General Anime Thread

Hisako

消えないひさ&#
AKA
Satsu, BRIAN BLESSED, MIGHTY AND WISE Junpei Iori: Ace Detective, Maccaffrickstonson von Lichtenstafford Frabenschnaben, Polite Krogan, Robert Baratheon
I've had this sitting in my head for quite a while, but I debated doing a giant fuckton post full of research and then that fell to the wayside as I ended up having too much shit to do this week.

Just a thread for anime (or at least, anime that doesn't have its own specific thread already) and fans in TLS. What (else) have you been watching? What do you think have been the highlights of this year? What's been great, and what's been bad in your eyes? Make recommendations, and/or warn people away!

For the muricans, non-anime stuff that shows up on the Toonami blocks eg. The Clone Wars or whatever is also cool I guess

Onwards! What I've seen!


Noragami




The premise: a shitty, washed-up two-bit Japanese god attempting to make his way up in the superstar world of Japanese gods is 'saved' by a high-school girl (aren't they always) who pushes him out of the way of a speeding bus. Being a god and all, it means diddly-squat either way but, appreciating the gesture, not-quite brings her back to life.

He also spends some time attempting to replace his shinki (the spirits of dead people who died against their will, used as weapons by the gods) and then deal with his new one. He's such a shitty god his last one plain quit on him, but exactly what kind of Japanese god he is plays a key point in the plot.

The series itself does well in terms of writing by focusing on the personalities of the gods (mythologies have always been more interesting when the gods in question are smarmy shitheads/have personality flaws), though it occasionally falls flat when trying to generate sympathy for characters. Apparently obnoxious teenage boys with angst issues are just as irritating in death as they are in life.

Studio Bones does a bang-up job of adapting the manga, though by all accounts it's diverged a little by episode 12. They've made what should be a contrived, silly, clichéd shonen into a mildly enjoyable television series. I rate this four strobe lights out of a possible five recycled power-up sequences.



Kill La Kill




There's some shit about some schoolgirl who has a sword that looks like one half of a pair of scissors. She transfers to an ultra-fascist city-state owned and run with an iron fist by the student council president (aren't they always?), in the search of the one WHO KILLED MY DAD. There's a lot of explosions and shockwaves generated by sheer willpower, and everyone calls out each other's names in the hammiest way possible.

The source of power in this Power Half-hour anime series comes from fibres called "Life Fibers" used as clothing, produced on approval by the council president. The clothing granted to students consist of anything up to 30% of these fibers. After the main character gets her ass handed to her in an obligatory hero's adventure plot progression, she stumbles across a stripperiffic schoolgirl's uniform made entirely of Life Fibers, which is, of course, fully sentient.

Speaking of recycled power-up sequences, someone needs to give Trigger an actual fucking budget so they can stop pulling shit this obvious. Fortunately it's mostly all in context and appropriate (where in this childish, hokey mess the word 'appropriate' is applied very loosely). The show itself is all entirely to be expected when one takes into account that the makers were generally the same Motherfuckers who made Gurren Lagann.

The obligatory 'dark-main-character' arc is weak and towards the end the fanservice is downright obnoxious and as un-sexy as it could ever get, but despite all that and the predictable (but not inherently awful or asspulled) plot twists, it's got good energy (the insert songs definitely help in that regard) and a fair sense of humour from start to finish. As an aside, it's been interesting seeing Hiroyuki Sawano mature over the years as a music composer - he's always had flashes of brilliance but still can't shake that style of composition better suited to 'those guys who make music for film trailers for a living'. Luckily, he fits right in this time. Not the savior of anime people claimed it would be, but a great watch, in spite of its autism (not because of it). I rate this show three child sexual abuse lawsuits out of a possible two hair-concealed nipples.





Space☆Dandy


JP OP​




Toonami OP​




It's about a fucking dandy guy in space. It's not hard.

There isn't actually a lot of continuity between episodes, besides the fact that the show revolves around a dandy guy in space, his companion robot and a creeper pervert cat-alien who just hangs around. Each episode has completely different hijinks from the episode before it, such like an episodic comedy show. The pilot episode, written by Shinchiro Watanabe, went over the basic premise of the characters and the show has randomly gone from subject material to subject material ever since.

