The Anime Thread

[Josquius]

It does seem to be crazily popular for some reason .
Body swap films are always fun. One of the better japanese dramas I've seen was on the topic. I'll have to seek it out someday

I didn't know the wife cared for anime mono.

[Monoriu]

It does seem to be crazily popular for some reason .
Body swap films are always fun. One of the better japanese dramas I've seen was on the topic. I'll have to seek it out someday

I didn't know the wife cared for anime mono.

Body swap is one reason.  The director is already well-established and has released many popular films, though not on the same scale of success.  I think another reason is that the film appeals to a wide audience and avoids the usual anime tropes.  The same premise can be used to do a mainstream film with real actors. 

Most HKers are anime watchers at some point in their lives.  There are anime shows that everybody has watched, even the grandparents.  She only watches shows with no blood, no fights, no mecha, no monsters etc. 

[Monoriu]

So these are the shows that I intend to watch in the coming Autumn 2016 anime season (October - December 2016).  Overall it seems like a pretty weak season, with no big name productions or highly anticipated sequels. 

Natsume's Book of Friends (Season 5)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR7ylbXppAc

Natsume has the ability to see all kinds of wandering spirits, and they seem to have a great interest in him.  That's because he inherited the "Book of Friends" from his grandmother who had died a long time ago.  Apparently, she was a great spiritual warrior who picked fights with all kinds of spirits and won all her duels.  As the price for losing to her, the spirits gave up their names to be kept in the Book.  This allowed his grandmother to control the spirits, essentially setting up a master/slave relationship.  Natsume is now determined to return each and every name to its owner.  This is an episodic anime known for its many heartwarming and tearjerking short stories. 

Brave Witches



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLUqd-jEBuE

Spin-off of Strike Witches.  Aliens invaded Earth just before WWII, so in this world, Tigers and Shermans fight on the same side.  The most effective weapon against the aliens are teenage girls who use magic to fly and raise shields.  They fire machine guns while in the air, gain animal features when they use magic, and refuse to wear pants.  The story of the 501st strike witches unit has already been told in previous material.  This spin off features a new cast (called the 502nd unit) within the same setting.  This is an ecchi series with mild nudity all over the place, but is also known for featuring the camaraderie of the nearly all female cast. 

Vivid Strike



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq5ILlY1UGQ

Nanoha is one of the most famous military magical girl series in Japan, and Vivid is supposed to be the fourth season.  The first half of the fourth season has already been aired, and it sucked.  Apparently there are huge internal/copyright disputes associated with the studio, so the second half of Vivid can't even use the "Nanoha" name anymore, and likely won't feature her.  But the rest of the characters seem to be the same.  Nobody knows for sure exactly what this Nanoha sequel without the Nanoha name is.  I am not even sure if this is a continuation of the first season or a fresh remake.  But I am going to watch it because it is Nanoha.  Or something.

[Monoriu]

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o! (God's Blessing on this Wonderful World).  Or Konosuba for short.  Kazuma dies within the first few minutes.  In the afterlife, he meets Aqua, a jerkass water goddess who mocked his misfortune and gave him three choices.  He could reincarnate as a human, go to boring heaven, or try to defeat the demon in a fantasy world with all his memories retained.  As an inducement for picking the last option, he could pick a special ability or item.  Kazuma picked Aqua as his "unique item", and the deities were too happy to grant his wish. 

Yes, this is yet another trapped in a fantasy world show.  It is very charming and funny.  It is a self-aware parody about the mechanics of massive online RPG games, and every single aspect is played for laughs.  Forget dark deconstructions, multi-layered plots or philosophical thoughts.  This is a goofball show that does everything in an over the top and quirky way.  The execution is near perfect and the show is hilarious.  I completed the entire show in an afternoon and I just couldn't stop watching or laughing. 

Kazuma's party is dysfunctional and his party members are all insufferable.  Kazuma himself is a lowly adventurer with low stats and no equipment. Though Aqua is a goddess and does have useful powers, she is officially stupid and her powers (anti-undead and floods) are highly situational.  The other two main companions include a cute mage who could cast a powerful explosion spell once a day but couldn't cast any other spell and would need to be carried after casting that one spell.  There is also a female crusader knight who was a great human meat shield but couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.  Oh and, her greatest wish is to be captured and tortured by powerful enemies.

Sword Art Online is for people who want to see an all-powerful hero saving the world singlehandedly, and getting all the girls.  Re: Zero is for those who want to watch a serious, dark and emotionally engaging story.  This is for people who want to laugh and forget their troubles.  This show is God's blessing on this wonderful world indeed.   

[Lettow77]

 As usual I disagree with Mono, and think this is one of the stronger seasons we've had in awhile. I regret I don't quite have the gumption to explain the merits of the various shows to Languish right this minute, but standounts for me:

Sangatsu no Lion
Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku
Shuumatsu no Izetta
Hibike! Euphonium 2

I've yet to see Fune wo Amu, but the premise looks promising and I look forward to watching it as well.

[Tonitrus]

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o! (God's Blessing on this Wonderful World). 

I rarely watch any anime...I think I've watched maybe two series, in full (both short) in my life.  But on a lark I tried this one.  Very stupid, but also very fun stupid.

[jimmy olsen]

Subaru is a very flawed character.  In terms of fighting ability, he is weaker than most characters in the show, so he can't simply cut his way out of his troubles.

He has all the time in the world to get better, wouldn't he eventually become a badass like Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow?

[Monoriu]

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o! (God's Blessing on this Wonderful World). 

I rarely watch any anime...I think I've watch maybe two series, in full (both short) in my life.  But on a lark I tried this one.  Very stupid, but also very fun stupid.

