The Anime Thread

[Monoriu]

This is one of my favourite ending songs -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkctSzlAKtg

Kimi wa Boku ni Niteiru (roughly, you and I are alike), by Yuki Kagiura, 4th ending song in Gundam Seed Destiny.

That's...damn poor, even by Gundam Seed standards.

Sorry, I didn't hear or see anything special there. 

Another one, Your Silver Garden.  Ending theme of Madoka Magica: Rebellion Story movie, also by Yuki Kajiura. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKQ5p0Ya6XU

(the video is spoiler free, but don't read the comments if you don't want to be spoiled about Madoka)

Don't worry, that movie's been pretty thoroughly spoiled for me by the various squeals of outrage in the author's notes of several fanfic writers.

Not that I can disagree with them from what I've heard at least concerning the last few minutes of said film.

As for the music, it's definitely better than your first example. Not enough to my taste for me to call it a classic though.

But as I said, here's a Youtube of Witch-craft works ending (unfortunately, without subtitles.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-3Fgrn7Rls

It's not just "catchy"; what makes it addictive is the imagery. Five chibi witches singing a jaunty song while being strapped to various torture devices. It's just so incongruous (even given the tone of the anime) that one can't help but watch it again and again. Plus given the ambiguous status in the anime of said five witches (enemy, ally, comic relief, sideshow etc.) it makes it all the funnier that they're the closing sequence leads and not the main characters.

We have different tastes then  I am a stereo person, i.e. if I like a song, I listen to it in the stereo system, so the images are not relevant to me.  I prefer the serious, depressing or grand-sounding themes.  I am also a melody person, and don't really care about the lyrics. 

About Rebellion Story: I LOVE the ending.  As a fan of the series and a fan of Akemi Homura specifically, I think it is the perfect ending.  I still remember watching it in the theatre (US$35 per ticket, damn).  When...the moment came, I kept saying no, no, you shouldn't give up.  Then she did it.  I almost cheered. 

[Agelastus]

About Rebellion Story: I LOVE the ending.  As a fan of the series and a fan of Akemi Homura specifically, I think it is the perfect ending.  I still remember watching it in the theatre (US$35 per ticket, damn).  When...the moment came, I kept saying no, no, you shouldn't give up.  Then she did it.  I almost cheered.

Peculiar; everything I've heard about the ending suggests that Akemi Homura finally snaps and betrays everything her character stood for and Madoka's own wishes. Hence the rage among a chunk of the Madoka fandom at the last few minutes of the movie.

It does end doesn't it with Homura usurping or gaining powers equivalent to Madoka's and effectively locking Madoka up in a personal "la-la-land" for "her own good", doesn't it?

I've also heard that it was not Urobutcher's preferred ending (which was pretty much exactly the opposite of those last few minutes) but that other parties involved wanted to leave a sequel hook open (presumably due to having Yen signs in their eyes.)

[Monoriu]

Spoilers about the Madoka TV series and the Rebellion Movie.

[spoiler]First, it is Urobuchi's ending.  What he meant was, in his first outline of the story, the story ended with Madoka taking Homura to magical girl heaven.  Then Shinbo gave him the idea of making them enemies.  Urobuchi considered the idea a breakthrough that would let him write a better story, and changed the ending.  Then he wrote the first draft of the script based on that idea.  He embraced the idea; he wasn't forced to change it.

I consider what Homura did totally within her character.  Homura has always acted against Madoka's wishes to contract in the TV series, for her own good.  The movie ending is simply the logical extreme of the same line of thinking.  Homura thinks she is doing what Madoka's true desires (as opposed to duty) are, as shown in the flower fields scene in the movie.

Also, Homura acting all devilish is perfectly consistent with her practice of putting up a tough as nails mask.  Her actions betray her true intentions though, as she fulfilled every single one of the magical girls' wishes (as usual).  Tellingly, including the wishes of her sworn enemy, Sayaka.  See Kamijou's hand as evidence.  What kind of person goes out of her way to ensure that the wishes of her opponent are fulfilled?  Homura wasting Kyoko's apple and breaking a tea cup in front of Mami is petty mischief at worst.  If the worst acts of an all-powerful devil that has universe rewriting powers is to commit petty mischief, I have a real problem calling that person the devil. 


[/spoiler]

[Monoriu]

Log Horizon.  A two-season show that ended last weekend.  Second season has just been announced for the Fall 2014 season (Oct - Dec).  The show that will forever be compared with Sword Art Online, as they both share the same premise - thousands of gamers trapped in a virtual reality medieval fantasy game world. 