Other consistent things in the show include its vibrant retro-80s-sci-fi aesthetic, a set of villains (including a uniformed gorilla, a cucumber in a lab coat, a skeleton king of cosmos) riding a spaceship that looks like the fucking Statue of Liberty wearing a ball gag, and a chain of breastaurant space stations called BooBies.

Of the Studio Bones productions of this season, Space☆Dandy took the lion's share of the budget. Directed by genre-god Shinchiro Watanabe and staffed by names behind Bebop, Champloo, Eureka 7, Stand Alone Complex, Wolf's Rain, and Code Geass (and scored by some swag Prince and/or Michael Jackson wannabe), this show generated about the same level of hype that Kill La Kill did. Like Kill La Kill, it hasn't quite hit the 'savior of anime' mark for a lot of viewers, but for different reasons entirely.

The lack of continuity is very distinct, even more so than a lot of shows that are completely nonsensical. Part of it I think is to do with the huge disparity in writing styles between episodes, which in turn might be partly due to the fact that almost all of the episodes are followed up with an episode written/directed by someone completely different. Watanabe seems to have let his creative team run wild with the show, resulting in wildly differing episodes from one week to the next. One episode covering a (wildly hilarious) zombie apocalypse spanning the entire universe was followed by a strangely personal, focused plot involving an orphaned child on a single planet. Some episodes have been straightforward, tropey-with-a-tweest seinen plots, while others have been (maybe literally) drug-induced fever dreams.

Personally for me, it's never been boring. A lot of people expected something consistently like Bebop or Champloo, but in hindsight what we got was something different completely. Each episode has surprised me to at least some degree, on some level, and more often than not has ended in a way that I did not expect. The lack of consistent tone threw a lot of people (and likely turned a lot of them off the show), and for a show that was marketed quite singularly as a comedy show, I'm not sure that what we got as a product was the right thing to do in that context. Again, not the savior of anime, but again, never boring. Hell of a ride. I rate this show fifteen unacknowledged character deaths out of a possible three moé library books. Also, it's fucking great. My favourite of 2014 so far.
 
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Drax

Pro Adventurer
AKA
Benoist; Captain Highwind
Gonna watch me some JoJo in one week.
AMWCkKq.gif
It's been so long.

I've been watching Kill la Kill off and on. I usually just watch 1 episode at a time when I do.

Does anyone else watch the new Hunter x Hunter? It's fantastic shonen.
 
I thought Kill la Kill was a blast to watch even if as a whole it wasn't groundbreaking or anything. I was kind of hoping for some outlandish plot twist with the ending, but it was OK for what it was. I'll definitely miss having a new episode to watch on Thursday.

I need to catch up with Space Dandy. The last episode I watched was the zombie one, which I liked. The show is great from a visual standpoint, but I guess the episodic plots don't really do it for me; I definitely plan to finish it, though.

Other than that I really hope there's a preview soon for Ikuhara's new anime, since the first manga chapter was recently released. Also, even though I probably shouldn't get my hopes up I still want to believe that the Sailor Moon reboot will 1) actually happen this summer and not be an elaborate troll by Toei, 2) be decent even though it's supposedly streaming and not airing on TV.
 

Celes Chere

Banned
AKA
Noctis
Noragami and Kill La Kill are ... okay. I have yet to get around to seeing Space Dandy. The last anime I watched and finished/enjoyed to a great extent was Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. And before that it was Kyoukai no Kanata which I rather enjoyed. Not the best I've seen but I liked it better than KLK and it's probably on par with Noragami.

Things I'm excited for coming up? THE FATE/STAY REMASTER/REMAKE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT.... Apparently due in October. Rumor has it my favorite route is going to be included so I'm hoping and praying. Thank GOD that studio DEEN isn't responsible for it anymore. The animation already looks astounding from what I've seen in trailers. I'm also excited for the new Sailor Moon. Turns out they will INCLUDE the male/male and female/female pairings in the show instead of the disgusting 'they're just cousins' lie they came up with long ago. Which is great for the lgbta community too aaa

Oh right! I almost forgot - DURARARA is getting another animation. I don't want to call it season two because apparently it's now based around the Light Novels. So it will include all the amazing characters the original show was missing out on. Hecka.

