that KyoAni didn't pick it up but it can't be helped since they apparently have a little rift with Key. Not saying JC didn't do a good job which they did especially with the 2nd season.
Key's record of giving me watery eyes carries on, so far 5 straight animes in a row >_>
Watching Gundam: The 08th MS Team (English). I don't remember this show having cussing. This is probably the only Gundam show that has the most cussing ever.
Watching Gundam: The 08th MS Team (English). I don't remember this show having cussing. This is probably the only Gundam show that has the most cussing ever.
The show actually had Nudity. I guess they decided that alone would bring up the rating, so may as well throw in the sailor talk.
Watching Gundam: The 08th MS Team (English). I don't remember this show having cussing. This is probably the only Gundam show that has the most cussing ever.
The show actually had Nudity. I guess they decided that alone would bring up the rating, so may as well throw in the sailor talk.
That reminds me of Seed Destiny when Kira got lucky with Flay.
BTW, for the two people who have seen Jin-Roh, you might want to check out Anime Abandon's review of it, since it covers a few more subtle aspects that you might've missed. I thought it was quite interesting.
While I'm on the subject, I'm finally running out of AA episodes to watch, hell I even watched the Madbull 34 episode so I wouldn't feel the need to watch the actual anime - a show whose only notable scene in a sea of over-the-top violence, rape scenes (particularly involving blondes), and engrish, was a guy wearing grenades as a jockstrap.
So I decided to watch one involving a show I actually wanted to watch but had never seen before, and I feel like I dodged a bullet here, because it was the Ghost in the Shell movie, which I now really want to watch, and he managed to avoid heavy spoilers. Instead he mostly talked about the more subtle themes, like the feminist undertones, which was kind of unheard of in anime that was brought over at the time. It's just too bad most of that stuff was probably the product of the director, seeing as the manga was made by freakin' Shirow Masamune.
TWGOK, 7 episodes in, I'm completely willing to declare as one of the most intelligent anime I've seen.
I'm completely serious.
I'm in episode 10, it's really cool!
goodbyes are a sad part of life but for every end there's a new beggining so one must never stop looking forward to the next dawn
now working at IBM as helpdesk analyst my Backloggery
3DS Friend Code: 3995-7085-4333 | Nintendo Network ID: GustavoSF
Speaking of 08th MS Team, I have to mention that I noticed that one of the episodes is centered around one of the Gundams getting its head knocked off, and the pilot was blind, having to rely on an intelligence officer to keep her alive and take out her target.
The problem? It's been established since the very first episode of the original Gundam that these machines have back-up cameras, which can operate even when the head is torn clean off. I don't think that was even brought up in the entire episode (though I could be wrong, I'd have to rewatch the episode). Whoops.
It was still a great episode, I'm just saying, it doesn't make sense, unless those particular ones lacked back up chameras for some reason. Since it's never really brought up at all, however, I'm more inclined to believe that they just forgot.
I was browsing Barnes and Nobles today and I found a manga called Saturn Apartments. My first impression was the art style is GORGEOUS. Now that's definitely my personal taste, but it's just so wonderfully simple. The plot itself is interesting. Humans now live on a man made planet separated into three floors. Workers at the bottom, agriculture in the middle, and the upper class at the top. The story follows Mitsu, a young boy who is a window washer. He meets all different kind of people on the planet while learning more about his father's disappearance. I really want to read it, but I hate reading manga online. Gotta find a copy of vol. 1 soon!
^Looks interesting. And yes, the art style is very appealing. Could be kinda grim, though. Not that that's a bad thing...
So I saw more new Anime recently:
Witch Craft Works ep. 1 - I got desparate to pass the time and decided to watch this even though it didn't sound very good. God it made my head hurt, it was so stupid...
Hozuki no Reitetsu ep. 1 - That was...oddly pleasant. The characters were likeable enough, though I don't know much about Japanese folktales and traditions, so I'm missing a lot of references. I like how the main character is kind of a stand-up guy for once, and actually solves problems instead of causing them. The comedy kept me smiling the whole time, with a few chuckles and even a laugh or two as it went on. It's not brilliant like I had hoped, but I like it none the less. I think it'll be especially refreshing coming off of the craziness of Space Dandy.
Magical Warfare ep. 1 - So we have a main dude who is not frightened by a Girl with a Gun, not even when she's shooting at him, or a dude with a monster big sword, which he's able to fight off with a bamboo sword,
And he can kill a man and not even flinch or feel remorse.
Either this man has nerves of steel, or this show has poor writing. Thankfully I'm more in it for the action. Honestly, this is what I was expecting Hamatora to be...though I think I like Hamatora way more.
World Conquest ep. 1 - Okay, This wasn't at all what I was expecting. Like, I was expecting a group of weirdos trying to conquer the world, but I did not expect them to actually be a force to be reckoned with.
