The Anime Thread

[viper37]

Usually it is a lone Martian mech with super powers like invisibility, instant cloning, electric shock etc that overwhelms the numerically superior Earth forces.  Then it is up to the male protagonist, Inaho to figure out a way to beat it.  It is fun to watch but the problem is that it gets too repetitive after a while.  He seems to be the only person on the Earth side who knows how to deal with the Martians, and his abilities toward the end are almost superhuman and ridiculous.

Like Heero Yuy of Gundam Wing, Kira Yamato of Gundam Seed and Setsuna F. Seiei of Gundam 00.

[Monoriu]

Usually it is a lone Martian mech with super powers like invisibility, instant cloning, electric shock etc that overwhelms the numerically superior Earth forces.  Then it is up to the male protagonist, Inaho to figure out a way to beat it.  It is fun to watch but the problem is that it gets too repetitive after a while.  He seems to be the only person on the Earth side who knows how to deal with the Martians, and his abilities toward the end are almost superhuman and ridiculous.

Like Heero Yuy of Gundam Wing, Kira Yamato of Gundam Seed and Setsuna F. Seiei of Gundam 00.

Inaho is more logical, emotionless and intelligent.  Kinda like Spock in a gundam cockpit.

[Monoriu]

I have written about all the shows I have watched that ended in the Winter 2015 season (January - March).  Now, about the shows that I am going to watch in the Spring 2015 season (April - June).



Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid.  (yeah, for some reason both Vs are capitalised) Fourth season of the hugely popular magical girl series that feature gundam-style combat among the magical girls.  Vivio, the adopted daughter of Nanoha and Fate (who are main characters of previous seasons), will be the view point character.



Heroic Legend of Arslan.  A story about a prince trying to restore his kingdom in a fantasy world with a middle east theme.  The selling point?  The source novel is written by the same guy who wrote the Legend of Galactic Heroes novels, and the manga version is done by none other than the manga artist of Full Metal Alchemist.  It is hard to find a superior pedigree in the anime world.   

[Monoriu]

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan.  After all these years, we finally get something from the Suzumiya Haruhi world.  This is based on a spin-off manga rather than the main novels.  The "disappearance" refers to the fact that the entire story takes place in the "disappearance" world.  So, no, Nagato did not disappear.  She is in fact the view point character, replacing Kyon.  I have watched the first episode, and this seems a much more light-hearted take on this celebrated series.  Yes, all the characters and the original voice cast return. 



My Teen Romantic Comedy is Wrong as I Expected, Season Two.  This is not a romantic comedy as the title suggests.  It is a study about inter-personal relationships and politics in a highschool setting.  Season 2 starts with the main characters being asked to help a guy pursue a girl. 



Fate Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works part 2.  Fate Stay Night is a visual novel about a survival game of seven teams battling for a Holy Grail that grants any wish.  Unlimited Blade Works is the second route in the novel.  Part 1 finished airing in December 2014 and this is the continuation. 

[jimmy olsen]

Heroic Legend of Arslan.  A story about a prince trying to restore his kingdom in a fantasy world with a middle east theme.  The selling point?  The source novel is written by the same guy who wrote the Legend of Galactic Heroes novels, and the manga version is done by none other than the manga artist of Full Metal Alchemist.  It is hard to find a superior pedigree in the anime world.   

Holy crap! Sold!

[Agelastus]

Heroic Legend of Arslan.  A story about a prince trying to restore his kingdom in a fantasy world with a middle east theme.  The selling point?  The source novel is written by the same guy who wrote the Legend of Galactic Heroes novels, and the manga version is done by none other than the manga artist of Full Metal Alchemist.  It is hard to find a superior pedigree in the anime world.   

Holy crap! Sold!

I'm not sold.

The OVA adaptation of Arslan ("Arislan"!) was an early favourite of mine, but the more I investigate the Manga (and it's storyline changes) and the character designs the less enthused I am about this adaptation.

[Monoriu]

Black Lagoon.  This is the name of a 4-person private mercenary company that operates in a fictional lawless town in Thailand.  Rock the protagonist was originally a salaryman of a Japanese company, but was kidnapped by the Black Lagoon.  When it was apparent that his company couldn't care less about him (that does ring a bell), he joined his captors instead.  The company of outlaws mainly does smuggling, but is somehow involved in all kinds of trouble, including dealing with a killer maid from Columbia that has gone berserk, competing with neo-Nazis to retrieve artifacts from a WWII submarine, providing translation services to their Russian mob boss who is involved in a gang war in Japan etc. 

