Topic: Anime & Manga (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)

I have seen the first episode of MSG more times than I can count, and I never get tired of it. It definitely knows how to make a first impression, to say the least.

Definitely the right approach. Trust me on that.

On a separate note are, there any One Piece fans on here excited for Film Gold? I switched to the manga quite a while ago now, but I do miss both the dub & sub voice actors. (I sometimes rewatch parts of East Blue from time to time, I think a lot of people tend to underrate early OP, for my money it's one of the best parts of the series) Toei used to do yearly movies, but it's been almost 4 years since Film Z came out, which hopefully means they're really putting some effort in. (Even if they don't I'm sure it will look great, unlike the TV anime even the worst One Piece movies are very well animated) The designs, setting, and trailer all seem like it could be a really fun set-up, and that's all I really need out of a OP movie.

It sounds like they're really going all-out with the film, at least presentation-wise. They considered premiering it in Las Vegas merely for the aesthetic, but it looks like they'll be showing it in the Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi (capital of the United Arab Emirates) of all places. I'm really looking forward to it.

@Rocko52 - I'm actually excited, since One Piece Film Z was really good. The little movie-connecting filler arc sounds like a treat as well, though I'm still catching up. I plowed through 18 episodes in 2 sittings, but I still have 25 episodes before I'm all caught up. I think it was good that I took a long break during the Executive fights, the pacing got really bad during that point, but the pay-off was worth it. I really like how much they developed the villains this time, especially the weirdest one (you know who).

I finally got around to seeing the final episode of Samurai Champloo tonight (I missed it when it was shown on Toonami this past Saturday, and even when AS originally aired the program years go).

I was quite pleased with it, and the series in general. From what my bro had told me when AS originally aired it, I was under the impression Mugen & Jin had died. I was glad to see that wasn't the case.

Anyhow, on this week's episode of Imagine-Nation, they featured D. Gray Man Hallow. Nothing really interesting about it though (they mostly just recapped the premise, which I'm sure fans already know, lol. Other than that they just showed the animators working behind the scenes).

@Caniswolfred I definitely agree. I think the Donquixote Family was one of the best villain groups we've seen - Doffy's been a long time coming & it was so worth it. He's up there with the greatest OP big bads, maybe my favorite, hard to say. OP has had a ton of fantastic villains, but I think Doffy's the one with the most background and most colorful group of subordinates. Dressrosa was fun, and I won't spoil, but where we're headed atm just keeps getting better & better. Oda (almost) never disappoints.

@CanisWolfred (oh I know who ) I agree that the pacing was quite bad. Has an arc ever been this long? But I agree, it was worth it. In structure is does feel a lot like Alabasta, it has a lot of similar themes and events happening.

So does anyone know what's next? Filler arc or are they progressing the story?

@Spanjard (Who indeed lol) I think it was the longest individual arc so far, but I think that Water 7 + Ennies Lobby is a bit longer. (That might just be the manga though, the anime definitely stretched things) For the TV anime they're actually going through the filler Silver Mine Arc. It's funny, One Piece has to be one of the only show's I've seen where fans get excited for filler lol. But it's for good reason, due to OP's set-up filler arcs flow much more naturally than most other battle shounens, and it's always fun just to have more adventures with the crew. Plus it (hopefully) gives the anime a bit of time to pace things out, though I think that's not going to happen. The filler arc is already almost over & they're adapting the first chapter of the next arc (The Zou Arc - I won't give any context) into two episodes so...oh well lol.

@Tsurii I can understand that, I have some problems with Dressrosa too, but overall I think it was a very good arc. Unlike you, I really liked Barto and Cavendish, though I do agree that there were way too many random fighters added into the mix. I also had some issues with the promising but ultimately useless new female characters in the arc, as Rebecca felt like a weaker retread of Vivi, and like the other female combatants this arc she was mildly hyped up before being shoved aside and not given a fight. I was really most disappointed that Robin didn't get a battle. It's been a long time since she's had a serious battle, (it might've been all the way back in Skypiea when she broke that fat guys' neck) but in a lot of the arcs unfortunately there were somewhat justifiable reasons for that. This time around though, about half of the Straw-hats weren't even on the island, just Luffy, Zoro, Franky, Usopp, and Robin. With 10+ high ranking Doffy officers, I thought for sure Robin would get a fight. There even was a chapter ending that seemed to heavily suggest Robin was about to step up and take on Diamante...and then she just stayed back to "protect" Rebecca, while Kyros (he and Rebecca were the only characters I didn't quite like) fought Diamante. So that was disappointing, as were some other things I won't get into.

All that said, I thought it was the strongest arc of the New World so far...except now that title has to go to Zou, and the current arc might surpass that one. Dressrosa was good imo, there were a few things I might have trimmed or changed, but it was good overall.

Ah, I seem to be picking up a nasty habit of double-posting, ha. Anyways I'm on the 5th episode of Gundam, and it's highly enjoyable. In some ways it kind of reminds me of Avatar & FMA, in that we're following a rag-tag group in the midst of a vast conflict, who start off as nobodies caught in the flames of war and inevitably rise to become major figures in the battle. Except of course it's a space opera with mechs, which ups the immediate cool factor lol. It's a very slow-paced story, but I think that befits it's massive scale.

