The Anime Thread

[Monoriu]

Love Live School Idol Project.  This is the greatest commercial anime success in the new tens since Attack on Titan.  The miracle show, savior of the anime industry, talk of the nation, the legend, and social phenomenon.  Easily broke the BD sales and movie receipts records set by the previous record holder, Puella Magi Madoka Magica.  The idea of the school idol genre is simple.  A group of high school girls form a band, or a singing, dancing group, and they have fun together.  The anime showcases their music, their ordinary lives, and their friendship, with some lesbian hints thrown into the mix.  I am usually not that interested in this genre, but I have to see why everybody is talking about this. 

It is alright.  Nine high school girls form a singing band to save their school from closure.  The most amazing thing about the show is that as I watch it, I realise that they really did it.  Not in-story, but in real life.  An unoriginal and straightforward story of nine girls with a never-say-die attitude, working very hard toward their stated goal, really became a gigantic success.  The music is nothing great but catchy.  The production values are good.  It is a big budget production, with detailed backgrounds, smooth movements, and lots of angles.   There are nine distinct main heroines and there is something for everybody.  There is a ditzy, energetic lead, a shy but strict disciplinarian, a tsundere, a tomboy, a foreign blond, a housewife type, a cute loli with pigtails, a (female) pervert, and a normally reserved girl who turns crazy when the right triggers are present.  The two lead heroines are obvious carbon-copies of two of the main leads in K-On, another slice-of-life and music show, down to same hair-colour, personalities, and roles in the group. 

But it is also only alright.  Despite the commercial success, the story is unremarkable.  It is entirely possible to produce an enjoyable show without a main plot, as K-On did.  I enjoyed K-On a lot more than Love Live.  The characterisation is deeper (simply easier to focus on five people rather than nine).  The dialogue is much better and funnier.  K-On is more cute and heartwarming, despite (or because of) the lack of conflict.  There is a lot more conflict in Live Love but they feel forced - only included because the producers wanted some drama.  It is easier to believe that the friendship in K-On is genuine and long-lasting. 

[Monoriu]

Watching Aldnoah.Zero

Best anime i have seen since....Attack on Titan? Arpeggio of Blue Steel?

I also enjoyed it

[Monoriu]

Heroic Legend of Arslan.  The source novel of this show is written by the novelist who also wrote the Legend of Galactic Heroes novels.  The manga version is done by the same manga artist of Full Metal Alchemist.  This is all I needed to know to follow it.  The story universe has a strong middle east theme.  Arslan is a teenage prince of the mighty kingdom of Pars.  The show is essentially a coming of age story of Arslan, and how he reclaims the throne and kingdom that was lost. 

I enjoyed watching it, but not as much as I enjoyed LoGH.  I think this kind of show is what the anime industry badly needs.  More creativity, seriousness, different points of views, war stories, historical fantasy.  Less pandering to the otakus, cute little girls in ridiculous outfits, highschool settings, harems and incest subtext.  Some of the things that make LoGH great are here.  The setting is rich with different factions, characters and political philosophies present.  The horrors of war and how it affects the normal people.  The avoidance of showing one side as purely good and the other as purely evil. 

But it is no where near as good as LoGH.  The story feels a bit too idealistic at times, with the protagonist party overcoming challenges a little too easily.  There is an over-reliance on a single plot thread to sustain the show, and the pacing is too slow.  LoGH dared to kill off major characters left and right, and presented both sides of the conflict almost equally.  That is something that is seriously lacking in Arslan.  It isn't worthy to be the spiritual successor of LoGH.

[Eddie Teach]

I think this kind of show is what the anime industry badly needs.  More creativity, seriousness, different points of views, war stories, historical fantasy.  Less pandering to the otakus, cute little girls in ridiculous outfits, highschool settings, harems and incest subtext.  Some of the things that make LoGH great are here.  The setting is rich with different factions, characters and political philosophies present.  The horrors of war and how it affects the normal people.  The avoidance of showing one side as purely good and the other as purely evil. 

Have you tried watching Game of Thrones?

[Monoriu]

I think this kind of show is what the anime industry badly needs.  More creativity, seriousness, different points of views, war stories, historical fantasy.  Less pandering to the otakus, cute little girls in ridiculous outfits, highschool settings, harems and incest subtext.  Some of the things that make LoGH great are here.  The setting is rich with different factions, characters and political philosophies present.  The horrors of war and how it affects the normal people.  The avoidance of showing one side as purely good and the other as purely evil. 

