Topic: Anime & Manga (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)

Yeah, I beat Oracle of Seasons a bit ago, so with no new game to play, it's been sucking up all my free time, lol.

I thought it was kinda cool that there was a more modern martial arts manga/anime, so it kinda gives off the vibe of a 90's series, while doing something a bit different, in the way that Kenichi isn't your typical shonen action hero. He's not strong nor optimistic, and even when he gets stronger, he still gets scared out of his wit even when fighting people of a lower level than himself (his extreme masters have a bit of humorous fun with his timid attitude, as well). On the occasions when he does decide to be all heroic though, that transformation just gives you that "Awww Yeah!" feeling, and you know something's going down.

As for the anime, although I haven't seen it, I believe Funimation has a few episodes up on YouTube (being that it's a Funi series, and newer, I'm hoping Toonami picks it up at some point).

@CanisWolfred
Oh! If that's the case...well okay.
I kind of take the stance that the last 2 episodes are canon, but are more of a psychological representation of what's actually going on in End of Eva. Also, in End of Eva, even if you don't completely understand Third Impact (which really was reiterating a lot of what 25 and 26 said, that said I cannot claim to completely grasp the Third Impact/Neon Genesis sequence as I have only ever watched it once.) I feel like the film definitely gives the story a proper ending, whereas the last two episodes gave me a "meh" the final scene really left me with a punch, I knew the story was concluded. In the very final scene when
SPOILERS!!!!!
Shinji strangles Asuka on the beach, before stopping, as has been stated officially, I think Shinji was attempting to gauge what was reality, and Asuka's reaction also makes sense considering what Shinji...ahem did in the opening minutes, and the fact that he just was strangling her. In the end though, Shinji chose to be with Asuka, but considering Asuka had died, and the statement that people can return, it seems strong willed people will start to reappear on the Earth, and slowly the Earth will fill up with people again. I don't think Asuka and Shinji are supposed to repopulate Adam and Eve style, but then again, they might be. Also, I agree with Shinji's decision to separate humanity again, because if we were all one, collected, flawless mass, what would make us human anymore? SEELE'S plan for Neon Genesis/Third Impact is something I strongly disagree with.
The core message, I think, is quite simple. That we can't run away from our problems and try to hide from reality.
I might have more to say later but..yeah.

On a completely different note, I love Vic's take on Hikari E!

Since I was talking about Eva, here's an absolutely beautiful piece of fan art of EVA 02 by davidlimubai on deviantART. :3

For those who are interested in medieval times and historical fiction, Vinland Saga and Wolfsmund sound like they might be worth looking into. The latter just came out not too long ago (courtecy of Vertical), and the former is coming out this October (courtesy of Kodansha), though obviously there are still. Vinland Saga I've found especially interesting, though I'll admit I'm mostly in it to see a character I've heard a lot of good things about: Thorkell the Tall. Wolfsmund is pretty good, too but I haven't heard as much about it. Hell, it doesn't even have its own Wikipedia page. Might have to do with the fact that it's a little darker than even Vinland Saga.

As for descriptions, I'll copy and paste some good ones I found:

Vinland Saga

"FOR HONOR AND VENGEANCE

As a child, Thorfinn sat at the feet of the great Leif Ericson and thrilled to wild tales of a land far to the west. But his youthful fantasies were shattered by a mercenary raid. Raised by the Vikings who murdered his faimily, Thorfinn became a terrifying warrior, forever seeking to kill the band's leader, Askeladd, and avenge his father. Sustaining Throfinn through his ordeal are his pride in his family and his dreams of a fertile westward land, a land without war or slavery...the land Leif called Vinland."

Wolfsmund

"In the 14th century the Austrian Empire laid claim to three Swiss cantons (districts) and began to keep a strict watch over the Sankt Gotthard Pass in order to maintain control over the Swiss people. That particular pass is the most direct route into Italy and in charge of it is the cruelest man of all – a vicious creature named Wolfram. Wolfram takes great pleasure in thwarting those who would flee the oppressors, killing without mercy whether it is warranted or not. How long will the people stand for this treatment? Is there any hope for the rebels at all?"

Sounds cool.

Sounds like I'll have to look into them someday since I love the medieval times. Thanks for sharing.

Just finished up through chapter 275 of History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi! (man, I am really pushing through it, aren't I...)

SPOILERS

Kenichi's friends are about to escape the island, when Fortuna interrupts them, and plans to force the young fighters to join him. It doesn't start well, but once Tanimoto makes his triumphant return (after doing some secret training), things start to turn around! Fortuna may be considered master class, but his arrogance allows the six man team of Tanimoto, Thor, Kisara, Takeda, Thor, & Freya (under the strategic eye of Nijima) to barely come out victorious!

Meanwhile, the U.S. military & Kenichi's masters (who are singlehandedly taking on tanks & helicopters) manage to defeat Fortuna's troops & secure the island.