So far I like all the characters, although I'll be glad to see them develop. The parallel development of Char and some of his crew is nice - although Zeon were clearly the aggressors, (and the opening narration shows that they've committed atrocities, though I'm sure the Federation is far from clean-cut themselves) Char's crew gives them a face, and the man himself is a really fascinating character who's easy to root for him. Of course the White Base Crew is pretty great too. I might like Ryu and Bright the best so far, but I still like all the others. Bright is one of the Gundam character's I've recognized for a long time, though I never knew his name and would have guessed he was way older than 19 lol. Amuro's face also kind of reminds me of Spike from the old Transformers. In any case I'm really enjoying myself.

Also this song is growing on me lol. It felt kinda off at first, but I'm getting into it ha. (The op on the other hand I've listened to a lot before ever watching the show, so I already am very used to it)

They're currently on a filler arc, yess. And I can't see how you can't call what they did bad pacing there. I mean, how many times did we have to see the same scenes over and over again? If Zoro isn't making any progress in his fight with Pica, then why are we still focusing on him for a full scene every other episode? They had a lot of characters to juggle, fine, but the way they kept going back and forth just felt like they were stalling more than anything else. I mean, the arc was 118 episodes long, but it was 102 chapters in the manga - they completely stretched it this time. That ain't right. I'm looking honestly looking forward to a filler arc or two now. Go a full season and a half if you have to, I'll even watch it all if it means I'll finally get some well-paced episodes again.

The final stage has been set!

Ichigo VS Ywach VS Aizen! Oh, and I guess Renji is there too... yay? (I had hoped we'd get a lengthy one on one between Ywach & Aizen, but with the things are rushing to a close, it looks like that's out of the question)

@CanisWolfred Oh I agree, the Zoro fight certainly comes to mind. And like you said, that constant juggling between different scenes is extremely annoying. So I think you misread me. Which isn't that strange considering this is not my first language

Any fans of GTO here? I just finished it and really liked most of it.

@Spanjard

No, it makes sense because I've been running on 4 hours of sleep for 4 days now, and I wrote that at 2 in the morning. I just reread your post, and...it's definitely not what I thought I was replying to, to say the least. I think I actually hallucinated a post that wasn't there, and I only replied to you because your name was about where I thought the phantom post was.

Alright everybody - I'm off for the next week with no internet access - it should be fun.

Really loving Gundam - also in a roundabout way lead me to get back into Yu-Gi-Oh cards, lol. Because I had a small amount of history with it, (one model I got of Gundam as a small kid) I've looked into a few cheap but high-quality Gundpla models, which I intend to order from Amazon. I know they aren't exactly related - but I suppose the hobbyist element of it is similar. I dug up a few of my old Yu-Gi-Oh cards, and bought a few random packs on a whim today. Digging up the rules now, and I must say - it looks quite fun. So that's an interesting turn of things lol.

In any case, I'm about 8 episodes in now & it's been awesome. I think the show has been fantastic thus far - everything from themes, tension, characters, music, aesthetic, plot, cool technology, and atmosphere all have been executed excellently. If it keeps on this pace towards a good conclusion, I think this might be one of the best anime I've seen. It definitely lives up to the hype & my long-held expectations. See ya'll later!

On Toonami, going from One Punch Man and then airing Gundam: IBO immediately after that was the equivalent of that really boring car ride after an exciting day at the amusement park.

I'll have to catch up on One Punch Man tonight, since I missed it last night.

TBH, I've been getting the TV late for a number of weeks now, so I've had to catch up on most things after the fact (I think I've only seen 2 episodes of Iron Blooded Orphans on Toonami itself. Every other episode so far I've had to watch later in the week).

I'm amused that no one at Crunchyroll noticed that Sweetness and Lightning is sweetness and lightning.

Makes the series seem more hipster than it is.

I'm currently going through the Chimera Ant Arc in Hunter x Hunter for the first time. My nightmares will be interesting tonight.

Considering the series you're referring to, that is NOT a good sign.

And yet also kind of impressive, when you think about it. They really had to dig deep to go over its usual threshholds.

Final days of Bleach update! This week:

Renji lunges at Ywach, unleashing his Bankai, but it immediately shatters (due to Ywach's decree that all Bankai are broken in all possible futures), and he has his left arm lobbed off.

Renji is saved from death however, as Aizen jumps in to save him! Aizen unleashes Bleach magic (forgot what they're called), and giant energy dragons ravage the battlefield. Aizen rushes Ywach in the chaos, but Ywach deflects his attack & sends him flying.

Ichigo then tries getting Ywach from behind, but he grabs Ichigo's sword & it too shatters. After a bit of a victory/farewell speach, Ywach blasts a hole in Ichigo's chest...

However, it appears Ywach has been Aizen'd, as it's not Ichigo's body he's holding, but Aizen's. The real Ichigo then does run Ywach through from behind, rending him in half with a Getsuga Tensho.

Will this be the end!? Find out next week.

Be careful, you'll get people complaining that nakama is entirely different from friendship. Even though that's not even what you're talking about.