This is one of the better action animes out there.  There are no mechs, magic, psych-controlled weapons, or time-travel.  The author does take a lot of liberties, especially in the action sequences that involve, say, intercepting flying bullets with katanas.  But the show is ultimately grounded in reality.  The action sequences are Hollywood-esque and are very well done.  The show is not afraid to show graphic violence, use swear words, and kill characters. 

Another major pillar of the show is the interaction between the idealistic Rock and the nihilistic Revy, the female lead and main fighter of Black Lagoon.  Revy deserves a place in the hall of fame of badass anime women.  She is also very complex character.  Sometimes I root for her for her concern about Rock, her skills and bravery, but she also has an explosive temper and can be downright nasty and psychotic. 

I like this show, and I want to thank Tim for recommending it. 

[Duque de Bragança]

There was a time when the robot shows were all about good vs evil, and the robot relies on some supernatural power and is one-of-a-kind.

You asked for it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RfU68pzZXA
And the original:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv1J9YOm5EY

Many adults of my age in the Francophone world still have fond memories of this show. Even when we saw it again as adults.

Fixed! 

[viper37]

sorry Duque!
I managed to find the DVDs somewhere.  I don't know if I should watch the show though, I'm afraid of destroying fond memories

[Duque de Bragança]

Watched the very last episode of Goldorak some months ago,  35-40 years after the first broadcast.   
My generation is called sometimes génération Goldorak, that or Génération Albator.
No fond childhood memories were destroyed since there was a rerun in the '90s well.

[Kleves]

Aldnoah Zero, both seasons 1 and 2. 

I just finished the second (and apparently last) season. I really enjoyed it. The ending was a bit weak, and I agree with Mono that giving Inaho superpowers was fairly lame ([spoiler]particularly because those superpowers are without cost - they set up that having a computer in his head is dangerous, and that he is over using it and potentially causing brain damage, but in the end it comes to... absolutely nothing[/spoiler]), but it was but it was overall one of my favorite shows that I have seen recently.

[Monoriu]

Attack on Titan: Kuinaki Sentaku (literally, choice with no regrets).  The 4th and 5th direct-to-video episodes of Attack on Titan, showing the origin story of Levi and Erwin Smith.  The majority of the character polls of Attack on Titan show Levi, the cleaning-obsessed badass of the Survey Corp, as the most popular character, so it is not surprising that they choose to create a side story starring him.  Levi started as a criminal who literally lived in the underground section of humanity's last city.  The story is about how he met Erwin Smith and joined the Survey Corp. 

I think the Attack on Titan direct-to-video episodes are very well done, especially these two.  They add substantive content to the background stories of two important and popular characters that will be treated as canon in the future.  The story and action sequences are also nice.  A valuable addition to the Attack on Titan world, and a must-see for fans. 

[Monoriu]

Toradora.  Tora means tiger, and represents the female lead Taiga, known as "Palmtop tiger" at school due to her small statue and fiery temper.  Dora means dragon, which represents Ryuji (riuji means drake) the male lead, known for his thug-like face but gentle personality and skills with domestic chores.  Taiga and Ryuji both have a crush on somebody else, and they team up to help each other on their separate quests. 

The anime is marketed as a romantic comedy.  But I think a more accurate description is school drama as the show gets more serious in the second half.  I think it is not easy to find a better show in this genre.  It should be blatantly obvious from the title, the poster, and the plotline that the main story is really about the relationship between Taiga and Ryuji.  While the story unfolds predictably, how we get there is superbly handled.  It feels like a romantic story done right with deep characterization of the five major roles and the relationship among them examined in detail.  There is also proper closure to the story, unlike most anime romance stories that go unresolved. 

As far as school drama and teenage romance go, I think Clannad, Angel Beats and Anohana are the best anime shows.  Toradora follows closely behind, as an alternative that is free of any supernatural elements.  Anohana and Toradora share the same director. 

[Monoriu]

Most likely photoshopped, I think.  What Obama is apparently holding is a memento of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica Rebellion Story movie.  She is Akemi Homura, quite possibly the most popular character of the franchise.  The words are autographs and well-wishes of the director, script writer and character designer of the series.  Fans need to buy a limited edition ticket of the movie to have a chance to draw lots to determine which one of the five major character portraits will they get.  Homura's is possibly the most prized item. 

I am a huge fan of the series but I only bought a regular movie ticket to save money. 

[Tonitrus]