The Anime Thread

[The Brain]

A privateer who doesn't show boobs or panties?

[Syt]

A privateer who doesn't show boobs or panties?

With pirates it's all about the booty.

[Monoriu]

Fate Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works.  Route 2 of the best-selling visual novel about a battle royale where seven teams of a master and servant combo battle it out for a holy grail that grants any wish.  The master is a modern-day magician.  The servant is an historical or mythical hero (say, you can summon Alexander the Great to fight as a sort of familiar).  Route 1 (Fate route) was adapted in 2006 in a separate anime.  There was also a 2010 movie on the unlimited blade works route, so this is essentially a remake. 

The Fate Stay Night source material is legendary in the anime and gaming world with extremely well-developed and popular characters and a very interesting plot.  The problem is that the previous two adaptations mentioned above are a bit disappointing.  The 2006 anime suffered from poor animation; the 2010 movie tried to cramp too much material into a two-hour movie. 

I am very happy to say that this adaptation finally does the Stay Night world justice.  Ufotable, the same team behind block buster Fate/Zero (the prequel), makes a dream come true.  I dare say this show represents some of the best animation that I have seen in TV format.  It puts a lot of movies to shame.  The fights are gorgeous, and animation is fluid and consistent, the backgrounds are rich and detailed.  Really, given the quality of the source material, it should not be too difficult to produce classics out of it, but for some reason the previous studio managed to accomplish the almost impossible feat of screwing this up.  I usually watch anime shows unspoiled, but this is obviously impossible as I have already watched every anime produced in the Fate world, including the 2010 Unlimited Blade Works movie.  Still, I find it most entertaining. 

The show is split cour, and the second half will be aired in April 2015.  Route 3 (heaven's feel) will be adapted into a movie. 

Actually, I think this is the best show that was aired in 2014 that I have watched.  The best five of 2014 in my mind are:

1. Fate Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works
2. No Game No Life
3. Aldnoah Zero
4. Sword Art Online Season 2
5. Nisekoi

[Monoriu]

So this is the end of the Autumn 2014 anime season.  The Winter 2015 season starts in January 2015.  These are some of the anime shows that I plan to follow.



Assassination Classroom.  The alien lifeform pictured above has destroyed most of the moon.  He has threatened to do the same to Earth unless he is allowed to teach a class in a Japanese school.  The Earth governments quickly granted his wish, but have also placed a huge bounty on his head.  They have trained and equipped the students to assassinate...err it.  The thing doesn't mind at all, because none of the students manage to land a shot anyway, given its superpowers.  Despite its name, the show is said to be a slice of life comedy based on a popular manga.

[Monoriu]

Kantai Collection is finally here.  Moe anthropomorphisms of World War II naval warships, or Strike Witches with ships rather than aircraft. 

[Agelastus]

Actually, I think this is the best show that was aired in 2014 that I have watched.  The best five of 2014 in my mind are:

1. Fate Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works
2. No Game No Life
3. Aldnoah Zero
4. Sword Art Online Season 2
5. Nisekoi

Aldnoah Zero I'm leaving until I see how the second part starts to play out; at the moment I think it looks more of a clusterfuck than a classic. As for Nisekoi I found it to be disappointing, even downright dull in places.

As for my list, I'm leaving Fate off since it's not finished yet. Oh, and I'll say these were the "most enjoyable" rather than the best.

[1] No Game, No Life
[2] Amagi Brilliant Park
[3] Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de
[4] Strike the Blood [Half of it did air this year, after all. ]
[5] Rokujouma no Shinryakusha! [which demands a second season, if only for my hope that one of the characters finally gets the credit for her heroics.]

Honorable mentions to -

Buddy Complex - for attractive character designs and a nearly successful twist ending to the first season...damn them for compacting the second into a two part OVA.
Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara - for a staggeringly satisfying ending (and unexpected, since I had little knowledge of the source material) to what on the surface seems to be a generic comic harem show.
D-Frag! - for being decent. Given the nature of the source Manga I was convinced the adaptation would be disappointing. I was wrong.