Finally Dramatical Murder is getting an Anime and the PV for that looks amazing. I'll just post it here bc it's great
 

trash panda

---m(O.O)gle---
AKA
Howl
I was actually browsing for an Anime/Manga thread just yesterday but I couldn't find one. My anime prayers have been answered. 8]

I'm currently watching Rurouni Kenshin. I've finished seasons 1 & 2 and I have about four more episodes to watch on the final season. I watched the OVA Trust and Betrayal before beginning the anime and I watched the OVA Reflections just last night.

The story is enjoyable; it focuses on serious themes including:
+ the reconstruction of the government in Japan in the late 1800's (the Meiji restoration)
+ the realization that the art of swordsmanship and the status of the Samurai who fought for Japan were both on the road to decline
+ the personal struggles of the main character who was an assassin in the years leading up to the Meiji restoration


Anime vs OVA vs Manga:
+ Manga (10/10)
The Manga is really where you should begin the story. I picked up about halfway through the Manga because many details included in the Manga are not mentioned in the Anime & vice versa. The story flows well and there is much less 'filler' material than there is in the Anime.

+ Anime (9/10)
The anime displays a good balance between serious and comical tones. I watched the entire show with English dubs and I only found one single character in all three seasons to have an unbearable voice. The action scenes were written and animated well. Beware of season 3; it is 99% filler; of which only about 3 epsidodes were thoroughly enjoyable and/or meaningful to the original plot. I personally believe that season 3 should have entailed
Kenshin's confrontation with Enishi
, which is actually where the Manga ended.

+ OVA: Trust & Betrayal (8/10)
I watchied this OVA prior to beginning the anime series. It's easy to understand without having seen or read the anime or manga. It delves into Kenshin's past as an assassin in the years leading up to the Meiji restoration and explains how he came to have a cross-shaped scar. Some mentionables:
+ the action scenes are less exciting than they are in the anime
+ the English dubs didn't leave me feeling aggitated
+ the setting is much more serious than the anime or the manga;
the story takes place at a time in Kenshin's life prior to or leading up to events which caused him to reconsider his purpose in life
, so don't expect any silly 'oro' moments from Kenshin in this OVA

Bear in mind that the details surrounding
Kenshin's relationship with Tomoe
are not mentioned in the anime series, so this OVA might have more meaning to you if you read the Manga first.

+ OVA: Reflections (2/10)
This OVA is (seemingly) told from the perspective of Kaoru. It delves into the futures of Kaoru and Kenshin after
they both settle down and have a child together
. Some mentionables:
+ the English dubs were terrible
+ Kaoru was written in a way that is incredibly out of character
+ Kenshin and Kaoru are the central characters; don't look forward to seeing very much of the other characters that you love; they are nonexistent in many of the scenes where they played pivotal rolls in both the anime and manga
+ the characters' personalities and actions contradict those which took place in the anime and manga
+ the way that both characters meet their ends will leave fans of the rest of the series feeling bitter and unimpressed

If you want to really spoil it for yourself, see here and get ready for a rant:
Kenshin, after having a child with Kaoru decides that he still needs to help the world, so he sets of wandering again for fifteen years, leaving behind the responsibilities of having a wife and child. Kaoru willingly accepts that Kenshin needs to wander again and she cheerfully tells him that she'll wait for his return.
Their son, Kenji, develops feelings of resentment towards his father who is not around; his purpose in this OVA is meaningless, IMO, because neither parent really takes his existence into consideration.
Kenshin is revealed to have some sort of unknown disease that looks like leprosy. He returns (at some point) to Kaoru for one of his brief visits and she tells him that she wants to share his pain by having sex with him and inflicting the disease upon herself. This isn't something that the original character of Kaoru would do, IMO, because (the real Kaoru) is responsible and sees the world from a realistic perspective. The original character of Kaoru would not wish to die with her husband and leave her son behind.
Whatever; Kenshin gladly complies and inflicts her with the mystery disease. He ventures off again to live in some hut on the side of a mountain somewhere in China where he slowly succumbs to his disease and loses his memories. Meanwhile, Kaoru also suffers from the same disease. Both the mother and father of Kenji are slowly dying without having so much as a flicker of a thought about their son.
Eventually, a family friend, Sanosuke, gathers Kenshin from his death-hut and returns him to Japan. Kenshin stumbles on home and into Kaoru's arms where he dies. She takes notice that his cross shaped scar has faded, which is symbolic of the fact that he has finally been set free of his inner demons.