Also, the fanservice was surprisingly toned down, outfits aside. Hell, even with the outsits they never seemed to focus on them long enough to notice them when the lolis were involved, so that's good. Well, for this episode at least. Looks like they're including food innuendo the next episode (if you can call it that).
I've just finished the episode 12 of TWGOK, and I must say Keima is the best singer in the world ever, what an amazing voice
goodbyes are a sad part of life but for every end there's a new beggining so one must never stop looking forward to the next dawn
now working at IBM as helpdesk analyst my Backloggery
3DS Friend Code: 3995-7085-4333 | Nintendo Network ID: GustavoSF
TWGOK, 7 episodes in, I'm completely willing to declare as one of the most intelligent anime I've seen.
I'm completely serious.
I'm in episode 10, it's really cool!
I've seen every episode. It's pretty darn good.
I showed the first episode to my friend recently (we were showing each other anime we liked), and now he's obsessed with it. Probably likes it more than I do.
Oh, and as for right now, I'm watching something called Sword Art Online. I am currently on episode 17. I like it.
I was browsing Barnes and Nobles today and I found a manga called Saturn Apartments. My first impression was the art style is GORGEOUS. Now that's definitely my personal taste, but it's just so wonderfully simple. The plot itself is interesting. Humans now live on a man made planet separated into three floors. Workers at the bottom, agriculture in the middle, and the upper class at the top. The story follows Mitsu, a young boy who is a window washer. He meets all different kind of people on the planet while learning more about his father's disappearance. I really want to read it, but I hate reading manga online. Gotta find a copy of vol. 1 soon!
That sounds really cool! Reminds me of a more serious and less utopian ARIA, which I'm totally up for.
always thought I'd change to Gyarados after I turned 20 but hey, this is more fitting I guess. (also somebody registered under the original Magikarp name and I can't get back to it anymore orz)
Bleach - Missed first half. Second half was alright with some decent action.
Naruto Shippuden - Sure, I may have not seen enough of the original series to be completely caught up, but I have seen just enough to get a smile when they were getting all nostalgic about their first training mission. This made me feel like what the DBZ timeskips made me feel, which is nice.
One Piece! - Wow! This really kicked the night into high gear. A very emotional, and surprisingly intense fight. Though some of the attacks were a bit silly in hindsight, they did a fabulous job of making it feel so tense & exciting. I'd say the animation quality went up a notch or two as well.
Soul Eater - With some big things going on, this was a great episode as well. Not really sure how much longer this has left, but it looks like it could be heading towards it's climax. On a side note, we finally got to see Blair again (and she has two other cat women with her)!
Sword Art Online - That was absolutely the most intense one on one fight I've seen from this series yet, and it was awesome! The fan service seemed to be a tad more present as well, lol.
T.O.M. answered some viewer questions tonight, mentioning that an afternoon block is NOT happening, giving a mention to the craziness of Space Dandy, and confirming that Blue Exorcist will indeed be airing in March.
One Piece & Sword Art Online are tied for my episode of the night. Time to wait for InuYasha!
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
TWGOK, 7 episodes in, I'm completely willing to declare as one of the most intelligent anime I've seen.
I'm completely serious.
I feel I should elaborate. While it's too early to say a ton of what this series is like as a whole, at this point I can make some pretty reasonable guesses (the fact that I discussed such things with a friend who knows the series like the back of her hand who agreed with me helps). It is brilliant on 2 levels. 1. It is a harem-like series that completely and blatantly, intentionally goes against the horrible, sexist implications that those series have and 2. Does so effortlessly without a hint of cynicism or getting in the way of being fun. I've grown to kinda loathe the type of "look at me, I'm tragic, I'm an artist now!" terribad plzcry stories, it's just not smart or worth anyone's time. It is however, hackneyed and pathetic, while this series is saying far more that's actually relevant while still being something that understands emotions beyond sadness (also helps that it's actually, y'know, really funny). This is what modern anime should be, and I'm so glad I discovered this series (especially when I did).
I said something about presenting my top anime of 2013 about two weeks ago.
Yep, it's that time.
V8 NINJA'S TOP ANIME OF 2013!!!
First, let's talk some technicalities;
All of the anime series chosen are the actual shows I watched in 2013. This is not a definitive list, this is mostly my personal list.
When considering picks for awards given to full shows, I only looked at series that ended in 2013. That means that series like Samurai Flamenco, Kill la Kill, and Ace No Daimond were not eligible for any of the full-series categories while shows like Shin Sekai Yori and Blast of Tempest were eligible.
HOWEVER, when considering my picks for awards that relate to parts of anime (see; my best OP and best ED awards), I considered anything that aired in 2013 to be eligible.
Unless I explicitly state that I have to talk about them, there will be no direct spoilers in any of the award descriptions. Click away!