The similarity ends there, I think.  Sword Art Online is very depressing, Log Horizon strikes a balance between serious and light-hearted.  Sword Art Online is about the protagonist's one-man crusades to solve all his problems.  Log Horizon is about team work, party tactics, making alliances, back-room deals.  Sword Art Online has one viewpoint and maybe 2 major female characters.  Almost everybody else are minor or one-episode characters.  Log Horizon has dozens and dozens of named characters and multiple viewpoints.  The protagonist of Sword Art Online is a lone swordman specialising in cutting things up.  Log Horizon's Shiroe is an enchanter and a leader who doesn't go into battle very often.  He works behind the scenes, organises his allies and comes up with complex plans.  TV stations have been fined for airing Sword Art Online uncensored (there are one or two problematic scenes, of the sexually violent kind.  No, not fanservice.  More like fan-disservice).  Log Horizon is clearly for all ages.  Dying in Sword Art Online means death in the real world.  Characters who die in Log Horizon are regenerated in-game quickly. 

Me?  I like Sword Art Online a lot more.  It gives me nightmares.  Log Horizon is an enjoyable flick; but Sword Art Online is a great show that will be remembered for years to come.

[Agelastus]

Log Horizon's second season could be somewhat problematic. They've animated five of the seven books and there's only supposed to be one more published by the time the second season is due. That either means a one cour sequel or "anime original" filler.

[Monoriu]

Log Horizon's second season could be somewhat problematic. They've animated five of the seven books and there's only supposed to be one more published by the time the second season is due. That either means a one cour sequel or "anime original" filler.

Is Log Horizon that popular to get a second season so soon?  The second season of Sword Art Online will be broadcast 2 years after the first season, and Sword Art Online is a best selling novel.  The second season of Log Horizon is announced at the end of the first season, and the gap is only 6 months apart.  Almost as if they planned the whole thing in advance. 

I'd prefer it if they make a second season for Accel World. 

But I am a sucker for sequels.  I almost always watch them.  That, and I totally enjoyed Chiwa Saito's performance in the last Log Horizon episode.  Seems her character will have a major role in the second season. 

[Monoriu]

I know a lot of people here like Kantai collection (i.e. moe anime girls representing WWII era warships).  Here is Bismarck's design -

http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Bismarck

No ETA for the anime yet, and still don't know what the story is all about. 

[celedhring]

I know a lot of people here like Kantai collection (i.e. moe anime girls representing WWII era warships).  Here is Bismarck's design -

http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Bismarck

No ETA for the anime yet, and still don't know what the story is all about.

Man, this touches upon my "Blonde Nazi female officer" fetish. I need this show now.

It is I, the pride of Deutschland, the nameship of the Bismarck super dreadnaughts.
Germanic designs are just beautiful and dignified, nein? It's alright, you can praise me more.

[Savonarola]

Log Horizon. 

If "Lost Horizon" was set it in Canada, this is what it would be called.

The Royal Geographical Society sends two explorers to an unmapped location in the Canadian Rockies; eccentric British millionaire Jos Q. Eis and all-American boy Timothy Olsen.  Hilarity ensues as cultures collide on the train trip to Peace River.  Our intrepid explorers set off on what promises to be the adventure of a lifetime.  As they go deep into the mountains a blizzard strikes, and they fall hopelessly lost in the snow.  They awaken at a mysterious mountain city which the natives call Neilgra-la.  There they find people have extraordinary longevity and are dedicated to egotism, dreadnoughts and justice; but perhaps everything is not as it seems... 

[Monoriu]

Man, this touches upon my "Blonde Nazi female officer" fetish. I need this show now.

I suppose there'll be a Tirpitz-chan too 

They've also announced two German destroyers, Z1 and Z3

http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Z1

http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Z3

[celedhring]

They've also announced two German destroyers, Z1 and Z3

http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Z1

http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Z3

nn, what is it? My boiler needs servicing...

[Monoriu]

Nisekoi.  Nise means fake.  Koi means love.  Correct me if I am wrong, but I think this is a 2-season series, and they are roughly at the mid point of broadcasting it.  So I've only seen half of it, like everybody else.   

Romantic comedy, Shaft/Shinbo-style.  Yes, once again I am watching it just because it is Shaft/Shinbo, of Madoka Magica fame.  The protagonists pictured above are children of the leaders of two rival yakuzas/gangs.  Their respective leaders are actually friends with each other.  The problem is that their underlings want war.  So they forced their children to act like a couple to stop the violence - no family infighting.  The first problem is that the male protagonist is interested in another girl, who in turn is interested in him, but neither is aware of the other's feelings.  The second problem is that the underlings don't really buy the fake love story and want to bust them.   The third problem is that the fake love gets not so fake as time goes on. 

I don't think the story is getting anywhere, but it is good fun and the characters are adorable.  Not just the usual oblivious to love male protagonist or the tsundere female lead.  Every side character is adorable in their own way.  The lovely and shy #2 girl who cannot spit out her true feelings for the dude. Her snarking, scheming, anything goes sidekick who will stop at nothing to pair them up.  The cute gangster underlings who really have (what they think is) their young masters' happiness at heart.  The female lead's bodyguard/classmate who pulls out a gun at the slightest provocation but also has a bodyguard crush.

Is it groundbreaking?  Of course not.  Is it entertaining?  Does it make me laugh?  Do I want to continue watching it?  Yes, yes, and yes. 