[Monoriu]

Aldnoah Zero I'm leaving until I see how the second part starts to play out; at the moment I think it looks more of a clusterfuck than a classic. As for Nisekoi I found it to be disappointing, even downright dull in places.

As for my list, I'm leaving Fate off since it's not finished yet. Oh, and I'll say these were the "most enjoyable" rather than the best.

[1] No Game, No Life
[2] Amagi Brilliant Park
[3] Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de
[4] Strike the Blood [Half of it did air this year, after all. ]
[5] Rokujouma no Shinryakusha! [which demands a second season, if only for my hope that one of the characters finally gets the credit for her heroics.]

Honorable mentions to -

Buddy Complex - for attractive character designs and a nearly successful twist ending to the first season...damn them for compacting the second into a two part OVA.
Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara - for a staggeringly satisfying ending (and unexpected, since I had little knowledge of the source material) to what on the surface seems to be a generic comic harem show.
D-Frag! - for being decent. Given the nature of the source Manga I was convinced the adaptation would be disappointing. I was wrong.

At least we agree on the awesomeness of No Game No Life.     That's the only one out of your list that I have seen. 

[Monoriu]

Aldnoah Zero Part 2.  The serious mecha show about a war between Earth and Mars, where human colonisers found advanced alien technology decades ago.  There are supposed to be 3 main characters, and the poster above deliberately only showed one of them.  This is because season 1 ended in a cliffhanger where the other 2 apparently died. 

[Monoriu]

Love Bullet: Yuri Kuma Arashi.  Yuri is Japanese euphemism for lesbians.  Kuma Arashi means bear storm.  I think the story is about man-eating bears with alien superpowers infiltrating the ranks of humans, with a lot of lesbian love thrown in.  This doesn't really make sense to me.  The only reason I am interested in it is because the director also produced the highly acclaimed Revolutionary Girl Utena, a lesbian classic. 

[Lettow77]

 For my best 5 of 2014-

1. Mushishi's second season
2. Houzuki no Reitetsu
3. Barakamon
4. Space Dandy
5. Ping Pong

Edit: I am extremely interested in Yuri Kuma Arashi. Notably, the director also did Mawaru Penguindrum.

[Monoriu]

Maria the Virgin Witch.  During the hundred years war, Maria, a powerful witch, does her best to stop the battles affecting her village.  Apparently, the arch-angel is displeased with Maria's actions, and has sent an angel to make sure that she doesn't use magic in front of the muggles, or to have sex with anyone. 

May or may not have time for this. 

[Monoriu]

For my best 5 of 2014-

1. Mushishi's second season
2. Houzuki no Reitetsu
3. Barakamon
4. Space Dandy
5. Ping Pong

Edit: I am extremely interested in Yuri Kuma Arashi. Notably, the director also did Mawaru Penguindrum.

The three of us each list our 2014 best 5, and there is only one (No Game No Life) show that has appeared on more than one list.  We all have different tastes 

Mawaru Penguindrum, like Utena, has been sitting on my hard drive forever. 

[CountDeMoney]

Speed sez, "suck it."

[Monoriu]

I also have to say this: Angel Beats, one of the most beloved shows in Japan, will get a new OVA episode in June 2015.  It has been almost 5 years since the last episode was aired.  Granted, it is probably just a 25 minute short story that doesn't add much (all we know is that the episode is titled Hell's Kitchen, probably a light cooking contest).  But still, Angel Beats is within my top 5 favourite shows of all time.  Can't wait for this. 

[jimmy olsen]

Maria the Virgin Witch.  During the hundred years war, Maria, a powerful witch, does her best to stop the battles affecting her village.  Apparently, the arch-angel is displeased with Maria's actions, and has sent an angel to make sure that she doesn't use magic in front of the muggles, or to have sex with anyone. 

Why would an Arch-angel be displeased by that?