Topic: Anime & Manga (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)

@EllaTheKawaiiNeko, It's not even the worst series when it comes to episode count, lol, though I get your apprehension.

If you want to dip your toes into longer running fare, I'd suggest something like Code Geass or Eureka 7 (both of which are around 50 episodes long) before trying something like Yu Yu Hakusho or Rurouni Kenshin (both of which are around 100 episodes or so?)

12-13 episodes is simply not enough time to fully flesh out & get attached to a story IMO. To me a 24-26 episode series is the general bare minimum to have a fleshed out series, & ideally the sweet spot is anywhere between 25-50 episodes.

That said I do like some short anime.

@RR529 I can get VERY much attached to a short series. Tonikawa is 12 episodesand 2 OVA's, and it's been my favorite and probably most attached anime ever since I was 11. And I only keep growing more and more fond of it, considering me and my best friend met on a Tonikawa Discord server. Just 3 days ago marked an exact year we met. He's my best friend and probably the person (besides my brother) who I'm the closest with.

That's what happens when you take series that would need 25 or 50+ episodes to be adapted into a complete story and always put out 12 episodes that might never get a conclusion. I think Chainsaw Man especially made that apparent to me, when even an anime of that quality feels like it ends with a shrug of a nothing of a cliffhanger.

Latest additions.

Eureka Seven - Another anime that I really got into on Adult Swim back in the mid 00's. It's probably been about 4-5 years (maybe longer?) since I last watched it, so it's gripping me all over again. Always such a hopeful show, even when things get down.

InuYasha the Movie Collection - I've probably talked more about InuYasha than anyone cares to follow at this point, lol. Anyhow I'm at the point in the series (in my current rewatch) where it's generally agreed the first movie feels best to watch, so I bought this physically (I've watched them many times over the years, but digitally, official means & otherwise).

It is new anime season, but I've really been slacking. I think I am one episode away from being up to date with new show Revenger. Has kinda mixed production values, and is a little bland in concept, but I dunno, it is a nice junk food anime I toss on in an evening. I am all up to date with MHA again, still working my way through the Blood War adaptation for Bleach. I've seen one episode each of some other new shows, but out of them I think I will only bother to get around to catching up with High Card and maybe Sugar Apple Fairy Tale.

I would strongly recommend watching One Punch Man, I recently finished watching it, it was Amazing series. Very good animation too for those who love anima artwork and movement!!!

In terms of manga I've recently finished reading all 3 volumes of Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows, which is an adaptation of the first game, & pretty "meh" all things considered.

The original game actually put some effort into it's narrative all things considered, and it's very truncated here. The entire subplot surrounding Rin is completely omitted (she doesn't appear at all), while it spends a good chunk of time exploring Yagyu & Hibari's plots (& even a decent job with Ikaruga's), Katsuragi gets the short end of the stick (it completely omits the part of her looking for & finding her parents, but deciding not to make contact). In the end it seems like they just ran out of time too, as despite building up most of the girls' rivalries the final fights all happen off page with the exception of Asuka vs Homura (& it doesn't feature the big demon/monster that you fight at the end of the game).

Even in terms of the aspect the series is more well known for (over the top fan service), the manga comes up short. Sure there's still some innuendo & the like, but the art very much gives off a "this is a job, not a passion" vibe from the mangaka & it largely lacks the kind of "energy" you'd expect from the property. It does finally get there by the later half of volume 3, but by then it's too little too late.

It's all a bit of a shame, as for what it's worth I thought the anime adaptation did a pretty good job (at least the first season, which likewise adapted the first game).

Otherwise I read volume 24 of Triage X since that released last month. The series is pretty much everything the SK manga wasn't. Clearly a passion for the artist, gripping narratively, and doesn't hold back on the fan service if you like that sorta thing.

Got these in over the weekend.

Bubblegum Crisis - A bit over halfway through this now. Man, the aesthetics of it all (especially the tech) are just soooo much cooler than what we have in anime today (even if many of the bad guys are just Terminator knock-offs). That said, I thought the animation felt a bit rough & spotty at times in the first episode, but since then it's gone from strength to strength.

Kandagawa Jet Girls - A bit of a guilty pleasure buy. I remember thinking it was pretty cute the last time I watched it, & I just finished a playthrough of the game which put me in the mood for it.

City Hunter Movie & TV Special Collection - Halfway through this as well. Magnum of Love & Fate was fun in an "extended TV episode" kinda way, but Bay City Wars & Million Dollar Conspiracy were absolutely awesome. Think I now own all the City Hunter stuff.

Bonus: Alternate art under the City Hunter slip case.

Been a bit since my last update.

Angel Cop Steelbook - Last watched this last year I think on Tubi, but it was the old SD version (I think the remastered version is limited to a premium Retro Crush subscription in terms of streaming options). Looking forward to giving it another go all cleaned up.

Cat Planet Cuties - It's been a decade or so since I last watched this. Probably nothing special, but it'll be a nice guilty pleasure. Just started it yesterday

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero - Watched it a few days ago, it was actually super fun. I was a tad worried about the CG animation going in, and although there are a few wonky moments it actually worked a lot better than I thought. Really exciting action.

InuYasha Set 3 - Have had this the longest & just finished it up over the weekend. Just working my way through an old favorite.

Lupin the 3rd: Bye Bye Lady Liberty - I had collected the "must have" Lupin films last year (Mamo, Cagliostro, the Koike trilogy, & the First), but am now looking to expand with some of the other stuff.