Of most interest, of course, is the decisive battle between Kenichi & Yomi's leader, Kano Sho. After getting his butt kicked intensely, and even fighting on instinct while unconscious for a bit, Kenichi finally grasps the true meaning of his most recent training, and is able to fight on par with his opponent. When things started to look grim, the voices of his friends encouraged his fighting spirit, and he barely came out victorious. Afterwards, a stray soldier of Fortuna's private army comes along, and fires a shot at the weakened Kenichi. However, Sho jumps up at the last second, saving Kenichi, sacrificing himself, partly to show that Kenichi has finally gained his respect, and partly for Miu's sake (as he was captivated by her when he first saw her).

It's not the end for Yomi however, as Yami assigns them a new, more fearsome leader...

With the "D of D" tournament over, and their wounds healed, the main cast finally can start the new school year on a relaxed note, or not. It seems that they now have four foreign exchange students attending, all of them Yomi members (Boris & the Castor Siblings, which we're familiar with, along with a new face).

It doesn't take long for things to heat up, as Alexies Daigar (Boris' master, and a member of Yami's elite "One Shadow Nine Fists") is sent to assassinate a Russian politician staying in Japan, and a couple of Kenichi's masters (Akasime & Sakaki) are enlisted by the police to stop him. Of course, the disciples are dragged into this fight themselves. How will this turn out!?

SPOILERS END

I guess i'll do a brief Weekly Shonen Jump review/overview:
Spoiler
1.Bleach 547: Kinda slow chapter but i expected that since its the first chapter back from hiatus
2.World Trigger 29: The battle between 2 of borders top squads continues. a few more people got "knocked back" I'm really enjoying this fight.
3.One Piece 720 Well it looks like Luffy can't trust anyone in the colliseum. Also that Bartolomeo guy turned out to be a huge Luffy fanboy.
4.Toriko:N/a
5.Naruto 645; Looks like Naruto powered up for the millionth time...
6.One-Punch Man 25:More heroes attemp to beat the sea king but fail. Genos finally arrived do & Saitama is on his way. (Heard in the podcast this series is getting close to the latest chapter then it will be publish every 3 weeks or so)
7.Jaco The Galactic Patrolman 8: Mask man joke continues XD and Tights is going to the moon apparently
8.Nisekoi 89: Raku still has amnesia and all the characters attemp to recreate there first encounters with Raku but nothing seems to be working.
9.Blue Exorcist 49:So we found Renzo was a spy from the Illuminati but Rin doesn't believe that (ala Naruto/Sasuke?) Its a pain to wait a month for the next chapter Its getting so good. >.<
10.DBZ 30: Goku got pissed,Vegeta sayd he was over 8,000
Spoiler end

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Just finished up Bleach chapter 548!

SPOILERS

Omaeda is comforting a scared child (I'm assuming a member of his noble family?) after Seireitei's disappearance, only to be confronted by one of the Stern Ritter! As it so happens, the very same Stern Ritter that stole Soi Fon's Bankai...

Then it switches over to the fight between Toshiro & Buzz-B (Stern Ritter H, "The Heat"). Even without his Bankai (which was stolen during the previous encounter), Toshiro is able to ward off his opponent's flame attacks, by reinforcing his Shikai's ice sheild with the power of Rangiku's Haineko (the ice forms on her attack's ash walls, and when she calls back her sword, a multiple layered vacuum ice shield is left behind), effectively supplementing the power he lost when his Bankai was stolen.

Safely protected by the vacuum ice wall, Toshiro strikes out at the baffled Buzz-B! Will this be it? We'll find out next week!

SPOILERS END

Just finished up through chapter 300 of History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi!

SPOILERS

With Alexander preoccupied fighting Akasime, Kenichi is given the opportunity to sneak off and rescue that Russian politician, but right before he gets to her, Boris notices, and tries to stop him! After grabbing her (the politician), Kenichi makes a leap of faith to a far off platform, and with the help of his master Sakaki, he makes it over! With their target out of reach, Alexander & Boris retreat for now, vowing to settle their respective scores.

Now back in school, it's revealed that the members of Shinpaku Alliance (Kenichi's friends) are now considered members of Ryozanpaku by Yomi, and have targets on their backs just like Kenichi & Miu. During a school sports festival, the four Yomi infiltrators (which includes Boris) test the strength of Kenichi & friends, but luckily don't start a confrontation.

That evening, however, The mysterious Yomi member from Thailand (Tirawit, I think) tricks Kenichi into falling into a trap. Kenichi starts off fighting well at first, but Tirawit's vicious ancient Muiy Thai techniques proove too overwhelming, and a fatal blow is dealt to Kenichi's heart! After which Tirawit walks off quietly...

Luckily, Kenichi's friends & masters show up in enough time to restart his heart & save his life. After a few weeks of resting, he's allowed to go back to school, where it's revealed that Tirawit has disappeared, but the other 3 Yomi members are still there, although they haven't tried doing anything.

It's revealed that the near death trauma has killed off Kenichi's fighting spirit (it's revealed that this was Tirawit's true intention the whole time, knowing Kenichi's masters would save him), and to revive it, Kenichi's masters decide that the only way to do so is to put him through an even even more frightening experience, in the hopes he overcomes it.

