Topic: Anime & Manga (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)

I guess this would be a good time to watch stuff from your backlog...

I've actually delayed starting Kaguya season 2 just in case it also gets delayed btw.

After digging around their catalog, I decided to start a 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime Video, to check out the anime films & cheesy 80's B-Movie fantasy & horror films they have (mostly stuff I wouldn't have bought anyways, in fact some of it isn't even available in HD, but who knows, maybe I'll uncover some gems). Naturally, I've already made use of it this morning.

Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer (Amazon Prime Video) - Mid 80's anime film based on the slapstick shonen comedy manga, Urusei Yatsura, which was mangaka Rumiko Takahashi's breakout hit (she'd later go on to produce other popular series such as Ranma 1/2 & InuYasha).

I was quite impressed by the film. While it expectedly had it's fair share of comedy, it was surprisingly deep too. While getting ready for a school festival, some members of the cast come to the realization that they're living the same day over and over again, and the further they get to the truth, the more people vanish (to the point it's just the core cast left) & the more dilapidated their town becomes. The effect of the mystery is heightened by the seriousness they handle it with, and the fact that the film has absolutely stunning animation & detail, resulting in some impressive imagery, particularly the almost haunting lighting effects during nighttime scenes (it's in HD too, which is a plus). The biggest barrier to entry would probably be the fact that you'd need some pre-existing knowledge of the series to fully appreciate it (luckily, being a big fan of Ms. Takahashi's later works, I had read some of a fan translation of the manga a number of years ago, so I was already somewhat acquainted with the core players), but overall it was a pleasant surprise.

I'm just stunned that I've seen multiple people reference Urusei Yatsura in the past 24 hours. What a bizarre coincidence.

^It's definitely had a lasting impact, that's for sure - not hard to see why, it's Rumiko Takahashi's best comedy series, IMO. I didn't realize Beautiful Dreamers was on Amazon Video. That was a pretty good one, IIRC. I could go for a bit of nostalgia right about now...

Project A-Ko (Amazon Prime Video) - 80's anime film that sees two high school girls (the cheerful A-Ko, whom has inhuman super strength, & C-Ko, who has a childlike cuteness & demeanor) transferring to a new school, and acclimating isn't easy, largely due to the schemes of B-Ko, spoiled rich & a genius, she's quickly enamored with C-Ko & devises many plans to defeat A-Ko & take C-Ko for herself. All this while an alien invasion is brewing on the horizon, seemingly linked to a mysterious object that crashed to Earth 16 years prior, of which our cast's city is built on top of.

It's largely a parody of anime of the time (with A-Ko, B-Ko, & C-Ko being named for their personality stereotypes, rather than having actual names, I believe), with nods to franchises such as Macross, Captain Harlock, & Fist of the North Star (I'm sure someone more well versed in anime culture of the time could find more). I actually first watched it a number of years ago after I randomly ran across it on YouTube (there was a channel long since taken down that had posted a bunch of the old Central Park Media stuff, and maybe some stuff from some other defunct localization outfits), and I remember liking it at the time so I decided to check it out again (and in more official capacity) since it's on Amazon. It's not a must watch classic, but I enjoyed it for what it was. Just keep in mind it's from an early era in dubbing, and it's in need of a remaster (quality was consistent, but SD).

Re:Zero The Frozen Bond just dropped on Crunchyroll. We might have had season 2 delayed but this is a full movie covering the story of how Emilia met Puck. It's a great watch for that alone but it also goes a huge way toward world building in the series and massive character development for Emilia and Puck.

If you liked Re:Zero you really gotta give it a watch!

Yeah, I'm definitely watching that soon.

I'm sure this was planned beforehand, but considering the delay happened, this feels like a very nice treat for fans in the meanwhile.

I recently got in an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet, mainly to use as a streaming device when I don't have the TV, so I should start being able to watch more anime again.

Most of the stuff Amazon has is older (like 80's through the mid 00's) and mostly not as prominent, but most other anime streaming services are available too (Crunchyroll, Funimation Now, HiDive, Netflix, & Toku), so I can try some of them down the line once I want to move on from Amazon's catalog.

Currently watching Super Dimension Flying Fortress Macross (which, after getting used to the dated presentation, has become really gripping), and UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie (by the numbers early-mid 00's harem). Will post full thoughts whenever I get around to finishing something.

I’ve been watching a whole bunch of Studio Ghibli movies on Netflix and I’m enjoying most of them way more than I thought I would. Just finished watching Castle in the sky and I gotta say, there are definitely some ghibli influences in BOTW, I think I even read something about that?