What a bitter ending, really. Kenshin already went through so much shit in his life, and he spent what was left of his life after the beginning of the Meiji restoration trying to atone for his sins. I don't think that he should have met such a shit ending. He literally was not released from his demons until the day he died even though the Manga clearly explains that he did find atonement. So...he found atonement, then his inner demons overcame him again several years down the line? Not to mention that his mystery disease causes him to lose his memories while the same disease has Kaoru recalling the history of her life with Kenshin.

Bottom line: This OVA should not exist.


On another note:
I have two unopened anime series that I have yet to watch...not sure where to start:
1. Claymore
2. Basilisk
 
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Serah Farron

Donator
I'm just waiting for Durarara and DMMD tbh. :awesome: but the last anime I really enjoyed was Sword Art Online. Definitely in my top 5.

None of those listed are appealing to me, although I do love KLK's art style and the fanart in general. And Noragami I am curious about but meh.

I did try one episode of Claymore and Berserk, but idk I think I'll go back to them sometime? But I think I'm gonna read the Berserk manga first.
 

Hisako

消えないひさ&#
AKA
Satsu, BRIAN BLESSED, MIGHTY AND WISE Junpei Iori: Ace Detective, Maccaffrickstonson von Lichtenstafford Frabenschnaben, Polite Krogan, Robert Baratheon
Basilisk is pretty crazy. It's slow and methodical, though it doesn't always go the way one would expect.

In hindsight all the characters are basically hard counters to each other, but it's intricately written and animated quite well. The art is decent and the music is pretty good, and overall the show didn't outstay its welcome.
And by music I mean some classic noughties relics like Onmyouza and early Nana Mizuki :cthulhu:

re: SAO, I keep hearing really, really dumb, autistic things about that series. Not that I mind dumb at all (I wouldn't have enjoyed KLK otherwise) though, but out of context some of the reactions I watch are... interesting :monster: I trawled AnimeGAF for a bit and their base was divided between fandom and utter hatred and loathing lawl

I'm not in a position to complain about autistic anime characters though given that I enjoyed Guilty Crown an unreasonable amount
 
I'm also excited for the new Sailor Moon. Turns out they will INCLUDE the male/male and female/female pairings in the show instead of the disgusting 'they're just cousins' lie they came up with long ago. Which is great for the lgbta community too aaa

The "cousins" stuff was just the dub, though, not the show itself. Has anything been confirmed beyond some info on the staff and the one leaked preview image? I'd love for them to go beyond the first story arc and have the Outers included, but unfortunately I'm not sure if it's likely that it'll happen.
 

Hisako

消えないひさ&#
AKA
Satsu, BRIAN BLESSED, MIGHTY AND WISE Junpei Iori: Ace Detective, Maccaffrickstonson von Lichtenstafford Frabenschnaben, Polite Krogan, Robert Baratheon
Also are they ever going to localise these GODDAMN PERSONA 3 FILMS
 

trash panda

---m(O.O)gle---
AKA
Howl
I started watching Basilisk eons ago but my mind was sort of boggled. Although, it does take me some time to get involved in any show.
On a similar note, I tried getting into DBZ long ago but I started losing the will to live when it took 10 episodes for a character to finally land a hit on someone during a fight.

I failed to mention some of my favorites:

+ Naoki Urasawa's Monster
Psychological murder-mystery thriller. I was on the edge of my seat throughout most of the episodes.

+ Wolf's Rain
This show was incredibly endearing to me, despite the sad setting. The relationship between the wolves in Kiba's pack was so beautiful. 8]

It's been so long since I've watched either of these, so I can't provide a fresh review.
 