This list is split into two parts; the Not-So-Serious Awards and the Super-Serious Awards.
Without further hesitation, let's begin!
PART 1: THE NOT-SO-SERIOUS AWARDS
The Best Anime Series I Watched...That Wasn't From 2013:
Fate/Zero
Yeah, I missed the bandwagon on this one, but am I so glad I eventually got around to it. On top of having superb production values, the characters are fleshed out and the plot is really good at every angle you look at it. While I definitely don't like the shift in focus that happens near the end of the series, it's still well executed and I'm super-pumped for Ufotable's upcoming Fate/Stay Night.
The Runner-Up:
* Kokoro Connect: While I think the series does ultimately fail in some areas, it's also extremely honest and heartfelt, something that very few pieces of fiction are able to pull off with an outlandish concept. Also, unless you're immune to sadness, you will cry while watching the series. Even with it's failings, Kokoro Connect is something special.
The Most Stupidly Amazing And Fun Anime Series:
Blast of Tempest
The first arc of the show is somewhat weak and boring, but the second half of this show really makes up for that. Not only does Blast of Tempest introduce a dozen new concepts into its story within the second arc, but all of them somehow work with the story and are incredibly fun/intriguing. Sure, the show may not be as tight as other shows on this list, but it's the most baffling show I watched and I certainly appreciate that.
The Runner-Up:
* Outbreak Company: Yeah, at the end of this day show panders to a specific demographic, but it doesn't go too deep down that rabbit hole for others to enjoy it. Most of the story is light and there's a good 50/50 split between Otaku jokes and gags that fit in the context of the show. Also, that tone-twist at the end is amazingly executed.
The Top Anime Series I (Initially) Didn't Get:
SNAFU
SNAFU is a weird series. It's about a truly negative loner being forced into a somewhat typical slice-of-life scenario. What makes it weirder is that the main character...well, for lack of a better phrase, "Sticks To His Guns." Ignoring the admittedly funny comedy bits, the show wants to silently comment, praise, and criticize the caricature of the negative loner. It's absolutely fascinating that it can do that while maintaining the guise of a high school comedy.
The Runner-Up:
* Gatchaman Crowds: This show wants to comment on everything about the internet and social media. Whether or not I disagreed with the show and it its ultimate conclusions, I have to praise it for at least being willing to comment on those things. However, the overall messiness of the presentation of those ideas and the story makes me wish that the series had a longer run.
The Strangest Anime-Related Fact Of The Year:
A video game "Inspired" by Arpeggio of Blue Steel was released in 2013
Yes, you read that right. Kantai Collection, a game that involves battling naval ship replicas that have the avatars of cute teenage girls, was released in early 2013. Now, how was this "Inspired", so to say? Well, Arpeggio of Blue Steel was originally a manga first released in 2008, and it had the exact same premise of warring naval ships having cute teenage avatars. Sure, you could say that Kantai Collection just happens to have the exact same premise of Arpeggio of Blue Steel by coincidence, but I honestly doubt that the game creators didn't at least know of Arpeggio of Blue Steel's existence prior to development.
The Runner-Up:
* The producers of Gargantia hired a ton of hentai/eroge artists to work on the show, one of which was in charge of original character design:
Yeah...that hit me like a smack to the face. But thinking about it, that fact pretty much gives reason to all of almost all of the character design and what happened with the first half of the show. So in retrospect, it's not that surprising.
The Top Anime Series I (Probably) Should Have Watched:
The Eccentric Family
It's a distinctly Japanese show about the mysteries of an unorthodox family. Not only does that premise draw me in, but every anime critic I've heard has said nothing negative about this show. Heck, I've even seen some of those anime critics put this show in their top three of 2013. So it appears a shame that I didn't get to it in 2013.
The Runner-Ups:
* Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: I fully support shounen-targeted anime that understand that they can't be taken seriously and instead go all-out crazy in the attempts of impressing viewers through sheer awesomeness. From what I've read and heard, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is a shounen-targeted anime that understand that it can't be taken seriously and instead goes all-out crazy in the attempt of impressing viewers through sheer awesomeness.
* Free! Iwatobi Swimming Club: I fully support everyone being pandered to, and Free! seemed clearly aimed to portray the male equivalent of fanservice. I've also heard that the seriousness of the show highlights the absurdity of the comedy, and I love absurdest comedy.
Thanks given to Xkhaoz for that one avatar. Please contact me before using my custom avatar!
A (Former) Reviewer for Digitally Downloaded.net
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The first few episodes of this series are extremely disturbing when it comes to how it portrays a mass murderer as misunderstood and ultimately a good person. Ignoring that, this series is a string of good ideas that are absolutely wasted. Those good ideas are partly wasted by contradiction and partly wasted because the story instead wants to focus on unrefined generic nonsense. I definitely consider this to be one of the worst anime I have ever seen and I hope that, in time, this series is only remembered by the those who scour the depths of deleted Wikipedia pages.