Broadcast time is very late in the evening of every Saturday, Japanese time. 

[Monoriu]

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions.  Chunibyo is literally "Grade 8 syndrome".  It means a tendency for that age group of students to play make-belief to the extent that they see everything through fantansy lenses.  Say, someone suffering from Chunibyo will say -

"The water magician's power is too strong.  Bring reinforcements." (Chuni-speak)

(Translation) "It is pouring outside.  Bring me an umbrella."

The girl in the picture above has perfectly normal eyesight.  She is constantly wearing that eye-patch because she believes she is the "evil lord of true eyesight".  She wears a yellowish, glowing contact lens underneath that eye-patch, which she takes off whenever she needs to power up.  The protagonist imagined himself as the "dark flame master" in junior high school, but he has since grown out of it.  To escape his embarrassing past, he transferred to a different high school and now behaved like a normal student.  The problem is that he meets the above girl who tried to drag him back to the illusionary world. 

The main draw of the show is the fun made possible by the "Chunibyo lenses".  Whenever there is a fight, the anime will alternate between showing the chuni-illusions as imagined by the characters (e.g. battling with giant hammers several times larger than their bodies), and showing what is really going on (merely swinging umbrellas at each other).  The show is made by Kyoto animation known for its high animation quality, and it shows. 

For me, it is a case of "everybody likes it, but somehow it doesn't click for me".  I watched it to see what the hype is all about, as everybody seems to like it.  There is a pretty serious romance story mixed with all the chuni stuff, and I must say I am not into serious romance shows. 

2 seasons, 12 episodes each.  The last episode was broadcast yesterday. 

[Monoriu]

The Madoka Magica Movie 3: Rebellion Story BD is now...available.  nyaa.se, search for Madoka Movie.  Don't search for Rebellion Story.  The BD video release includes official English subtitles, so even the raw video is ok.  I know I've talked about my favourite anime show a lot, but I am going to have to repeat myself one more time. 



The show that has conquered the popularity charts internationally, won multiple awards, set new box office records, and is said to be worth $40 billion yen.  That's huge considering that there are only 12 TV episodes and 3 movies (2 of them are mere compilations).

First, it is not a children's show, despite how it looks.  It is a very serious affair aimed at an adult audience.  Second, if you intend to watch it, avoid spoilers at all costs.  That means no wikis, no reviews, no screenshots, of any kind.  It is so popular that it is mentioned everywhere, and most fans assume that everybody else already know about the major plot twists.  Don't even look at the DVD/BD covers.  Third, the story starts off slowly.  A lot of people give up in the first 2 TV episodes.  Fourth, the watching order.  I suggest the 12 TV episodes, then Movie 3.  Movies 1 and 2 are summaries of the 12 episodes, with better graphics but a spoiler opening.  Fifth, there is no way anybody can understand what's going on if one watches movie 3 without going through the TV series. 

There is not much I can say about the show without going into spoiler territory.  In this world, middle school girls are offered the opportunity to make a single wish, for the price of becoming a magical girl to combat monsters known as witches.  Ordinary school girl Madoka Kaneme wants to contract, even if she has no wish to fulfill.  New transfer student, the mysterious, tight-lipped and cold Homura Akemi, already a magical girl, is determined to stop Madoka at all costs.

My take on Movie 3.  It is a worthy sequel to a legendary series.  I went in with low expectations, thinking that it would be impossible for them to outdo themselves or even to match the TV series.  I was wrong.  I've watched it many, many times, but all kinds of emotions still flooded in when I rewatched it in BD quality once more.  Yes, the story is very divisive among fans, and different people will have very different interpretations.  I belong to the group that think this is great, and at least matches the quality of the TV series.  In terms of production quality, only the Evangelion movies are of the same level of visual quality.  The visuals are better than 99% of anime movies.

Of all the shows that I have watched in the past 30 years, this is my favourite.  I still keep discovering new meanings from it even after I have watched it over 10 times. 

[Monoriu]

Silver Spoon.  Slice of life, agricultural high school style.  Or Full Metal Alchemist style.  The number one selling point of this series is that it is based on a manga by the same author as Full Metal Alchemist. 

The story is about a student who abandoned the normal Japanese high schools and chooses a remote one in Hokkaido that specialises in agricultural subjects.  He has to take care of horses, make cheese, clean eggs, milk cows etc.  There is not much of an overall plot and it is an entirely different animal compared with Full Metal Alchemist.  The story is also very down to earth, with no supernatural or magical elements whatsoever. 

It is very interesting to see what an agricultural high school looks like, and the story also explores the life of being a Japanese farmer, as most of the students of the school are children of these farmers.  Most of the show is fun and light-hearted, but the anime also explores the downsides of being a small-scale Japanese farmer.

22 episodes, and the last episode was broadcast last week.  A very interesting take on Japanese high school life, but no where near the level of Full Metal Alchemist.