They send him out with Shigure (one of his masters), as she willingly walks into a trap where experienced weapon fighters (including an old rival of hers, a member of Yomi's parent group, Yami) are waiting for her, so she can get back a sword of her father's. During the incident, Kenichi learns to use his fear as a tool to improve his martial arts, while the battle comes to a head between Shigure & her old rival. She comes out victorious, and in the end, the student & master bond a little bit.

Next up is a school trip into the mountains, where Boris is given the orders from his master to kill Kenichi. During their fight, high level Russian soldiers (sent by Boris' master, Alexander) are trying to kill his entire class, so there are no loose ends. Luckily, Kenichi's friends are well trained enough to fend them off, and surprisingly, even the other two Yomi members are helping to save the day (apparently, they're currently having too much fun being regular high school students, will only act when their masters say so, and could care less about Boris' master's orders). Also, Akasime has flown all the way to Russia (under the behest of the Russian government) in order to settle his score with Alexander once & for all! How will this end!?

SPOILERS END

Sorry for the double post, BTW.

I remember when I first saw the trailer for yellow from RWBY I remember I thought that the character was gonna suck and red was my favorite but now that I've seen the show Yellow's becoming one of my favorites XD the irony since my friend had an argument about it. [youtube:QCw_aAS7vWI]

Ah, RWBY. Something with so much potential. But it's way too rough around the edges at times. Like the entirety of episode 9 was cringe-worthy.

I really don't know what was up with episode 9 it's never that bad it felt seriously rushed.

I've read up through chapter 325 of History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi!

SPOILERS

The fights between between Kenichi & Boris, and Akasime & Alexander (their masters) have been resolved, with the good guys coming out on top. Alexander is to be imprisoned in a secret prison set up to hold Yami's "One Shadow Nine Fists" master class fighters, and Boris is to officially cut off all ties with Yomi (disappearing soon after).

At first it seems like there are only two Yomi members left in the school (since Tirawit & Boris left), but it appears there's been an extra one attending all this time (of which I can't remember her name, currently). She's quiet, and hasn't tried anything of yet, and Kenichi is actually trying to befriend her (as he doesn't fight girls, AND she's a child, advancing several grades due to her prodigy mind). He & his friends have shown some advancement in this friendship plan, but she's going to be a tough one to get through...

Also, after an incident in Yokohama (where Apachai was able to let loose against a master hired by the Chinese mafia), Ma Renka (the daughter of Ma Kensei, one of Kenichi's masters) moves into Ryozanpaku to help the gang fight Yomi (much to Miu's disdain, as Renka is competing with her for Kenichi's affections). She may be more trouble than she's worth however, as now they have to deal with assassins sent by the Chinese mafia for her head, in addition to worrying about Yomi (good battle experience for Kenichi, though).

Rematch time! In order to test their strength for future Yomi encounters, Kenichi & Takeda's masters order them to compete in a real battle sparring match! During their last fight (early in the manga) Kenichi saved Takeda from a life as a delinquent, and have since become close friends & allies. As the fight starts, Takeda has an early lead (despite the fact that he only has one master, and hasn't been under his tutelage as long as Kenichi has been under his, Takeda's raw talents made him advance extraordinarily fast), but Kenichi is able to come back late in the fight & win.

During this time, it's revealed that Takeda has feelings for Miu, but he won't get in Kenichi's way for now (due out of respect for his victory), but he'll admit his feelings to her, if he beats Kenichi in a future bout (what a friend...).

A mysterious package arrives in the mail for Ryozanpaku, and Kenichi (thinking it's a present for Miu sent by Takeda) goes out and buys Miu lunch. What the package was in actuality, is a challenge sent by Yomi (a disciple/master tag match, intended to pit Kenichi & one of his masters, against Rachael Castor & her master "the Laughing Fist" Diego Carlos). Knowing that Kenichi won't go all out against a female opponent, Renka & Kensei (her father & one of Kenichi's masters) go instead (the challenge didn't reference Kenichi directly). Miu & Kenichi notice & follow them onto a ship where the battle is being held, and while the tag match is ready to get underway, Kenichi & Miu (who snuck onto the ship) notice a large bomb hidden on board! How will this end?

SPOILERS END

Anyone gonna see the new Captain Harlock movie? The production values look insane.

The CG one? It looks neat, but I don't watch CGI films.

Speaking of Captain Harlock, the original series came out on DVD in the US not too long ago. I might pick it up if I can find it in FYE.

Why not buy it on amazon or Discotek's online store?

Also, why don't you watch CGI films? Does that include Pixar?

I have been wanting to watch lucky star again due to rocko having that avy lol, I still say that Konami is cannon.

Anyone actually cry at endings of sad anime?

Yes, that includes Pixar. It just looks weird to me. Except for Toy Story, that was the only one that got it right, IMO.

And I like to support my local stores that sell anime, and because I don't have a credit card and keep mostly cash, and I hate going through my mom when it comes to these things.

One Piece aside? Not really. I get chocked up a few times, but I never really get teary-eyed.