Anyway the highlight for me was Lupin 3 :The Castle Of Cagliostro. I sooo much enjoyed that. Great humor and style. Any Lupin watchers here? I know there is a anime/manga of Lupin 3, is it anywhere near as good as this movie? Or is this a one off? Because it’ a special collaboration with ghibli? I get the animation won’t be anywhere near as good but if the characters are the same and the style is similar, then I’m in for a new series!

@Spanjard, Lupin ranges wildly in terms of tone, as far as I know.

I believe the original manga was very adult in terms of violence & nudity, but was toned down to be more comedic when adapted into an anime (Lupin the 3rd parts 1,2, & 3, which aired in the 70's & 80's), with Cagliostro being more similar to the TV series in tone (a Ghibli film, it may have been even more tame, as I remember the TV series had PG-13 levels of swearing & sexual innuendo).

More recently, you have Lupin the 3rd parts 4 & 5 and a new CGI movie which are as tame as the old anime (the movie may be even more family friendly), but you also have A Woman Called Fujiko Mine & a few movies that are tonally much closer to the original manga (with more serious storylines full of adult material).

Not sure if it's still the case, but I believe a new Lupin movie/special used to release annually (in the toned down style), and they even had a crossover with Detective Conan (not sure how easy to come by some of that stuff is, though).

I remember liking the old 70's/80's series', which used to air on Adult Swim way back when, but that's been a long time ago.

The new Ghost In The Shell is a bit rubbish, which is a shame as I loved the Oshii movies, manga and Stand Alone Complex. The CGI does nothing for me, it's too clean and round whilst the story is standard stuff.

@RR529 Thanks for the info, did not know about that. Also I like Detective Conan , so that crossover sounds like something I need to watch. I see it's on Crunchy roll, hopefully also in my country. Definitely something for me to consider.

That character from Demon Slayer still isn't a pervert, based off of season 1 anyway. I actually don't get why people call him a pervert because he made a perverted comment once? Do y'all watch anime? If he was supposed to be the perverted character, they would've given him multiple lines PER EPISODE HE APPEARS IN, to remind of it to the point of being the lamest, most obnoxious thing in the world. They are not subtle enough to only give him one line to tell you he's a pervert. They have to HAMMER. IT. HOME. CONSTANTLY. If they aren't, that's just not what the character is about.

i dunno, it'd be like if a really nice character said a mean thing once, and you defined him as a jerk because of it, that's not how this works

UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie (Amazon Prime Video) - Early 00's harem anime that centers around high schooler Kazuto, whom is running his grandparent's bath house (a bit of a passion project, as it's not very profitable in today's world). His world is thrown upside down whenever Valkyrie (an alien princess on the run) crashes into the place killing him. After giving him half her soul he finds himself looking after her (the process de-aged her into a child, though she's able to briefly transform back into an adult via a kiss), and soon a variety of other women come into his life as well (such as a jealous childhood friend, and a Valkyrie's sisters, hunting her down).

It's a pretty run of the mill, typical harem of the era, but I remember liking shows like Dear S & Girls Bravo way back when (though the excitement of sneaking them in late at night on the family computer as a teen probably played a part), so I figured I'd give it a try. I liked the quintessentially Japanese setting of the bath house, but otherwise it's pretty unremarkable though it elicited a few chuckles along the way. Luckily it managed to avoid representing her child form in a reprehensible way (which I was a bit worried about going in), so I guess it gets credit for that. Amazon only has season 1 on Prime, but I don't feel like I'm particularly missing out on much not having part 2.

Content Guide:

Sex/Nudity (High) - All the princesses have a transformation sequence of some sort (I'm pretty sure Valkyrie's adult transformation plays at least once per episode) where their clothes disappear during the metamorphosis, which is the source of like 80-90% of the show's nudity. The other 10-20% is just a scenery shot of random women in the bath house that's replayed ocassionally.

Violence/Blood (Mild) - There's some slapstick stuff, but as a comedy there's nothing heavy (even a big space battle or two during the climax is relatively low impact, with a group of space pirates successfully fleeing their hideout before it explodes, for example). The bloody nose trope that tends to show up in this genre a lot is even totally absent.

Language (Mild) - Just the PG/PG-13 level stuff you hear in your average Shonen series.

It's actually happening!
https://www.viz.com/blog/posts/announcing-yashahime-princess-...

I'm shocked as I honestly never thought it'd happen (I've read interviews where Takahashi's said she doesn't like going back to series she's completed, and Urusei Yatsura & Ranma have never had follow ups), but excited all the same, even if a bit worried (don't want them ruining the happy ending of the original to create the drama for the sequel, similar to what happened with Eureka 7).

Been reading this Magical Girl Apocalypse manga, and I have to say it's bonkers. So much unnecessary bloodshed, yet the manga gets better and better with each new chapter. But, it isn't for everyone, that's for sure.