Have you tried watching Game of Thrones?

I've read the book.  The TV series is on my to-do list. 

[Monoriu]

Guilty Crown. In the distant future, Japan was hit by an apocalypse virus.  The country only successfully defeated the outbreak with help from the rest of the world.  The help came with a price, and Japan has been under virtual military occupation.  Resistance groups appeared to fight the UN occupiers.  The protagonist, by chance, acquired an experimental genome weapon that allowed him to extract "voids" from teenagers.  These "voids" are materialisations of people's thoughts and personalities, and come with special powers (say, the void of a handicapped person is a pair of boots that allow the wearer to fly).  He reluctantly joins the resistance, partly to pursue the girl of his dreams. 

It is quite obvious that it is a spiritual successor to Code Geass, a masterpiece that tells the story of a resistance group fighting evil occupiers with super powers.  Like Code Geass, Guilty Crown features a fast-paced, engaging anime original story with rapid plot developments and character deaths.  Guilty Crown is also known for its stunning animation, breath-taking action scenes and incredible music score.  If you want a beautiful, action-packed science fiction series, this is it. 

But whereas Code Geass is a masterpiece, Guilty Crown is not.  The engaging plotline comes with a heavy price.  The exciting ride only works if the audience is willing to turn a blind eye to all the ass pulls, blatent plotholes, and developments that make zero sense.  The story bestows new powers to the main characters whenever the plot needs it.  Dead people come back to life with little explanation.  The best idea to destroy a massive metropolis is by...advancing walls?  Terrorists who escaped prison can openly go to school regularly?  Betray a resistance figher to the authorities, then seek help from the same person when you yourself are on the run?  Most shows have some holes in them, but this show displays a blatent disregard for them to a point where the viewing experience is severely affected. 

[Monoriu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q6x2XCIz7w

They finally did it.  An Evangelion themed bullet train 

[Sophie Scholl]

I discovered Cowboy Bebop is on one of my Roku channels I added for free.  I'm rewatching it for the first time in a while.  Still a damn fine show.

[Monoriu]

Durarara.  I think the name is a play on "dullahan", as one of the lead characters is headless.  The story takes place in modern day Tokyo, focusing on gang wars, the underworld, and the interactions of a long list of characters, many of them have interesting abilities.  Like the ability to effortlessly throw vending machines across city blocks.  Or being able to see (but not talk) without a head.  She expresses her thoughts with a Blackberry. 

This is essentially Baccano 2.0, as both shows are based on novels by the same author.  They share the "multiple plot threads converging into a conclusion", "loads and loads of characters with supernatural abilities" style of writing.  Same author, same animation studio, similar writing and art style, and in fact both stories take place in the same universe, as some Baccano characters make cameo appearances in Durarara. 

Thankfully, Durarara is just as enjoyable as Baccano.  A long list of unique and very interesting characters.  The story is seen from many different viewpoints and there is no clear protagonist.  Everybody has a secret and there are multiple plot twists.  Funny, crazy, enjoyable, morally ambiguous, surprising, complex, sophisticated.  The backgrounds are beautifully animated.  Successfully avoids the most annoying tropes like incest, highschool antics, idiot hero with tsundere girlfriend and fanservice.  Also easier to follow than Baccano, as this time at least the producers don't tell three parallel stories in different timelines at the same time. 

The structure of the show is a little bit complicated and warrants an explanation for new comers to the series -

Durarara Season 1: 24 episodes + 2 specials
Durarara Season 2 is divided into three parts
Part 1 (Shou, meaning to continue): 12 + 1
Part 2 (Ten, meaning to turn): 12 + 1, but the special episode has yet to be released.
Part 3 (Ketsu, meaning to end): 12.  Not yet aired.

[jimmy olsen]

RWBY



An American webtoon, inspired by anime and created by an Asian-American from Rhode Island named Monty Oum who recently passed away far too young due to a surprise allergy to anesthesia during minor surgery.