Robot Carnival - Watched it on Saturday morning. Absolutely stunningly animated (gorgeous in 4K), with "the Presence" segment being the standout. A lot of good stuff that ranged from fun ("the mechanized culture of the Meiji era") to artful "the Cloud"). Also some very 80's stuff like "Star Light Angel", which isn't a bad thing at all.

the Professional: Golgo 13 - A bit rough around the edges, but worth a look if you like very edgy 80's fare (very gory & lots of sex).

Project A-Ko 2 & 3 - Pretty much more A-ko, if you liked the first one you'll like these. Bright, cheery, fun 80's vibes.

Alternate box arts:

Forgot to upload these last week.

InuYasha Set 4 - Finished this up over the weekend, and am over half way through the series now. Although it's one of my favorites from when I was younger, I will say it's starting to drag at this point (while most fans will say the series peaks during the Band of 7 arc, which started in this set, I think it peaks before that).

Urusei Yatsura: Only You - Took a bit of a gamble on this (the only other UY media I've ever seen was Beautiful Dreamer a few years ago on Prime), but I liked it well enough. I wasn't too familiar with the cast, but it was easy enough to get to grips with the core players. Will definitely check out other stuff in the franchise.

I watched Oshi no Ko's first episode out of curiosity of the hype behind it.

First of all, I did not expect to have watched an hour and 20 minute long anime episode to start a series. But beyond that, so glad they did that. This was such an incredible experience. I can't even remember the last time I had such a strong overall reaction to an anime episode. Like I had to keep pausing the episode to ask my screen "Where are we going?!" I never act like this, this was a brilliant bit of semi-unpredictable fiction. Despite how odd it is, I'd recommend at least this one episode to everyone.

Got these in over the weekend.

Samurai Champloo - I haven't seen this since it last aired back on Adult Swim back in the day, and even then I don't think I ever finished it (or forgot how it ended). I had a similar experience with Code Geass which I ended up loving when I recently rewatched it on BD, so hopefully this plays out similarly for me.

Memories - I absolutely loved Robot Carnival when I watched it a few weeks ago, so when I heard the forces behind it did this later on I knew I had to get it. Can't wait to watch!

Small haul over the weekend.

InuYasha Set 5 - Started this up over the weekend, and am getting close to the end of the Bo7 arc.

Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer - Watched this a number of years ago on Prime and remembered liking it, so I decided to nab it (thinking about collecting the series in general too, as I grabbed the first film already a few weeks ago). Probably overpaid a bit for it, but it's okay to splurge every great once in awhile I guess.

@RR529 You certainly like Inuyasha, huh?

@EllaTheKawaiiNeko, yeah, along with DBZ, InuYasha was one of my favorites back in middle/high school, so it's kinda like my comfort food anime these days.

Already recently rewatched it back in 2020 as well (on Hulu), so once I'm done with the BD's I'll probably try giving it a longer break before watching it again though.

@RR529 I still am in middle school, and my comfort anime are slice of lifes and romcoms. Though, I love a little dark anime, like Steins;Gate or Made in Abyss. I've also been bingeing No Game No Life with my brother the past two days.

Newest pickups.

Akira - Just watched it on Friday. All these years later & it still looks stunning (especially cleaned up in HD). The ending is still a bit confusing, but each time I watch it I think I understand it just a bit more... maybe.

Ninja Scroll - It's been years since I last watched this, but I remember it having copious amounts of gore & nudity, so it'll probably still be a good time, lol. Also, the slip cover has a cool shiny holographic effect on the sword which is cool.

Expelled From Paradise - Had to pay an arm & a leg to get this, but I had the means to go for it so I figured I'd jump while I had the chance. Watched it on Netflix years ago & remember really liking it.

To Love Ru complete series (To Love Ru, Motto TLR, and Darkness 1 & 2) - I used to read fan scantlations of the manga way back when, but dropped it after getting to Darkness (I think this is when it lost all inhibition when it came to the fan service & went wild with it) because I got caught up with it & never bothered checking to see if it ever finished (that, & I was a bit miffed that the decision to go bonkers with the nudity correlated with a shift away from Lala & the other older cast in favor of her younger sisters & newer cast members). Still overall liked the series though, so I figured it was time to nab the anime now that this all in one collection was released.

Bonus: Ninja Scroll & Expelled From Paradise outside of the slip cases.

I have to admit, I'm fascinated that that one girl's outfit makes her boobs look like onigiri.

It has to be intentional, I'm convinced.

Have any of you guys seen the new Konosuba Megumin spinoff? I’m thinking of renewing my Crunchyroll subscription to watch it.

My most recent collection additions.

Gunbuster - Really excited to get to this. I've only ever watched the abridged movie version a few years ago on HiDive. Thought about buying that version physically but held off in the hopes that the entire thing would get a remastered release some day, and luckily my patience paid off.

InuYasha Set 6 - Last set of the original series. Just getting ready to start the last disc. Been pretty nice rewatching one of the favorite anime of my teens, though I will say it starts to lose steam after the first couple seasons.

Urusei Yatsura: Remember my Love - Just watched it over the weekend. Not as good as Beautiful Dreamer, but still a good time.

I know Mario isn't anime, but I plan on posting the pic in some other spaces (non-anime exclusive) as well, so figured I'd throw it in.