Topic: Anime & Manga (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)

@Jhena, yeah, I had a lot of trouble distinguishing the characters in Joker Game as well. In that, it was probably better off with being mostly stand alone episodes, as a more connected narrative probably would have been tough to follow.

@RR529 Yeah i think your right. It was already hard to follow sometimes.

In terms of manga, I've finished up reading the 90-something chapters of Maken-Ki that have been translated online.

It's a martial arts series sprinkled with a bunch of fanservice, with a plot that seems to be common with this type of series (much like Ikkitosen & Tengo Tenge, it focuses on the students of a martial arts centric school, and they get involved in settling an ancient conflict, with the MC being the key to everything). I found this one to be easier to follow than those other two, though.

It does dilly dally around for a bit at the start, but it eventually does take it's plot seriously (while it starts to get moving before this, I think it really comes into it's own during the Okinoshima arc), and the fights can actually be quite thrilling, with a real sense of power (again, reaching their real potential in the previously mentioned arc). As for the elephant in the room, the near constant fanservice, it's suprisingly much less graphic than it is in the anime when it starts out (first time I've ever noticed that), though around chapter 65-70, it really ramps it up, and can get real out there (with the main villain doing some real creepy things...). The change is so stark, I actually wonder if it was moved from a Shonen magazine to a Seinen one.

Kabaneri of the iron fortress: Just another disappointment. The first episodes i thought it was kinda awesome but it only got worse from there. I started to hate those heros that seem to got insane with selfsacrificial behavior.
Ikimo is just this with the onisan and weak sis thing. On the other side we have Biba lol who has similar insane tendencies but wants to top the hero by sacrificing everybody. I couldnt care less for the rest of the cast.
The only good thing were the fighting scenes and some of sawanos tracks were really great. I may be wrong but seraph of the end which was already not really good could have been the better show. All in all id say kabaneri was ok.

Kuma Miko: A pedobearshow i actually liked. Nice drawings. The naughty stuff didnt disturb me and it wasnt that much. The rest is a good lighthearted and humorous show about a cute country girl with a bear deity. That bears line about the internet is so true and is pretty much the answer to the story.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone around here know of any good anime/manga centric forums?

I know larger sites tend to get crazy, but I figure it can't hurt to ask.

For now i decided to skip animes i dont like. Just couldnt bring myself to finish macross delta. I dont think its a bad anime. Its ok. But most ok stuff feels more and more like dragging garbage if it lasts to long. Some genius even said if a dream lasts to long it becomes a nightmare.

Gotta say, I'm really enjoying JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. I've not enjoyed an anime this much since Kill la Kill.

Just got done watching Death Note again for the second time. Looking for recommendations similar to it if there's any. So basically good drama. Plus, is there a good dubbed site anybody watches on?

Gundam Unicorn just finished up it's run last night on Toonami, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Definitely will watch it again sometime in the future to get the most out of it.

Anyhow, it's being replaced by the new Lupin the 3rd series next Saturday, and I'm pretty excited to see it

I would like to know this as well. Just finished this show recently and thoroughly enjoyed it, although the last part began to crumple a bit, less focused and lost potential IMHO. Still a great show though.

@Tsurii Thanks, both sound interesting if nothing else. I'll check them out.

Started getting into anime recently._ and already seen some great ones toradora..Your lie in april.._ snow white with th red hair._._fuuka could go on

Glad you liked it. Were those the 50+ minute OVAs, or the 0096 series, which was the TV edit version in Japan? I've been debating whether or not to watch that, since TV edits of OVAs don't always work out.

Anyways, I watch a ton of anime while was gone:

Rewatched Gundam Wing + Endless Waltz
Rewatched Code Geass + R2
Rewatched Gundam 00
Saw the Gundam 00 movie (which I hadn't seen before)
Finished Madoka Magica + all 3 movies

They were all amazing, far more than I had previously given them credit for.

I also watched:

Saga of Tanya the Evil
Kuromakuro

These were...less than fantastic, to say the least...yeah...pretty disappointing, actually. Kuromakuro was especially a frustrating watch, since a lot of the story hinged on its relationship between an ordinary high school girl and a samurai, but it just was not interesting in the slightest. It's like with Inuyasha, where I wished it was more about the dude and his accomplishemnents and how he adjusts to a radically changed Japan, rather than wasting all this screne time for a couple that just does not have much noticable chemistry. Without spoiling anything, that focus is the entire reason the ending is so anticlimactic, and for that it infuriates me to no end.

@CanisWolfred, as the episodes fit into the normal 30 minute timeslot, I imagine it was the TV edit (it was 9 or 10 episodes in total, I believe).

I pulled myself together and finished macross delta but i still dont like it.

Sinbad no bouken was also not really good and felt rushed at times. But it was still enjoyable enough and sin is a good looking hero with a nice aura.

0096 was 22 episodes, last I checked...so either you have a bad memory, or you only saw half of it? I mean, Gundam Unicorn itself was 7 episodes, but each one was between 55 minutes and an hour and a half...

Mobile suit gundam unicorn re 0096: At first i didnt like it much. Its my third gundam and it already felt too much of the same. Also the characters were really boring especially the mc and the princess feels off putting. I almost disliked banagher when he basically begged to be the princess slave not too long after he met her . But i accepted him and i think its only natural to feel the urge of being needed by the person you love. Sometimes its just strange to watch lovers.

The cast felt kinda realistic but there really was no one i liked unlike in orphans with many likeable people. Luckily the mc and his friend grew a little bit on me. Now i think banagher is more soothing than boring.

The rest is good mecha action and political affairs with the typical moving-from-one-faction-to-the-other-stuff.

Id say until the last episdes it was good enough. They really grabbed me. I could feel it and even got a little bit of tears into my eyes. I love it so much when a series ends this good.

The new Lupin the 3rd premiered on Toonami last night!

I was a bit disappointed by the opening, as it doesn't come close to the vocal track of the original, but the show itself looks like it's going to be fun. It's so far more lighthearted than anything else on the block (maybe even moreso than DBS), and really the only show that isn't an action focused series, so it stands out. The art direction is both vibrant & unique looking too (it's like they took the late 70's aesthetic, and melded it to the modern world).

Got around to watching Attack on Titan Season 2 and catching up with the manga. I don't watch much anime, and I'm very selective as to what I watch, but it was definitely entertaining to watch. Despite having already read the manga up to that point, it was awesome to see how things turned out. I also enjoyed seeing less of the main characters and having more emphasis placed on the side characters. The fights were also pretty intense and I liked the overall feel of this season. Strangely enough, it seemed like it wasn't trying as hard to be all up in your face with things.

As for the characters. I don't particularly hate Eren, but he comes off as obnoxious at times. Especially when he gets into his psycho mode promising to murder and cause his enemies to suffer. It had me rolling my eyes, and muttering to myself "This again, you've said this so many times". I understand why he's the way he is, but he seems far to hot blooded, and hypocritical. Mikasa is a bit meh for me with her downright obsession with Eren, and Armin is okay. Don't have much else to say about him, he seems like one of the more normal one. The side characters were fun to watch for the most part.

Never watched the first season of kyoukai no rinne. But i liked the second season. Very solid series with likeable caracters and good chemistry between them. Really like sakuras gently cute aura. The poverty jokes didnt get old and overall the humour is good.