Also, it's been eight months and no new news on Adult's Swim Uzumaki adaptation. Sorrowful times.

Re:Zero The Frozen Bond was really good, but it was also mildly awkward. Like its good as a small part of Re:Zero, but it doesn't quite work as a stand-alone movie (even as a fan tbh). It's a 3 episode flashback sequence of a series presented as a movie, and it feels like a 4th part was taken out to keep things secret to be revealed later. I think especially because it builds towards some things that are barely talked about or not even revealed.

Super Dimension Fortress Macross (Amazon Prime Video) - Early 80's Sci-Fi/Mecha anime. A massive alien craft (dubbed the Macross by the people of Earth) crashes on Earth, and after a 10 year long project to restore it, it's ready to launch on it's maiden voyage. However, things don't pan out as expected when an alien race known as the Zentradi arrive in the solar system in response to it's activation, and after the Macross attacks them of it's own accord the crew must activate it's untested "Fold" system (pretty much Warp Speed) to escape their powerful new adversary, and wind up on Pluto. With an entire city's worth of civilians in tow (the most notable being hotshot pilot Hikaru Ichijyo, invited to the launch by Squadron Leader Roy Focker who serves aboard the Macross, and Lynn Minmay, a teenage girl rescued by Hikaru during the chaos who ends up being more important than you could guess) who were caught up in the warp, the Macross must make a long and arduous journey back to Earth while being hunted by the Zentradi.

It turned out to be an excellent watch. You'll have to get used to the dated animation (and the fact that it clearly hasn't been remastered in any way), but once you do you're in for a treat. While it does feature some of the typical "power of friendship/love" trope you see in anime a lot, it's also one of the most hard sci-fi anime I've ever seen (even if aspects of it are naturally dated), and even kind of gives me Star Trek vibes, especially in the first story arc. It has an excellent balance of action (are fighter jets that transform into mechs ever not cool?), down time/humor (the Zentradi reactions to the Earthling way of life never get old), and of course romance (the relationship between Hikaru & Minmay had me on the edge of my seat, and I was gutted that they seemingly couldn't be together). It is dated in spots (a few action scenes seem to be running at 5 frames of animation, while others are quite good), but it makes me more interested in trying out the other old sci-fi anime they have on the service.

Content Guide:

Sex/Nudity (Mild) - You see Minmay's butt during a shower scene early on (this is replayed during a later pseudo-recap episode), and there is a vaguely detailed topless pinup poster briefly seen in Roy Focker's quarters.

Violence/Gore (Medium) - I'd say it's mild in intensity as there's not a lot of blood, but there is tons of battle (it's just 95% mechs, planes, and other war machinery blowing up without showing what happens to the people inside), so keep that in mind. The few times there is blood it's at the very low end in terms of gore (things like the single sliver of blood coming from the lip/forehead, or a stain on a piece of clothing).

Language (Mild) - Some PG/PG-13 type stuff, as usual.

NOTE: the Americanized version (Robotech) is also available on Prime Video, and does come in a remastered format, however given that it's an 80's localization I'm not sure how true it is in terms of story & content so I didn't watch it (the only things I can confirm are that they Americanized some of the names, as Hikaru became Rex Hunter, and that they linked Macross with two other anime, Calvary Southern Cross & Genesis Climber Mosphaeda, in order to make Robotech, though I'm not sure how invasive this was to each of their core narratives, as the three shows seem to be treated as different seasons just set generations apart within Robotech & may not necessarily have their events jumbled up). That, and Macross & Calvary Southern Cross may actually be related, as both carry the Super Dimension moniker in their original forms.

@Knighty_IX, I think I watched Do You Remember Love a number of years ago (probably on that defunct YouTube channel I mentioned in my recent Project A-Ko write up), only remembering it a few episodes in and noticing the similarities. May need to rewatch it someday if I get the chance.

The HikaruXHayase relationship felt like an odd turn to me. Granted, Hikaru wasn't quite as young at the show's start (I imagine 16-18), but it felt like having Shinji or Renton (both 14) ending up with Misato or Talho (along with Hikaru's new love interest, they all feel like they're pushing 30) after turning 18.

Granted, I could be off on the ages, but Hayase was already a senior officer and I imagine closer in age to Roy (whom, thanks to a flashback, we know was a teen/adult when Hikaru was a kid), as she was similar in age to Claudia.

@RR529 Actually, Misa Hayase and the other girls aboard the ship were all in their late teens at the start of the series. In fact, she's only 3 years older than Lynn Minmay, and only 2 years older than Hikaru. She just seems older because she acts more mature. I think it was even joked about in the first episode.