Good to hear that you enjoyed it.  Second season will be aired in January 2017, and I am going to watch it for sure. 

[Monoriu]

Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal.  Kenshin is the name of the protagonist.  Rurouni means wandering samurai.  The show is set in the turbulent times of the Meiji restoration period, toward the end of the age of samurai.  Trust & Betrayal is a four-episode OVA that serves as the prequel of the much larger story.  This review is based on the OVA only and I have not watched the broader story.  It is essentially the origin story of Kenshin, how he learned his sword movements, how he received his scars, both physical and emotional, and how he developed his worldviews. 

This is clearly a masterpiece.  I swear I have seen a similar plot before, but the anime industry should be proud of its execution.  It is a convincing and memorable story about the constantly developing character of Kenshin.  The pace maybe deliberate and slow, but it is done just right to depict the emotional states of the characters.  I seldom see an anime that contains so many silent yet poetic and powerful scenes.  The production values are very high, presenting vibrant Meiji era Japanese life.  The sword fights are well choreographed and realistic.  The scenes are beautiful, the story is tragic, and the atmosphere dramatic.  I struggle to think of a better samurai show, both anime and live-action.     

Thanks Tim for recommending this show.

[Siege]

I watched one of the Kenshin series years ago. I liked the Meiji restauration angle.
I thought his back edged katana was weak.

[Siege]

Watching Kuromukuro on Netflix.
Excellent show. Good production values character development.
Senguko era samurai hibernates to present controlling a captured alien mecha, then defends earth against new alien invasion.

[Monoriu]

Kimi no Na Wa, or Your Name.  This is a movie that was released in Japanese theatres about a month ago, but is already grabbing headlines.  It has grossed more than $10 billion yen and the receipts are still coming in.  This is a new record for non-Ghibli anime movies.  The movie director is Shinkai Makoto, known for producing anime movies with stunning scenaries and heartwarming plots.  Probably one of the most recognised directors in the post-Ghibli world. 

I haven't seen it.  The only thing I know about the story is that it is about a teenage girl and a teenage boy who swapped bodies due to a "visiting comet". 

Trailer -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRfHcp2GjVI

My wife is already itching to see it.

I saw this in cinema last weekend.  The stellar reputation that this movie gets is well-deserved.  Some Japanese box office figures to show what a phenomenon this has become.  A lot of my co-workers who otherwise don't have much interest in anime saw this. 

Your Name: $174m (US$)
Avatar: $172m
The Wind Rises: $120m (released by Ghibli studio and widely considered the last movie that legend Hayao Miyazaki makes)
Star Wars the Force Awakens: $98m
One Piece Film Gold: $48m (One piece is the most popular manga ever and it is considered half-mainstream)
Love Live the School Idol Movie: $21m (this is considered the highest box office figure achieved by an adaptation of a late night anime,  i.e. shows primarily watched by otakus).

To say that the animation of this movie is gorgeous is an understatement.  This is easily the most beautiful anime that I have seen.  Ghibli movies are beautiful too, but they mostly depict fantasy worlds or historical Japan.  Your Name presents 21st century Japan in stunning visuals and nobody comes remotely close in this department.  Containing diverse scenery from the Tokyo metropolis to the remote countrysides, Your Name has set new standards on how anime should look. 

The impressive artwork alone is more than enough reason to watch this movie.  Having an outstanding story is the other reason that explains the explosive popularity.  The film is a journey and an emotional roller-coaster.  It is funny in the first half and heartwarming in the second.  The plot is easy to follow, memorable and suitably dramatic.  The bodyswitch thing is well-presented and things are more complex than they seem at first glance.  The voice actors (actually real actors) did a fantastic and convincing job of "stuck in the body of the opposite gender".  The plot is very mainstream and un-anime-like.  It shouldn't be difficult to make a live-action film with the same screenplay. 

This is a masterpiece and I think we have already found a worthy successor to Miyazaki, someone who can make anime classics that appeal to a mainstream and international audience. 

[jimmy olsen]

Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal.  Kenshin is the name of the protagonist.  Rurouni means wandering samurai.  The show is set in the turbulent times of the Meiji restoration period, toward the end of the age of samurai.  Trust & Betrayal is a four-episode OVA that serves as the prequel of the much larger story.  This review is based on the OVA only and I have not watched the broader story.  It is essentially the origin story of Kenshin, how he learned his sword movements, how he received his scars, both physical and emotional, and how he developed his worldviews. 

This is clearly a masterpiece.  I swear I have seen a similar plot before, but the anime industry should be proud of its execution.  It is a convincing and memorable story about the constantly developing character of Kenshin.  The pace maybe deliberate and slow, but it is done just right to depict the emotional states of the characters.  I seldom see an anime that contains so many silent yet poetic and powerful scenes.  The production values are very high, presenting vibrant Meiji era Japanese life.  The sword fights are well choreographed and realistic.  The scenes are beautiful, the story is tragic, and the atmosphere dramatic.  I struggle to think of a better samurai show, both anime and live-action.     

Thanks Tim for recommending this show.

I recommended this to you like 10 years ago didn't I? Is your backlog that long?

There's a live action trilogy based on the manga series of his later adventure. Only seen clips, but the swordsmanship looks ridiculously good.

[Monoriu]

I recommended this to you like 10 years ago didn't I? Is your backlog that long?

There's a live action trilogy based on the manga series of his later adventure. Only seen clips, but the swordsmanship looks ridiculously good.

And how many anime shows that I have recommended in this thread have you watched?   

[Neil]

Knights of Sidonia turned from a mecha show to a harem show so gradually that I hardly noticed.  And then I noticed.