Drax

Pro Adventurer
AKA
Benoist; Captain Highwind
I adore the hell out of Kenshin. It got me into anime when it aired on Toonami. The whole series is on crunchyroll, some of it's the media blasters dub (my preferred voices, whenever they decide to come back and finish the last manga arc.) I like all of its marvel comics references.

Buso Renkin was also okay.

I have a lot of classics I have to catch up on:

Berserk
Hellsing (both of which I think got updated)
Akira

The only anime I really watch lately are video game adaptations. Ys is actually pretty good.
 

Celes Chere

Banned
AKA
Noctis
Oh, I know the cousins bit was just the dub! I mean that it's going to be included regardless of anything else which is relieving news. uvu Sadly I don't think there's any other info rn. ;c

@Howl - OMFG Wolf's Rain is definitely one of my favorite series and it's terribly under-rated. It's absolutely beautiful animation and a stunning story line with characters you actually end up feeling like are a part of you as it progresses. It's a terrible feeling the show leaves you with but also a really good one at the same time. IT'S AMAZING ;A; I own the entire series in boxset so... sometimes when I need to remind myself to keep going I watch that. :awesome:

Monster is also really awesome. I watched that not too long ago for the first time and I absolutely loved it! It was really different than other anime in it's genre.
 

Joker

We have come to terms
AKA
Godot
RuroKen was a fantastic manga, but I felt the anime fell mighty short of its standards - it got a lot of the history wrong, among other things, and, with RuroKen being a historical fiction piece, this was a big hangup for me.
 

The Twilight Mexican

Ex-SeeD-ingly good
AKA
TresDias
Re: The "Reflection" Kenshin OVA --

I despised it more than any other anime ending ever for the longest time, even after learning that the manga writer had nothing to do with it beyond reading the script. "Why would he even allow it when it's so different from his intention?" I wondered.

Later, I realized the whole thing is a commentary on the tropes of manga historically popular with adult, salaried Japanese men. That whole schtick of the warrior free to wander, uninhibited by even so much as the guilt of leaving behind responsibility. His departures and "greater calling" celebrated. Able to have sex indiscriminately and without even a follow-up required as to whether there are any consequences demanding his attention.

I think aging Kenshin was one clue toward this. His abandoned son taking a different path is another.

Viewed in that light, it's actually quite brilliant. Taken at face value, though -- which I have to believe it wasn't meant to be -- it's nothing but a bottomless well of disappointment.
 

Hisako

消えないひさ&#
AKA
Satsu, BRIAN BLESSED, MIGHTY AND WISE Junpei Iori: Ace Detective, Maccaffrickstonson von Lichtenstafford Frabenschnaben, Polite Krogan, Robert Baratheon
Oh, and the soundtrack for Space Dandy came out a couple of days ago, for anyone who's into the anime music scene.



It ranges from cheesy, cheesy synths to god-tier slapbass funk and cute Yoko Kanno J-pop/jazz-rap and imo anyone who's already watched the show will already know that this album is fucking godlike

http://books.rakuten.co.jp/rb/12654093/ (hint: preview track 19)

edit: Now in cassette form! Cute.

Hellsing (both of which I think got updated)

Hellsing is pretty top tier in my eyes. The TV show in hindsight was kind of lackluster but the music was some of the best in anime (acid-jazz anyone?) and even the monstrously-good OVA series ended up appropriating some of the tracks from the TV series (though the OVA series' music was excellent in its own right).

Also, a lot of people like the dub Alot, likely because of all the accents :monster:

edit x2: Has anyone seen anything of Michiko to Hatchin? I saw it sitting on the shelf of my local Gametraders and it just popped out from the rest. It's apparently an anime set in Brazil, of all places, but I think I need a second opinion before taking the plunge.

 
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Drax

Pro Adventurer
AKA
Benoist; Captain Highwind
Michiko to Hatchin

I've seen some of the first few episodes, reminded me a lot of what I liked in Cowboy Bebop.

Let's see, what else can I mention: I'm trying to finish Darker Than Black. I still have no idea what is happening in it. I think it's about contracts with the moon = CRAZY SUPERPOWERS. The action scenes and Yoko Kanno music are great.

My anime list is stuck in 2006. I think I am almoooost finished with Witchblade.
 
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Splintered

unsavory tart
This season has bored me to tears. Next season also looks boring.