The Best Anime Ending Sequence Of 2013:
Log Horizon's ED:
Yeah, this pick will definitely strike some as having zero objectivity, but more and more I found it hard to justify putting anything else above this. Not only is it unconventional by focusing on a side character, but it also tells a short story about a mundane rainy day turning into something memorable. I also found this ending to be endearing. Maybe I'm an Akatsuki sucker, but I like the fact that the ending is mainly Akatsuki walking around, enjoying herself. Not only is it a contrast to the usually beat-by-beat pace of the story, but it also slightly rounds out Akatsuki's character to being more than the two-note character she usually is. Regardless, I still consider this to be my personal favorite ending of the year.
The Runner-Ups:
* Attack On Titan's Second Ending: Oh man, that opening guitar riff. Otherwise, I think this ending is a good after-meal appetizer to the usually crazy and emotional joyride that is an average Attack On Titan episode. While it still has all of the good stuff from the show, it's all toned down and allows those emotions to simmer without having to give up the strengths of the show.
* Gatchaman Crowd's Ending: There's a very bizarre and alien tension I feel whenever I watch this ending. When comparing this ending to the show's pastel color palette and upbeat pace, the slow speed and real-world backgrounds of this ending make it slightly haunting. Either way, it captivated me enough to be a strong contender for my favorite ending.
* Outbreak Company's Ending: Along with being stupidly well-animated, this ending also shows the full scope of the setting. I'm a sucker for ancillary stuff that adds to setting, so it's not surprising I wound up liking this. And again, just like Log Horizon's ending, it's not about something flashy; it's just about a character walking and enjoying themselves. Unfortunately, only one ending with walking characters could make the cut, and I wasn't going to give up my Akatsuki so easily.
The Best Anime Opening Sequence Or 2013:
Attack On Titan's First Opening:
Did you really expect anything else? This opening bore its way into the minds of everyone who saw it, and with good reason; it's downright amazing. The song is perfect, the animation is phenomenal, and the editing is dead-on, all of which working together create something that is absolutely irresistible. Whoever directed this opening needs to win some kind of official prize, because there would be no justice otherwise.
The Runner-Ups:
* Kyousougiga's Opening: With AOT basically being guaranteed #1 regardless of everything else, I think the most interesting spot on many "Best Anime OP" lists is second place. For me, Kyousougiga's opening was that opening in second place. All of the imagery in the opening is extremely relevant despite not appearing so at first glance and the song is also extremely relevant from both a standalone perspective and the perspective of the accompanying visuals commenting the lyrics in the song. It's really great and I feel everyone should watch this opening along with actually watching the show itself.
* Gatchaman Crowd's Opening: This is definitely the most stylish opening out of the four openings I have listed here. The real-world backgrounds, the punk rock-ish song, and imagery all invoke the rule of cool. And considering that the show is inevitably modern, it only makes sense for the opening to be all of those things.
* Samurai Flamenco's Opening: Yes, this isn't the most original opening, but I certainly think it's an effective one. In the beginning, Samurai Flamenco is a show about a real person trying to be a hero. While that aspect of the series is represented in the opening, the show is also about its characters and those are equally represented in the opening, even more so than the hero stuff. While those small character introductions are short and don't say a lot, I think they're handled extremely well. It's quality over quantity, and I think that's where this opening succeeded.
The Best Anime Series of 2013:
The Runner-Ups:
* Attack On Titan: Yes, the characters in this series could use some work, but Attack On Titan is more about the general feeling you get from the show rather than how well certain elements of it are. The series is an emotional rollercoaster that continues to escalate. Very few pieces of fiction are able to pull that off yet Attack On Titan does it near flawlessly.
* Kyousougiga: Unless you simply can't stand anime weirdness, it's hard for me to not recommend Kyousougiga. Sure it's not the most straightforward show out there, but it's certainly not the simplest either. Despite being abstract, it's a heartwarming tale where every emotion is portrayed appropriately and the characters are handled with care. It's shorter than most series by being 10 episode and it's certainly worth the several hours it will take from you.
The Winner
Shin Sekai Yori
Yeah, I've said that I'm not happy with the ending. However, everything else about the series it superb. Shin Sekai Yori is a masterpiece in pacing. It understands what it needs to do and when to do it in order to create a strange and unsettling world. That world, in turn, gives birth to a story that is intriguing and is never quite predictable. Not only is this series of a rare breed because it's a science-fiction psychological horror anime, but it's also rare because it is of such amazing quality. I'm so happy to have seen this anime and I wish everybody reading this to see it ASAP.
Thanks given to Xkhaoz for that one avatar. Please contact me before using my custom avatar!
A (Former) Reviewer for Digitally Downloaded.net
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