RWBY (pronounced Ruby, and standing for Red, White, Black, Yellow), is renowned for it's frenetic action, it's quirky humor and its killer rock soundtrack (that has gone number one in numerous countries including Japan). So popular is RWBY in Japan that it's getting dubbed by a cast of very well known voice actors, and is even getting a prequel manga published there.

RWBY is set in the world of Remnant. A world ruled by the monstrous Grimm. Unnaturally large, black, bonestudded mockeries of animal form, they live if they can be said to live, only to destroy mankind and it's works. Humanity is restricted to four fortress cities, protected by natural barriers, high technology and the Hunters and Huntresses. The latter are people who can utilize their aura, the power of their very soul, and have been trained to use it as a weapon. They have superhuman strength, speed, durability, and each has one special power unique to them.

The story follows four young huntresses in training. Ruby Rose, a 15 year old prodigy who skips two grades to enter the prestigious Beacon Academy. Her older half sister Yang Xiao Long, the heiress to the world's greatest conglomerate Weiss Schnee, and Blake Beladonna who I can't really describe without spoiler things.

Suffice it to say, this show is awesome. It's only flaw is it's too short, but Season 3 begins tomorrow so I'm pumped!

All episodes are posted free online. Note, they didn't have a big budget for the first season, so all the back ground characters are cool, black noir silhouettes. Also that first season, some of the episodes had to be split into two parts due to budget/time constraints.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sGiE10zNQM

[Duque de Bragança]

Currently brushing up my classics with a rewatch of Sailor Moon, comparing the "original" Japanese version with the not-so good French dub.

[Monoriu]

RWBY

Thanks Tim.  I never would have heard of this on my own.  This sounds awesome and I'll watch this sooner or later.

[jimmy olsen]

RWBY

Thanks Tim.  I never would have heard of this on my own.  This sounds awesome and I'll watch this sooner or later.

You're welcome. 

IIRC, you have trouble with spoken English dialogue. On YouTube if you click on the gear in the lower right you can turn on subtitles.

[Monoriu]

RWBY

Thanks Tim.  I never would have heard of this on my own.  This sounds awesome and I'll watch this sooner or later.

You're welcome. 

IIRC, you have trouble with spoken English dialogue. On YouTube if you click on the gear in the lower right you can turn on subtitles.

I do prefer to have subtitles on, even when watching English or Chinese videos.  But my preference is to watch from the harddrive.  I have already found...ways to do this.   

[Monoriu]

Kill la Kill.  This is a world where all Japanese schools appear to be heavily militarised.  The student councils rule the schools, and the surrounding cities, with an iron fist, and they invade other schools at will.  They develop uniforms of power, and murder any dissenters.  The population's social status and economic well-being seems to depend entirely on their children's standing at school.  Ordinary students and their families live in slums, but as soon as a student becomes the president of a powerful hobby club, the entire family is immediately granted permission to live in luxurious manors.  Enters Ryoko, the female protagonist, who is looking for her father's murderer.  The only clue she has being a scissor blade, or half of a giant pair of scissors.  The student council president admits that she knows the story, but won't tell Ryoko unless she beats the student council in combat.  Thus begins this war between men and...clothes.  It has to be seen to be believed.

This is the spiritual successor to Tengan Toppa Gurren Lagann.  Done by the same people, and shares the same tone and artstyle.  Everything in the show is exaggerated to the extreme, hotblooded and crazy awesome.  All common sense goes out the window.  Every fight is epic.  Whoever has the strongest willpower, screams the loudest, and has the craziest ideas win.  The show never dwells on any plotpoint, and every episode feels like a season finale.  Chaotic, comical, energetic, surprising, super-charged.  One moment the scene is nightmarish, and a few seconds later the show is hilarious.  One episode begins with one of the characters (a talking set of school uniforms) appearing to give a summary of the show thus far, an annoying habit of the anime industry to broadcast whole-episode summaries, only for the uniform to finish the summary within two minutes in mockery of the practice.  It is as if most of the anime staff, the characters, and the show itself suffer from hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. 

Extremely enjoyable, stylishly and beautifully animated, the show enjoys a very good reputation.  You look at it from a mile away and immediately realise that, oh, the TTGL people did this.  It is also a slightly controversial show as the battle outfits of the main characters are...iconic.  By my own estimate, they cover around 10-20% of the teenage protagonists' bodies.  If this sort of thing bothers you, it isn't your show.