Noragami is pretty fun but that's all there is really, it's a average shounen and one of the few shows I've watched through, just because I liked the characters and it's sort of popcorn entertainment. That's fine, sometimes we need that.

I saw an episode of Kill la Kill, and immediately got TTGL vibes. I don't know if it ends the same way but if it's anything like that show, it's a play on a popular existing drama (action and magical girl), that definitely has something to say but rather than say it intelligently they do it with passion, which isn't bad either. It's very quirkly stylized and great to watch, and its self indulgent, but sometimes get carried away with itself. I'll pick it up again one day, if I can be bothered.

I've seen some of the first few episodes, reminded me a lot of what I liked in Cowboy Bebop.
Same, saw the first few episodes got the same vibe. Don't know why I put it down but I can't seem to finish anything anymore.

Oh right! I almost forgot - DURARARA is getting another animation
Seriously!? Do want that. Or hell, just the novels would be good.It was hard to get into, but once you did- it was a great ride. Whoever the original writer is, he is amazing with utilizing that many characters, making them all interesting without falling into too many stereotypical traps (or turning them on their head), and weaving in all the story points into one.

I want to get into Bacanno, it's by the same guy but I heard its finished. And it has gangsters. Who doesn't love that?

As far as last anime I really enjoyed? Er, don't know how long ago but pretty sure it was 2013... From the New World blew me away. Psychological, drama, and even a bit of horror- once of the best atmospheric animes with strong characterization and a stronger plot. The last few moments of this show gave me chills.

I think I'll put it near on of the top of my lists definitely.

I though Psycho Pass and Sword of Tempest as excellent as well. Tightly written, good characterizations, plots that keep me engaged. All the good stuff.

I'm not in a position to complain about autistic anime characters though given that I enjoyed Guilty Crown an unreasonable amount
Oh many, sorry to say but about ten minutes in this anime I wanted to punch myself in the face. It just didn't seem interesting to me which is sad because it looks gorgeous.
 

Hisako

消えないひさ&#
AKA
Satsu, BRIAN BLESSED, MIGHTY AND WISE Junpei Iori: Ace Detective, Maccaffrickstonson von Lichtenstafford Frabenschnaben, Polite Krogan, Robert Baratheon
ARGH I'VE WRITTEN THIS POST LIKE THREE TIMES

I think it's entirely reasonable for people to have dropped Guilty Crown early. I only got through most of it because at the time I was in a period of general malaise and thus I stumbled across the better parts of the show by luck. I think GC's problem is to do with the godawfully-written main characters - there's so much hero worship and the level of door mat that the female main has is downright terrifying. The supporting cast, their backstories and the general setting aren't quite as full of fuck, which is a consolation.

The second season has a major mood whiplash and goes ultra grimdark, which at the time blindsided me, took me very much by surprise. It has intriguing messages, it's bold, to say the least, and it shows directorial flair on the part of Tetsuo Araki (though I've heard that anyone who follows Code Geass will have seen that sort of thing coming a mile off). I do hope Araki gathers the courage to direct another original series in the future, as with a bit of restraint he can do much better than just adapting manga as he's done for most of his career.

So, Michiko to Hatchin.

A couple of episodes in and I think this show might have me by the balls. It's sometimes funny, sometimes badass, often brutal and very often quite sweet and heartwarming. Despite Watanabe only producing this show, I get a very strong Champloo vibe from it (it even follows a similar sort of journey format, though it is slightly less formulaic in that though money and food is always a problem they aren't always completely broke or starving at the beginning of each episode, which seems a little more believable imo), which I guess was to be expected.

The premise of the neglectful, childish parent paired with the neglected, morally-grounded orphan isn't entirely original, but what freshens it up a bit is the anime format and the setting. The show has an incredibly strong visual identity, set in Brazil and deeply entrenched in South American culture. In fact it's one of the most... ethnic anime I've seen in quite some time.
To Yamamoto's and Manglobe's credit they pulled absolutely no punches in depicting their setting - in the time of revolution in the country, there's hordes of criminals and gangsters, the streets are dangerous and the favelas are well-portrayed as death traps for the weak and unwary. But at the same time, though there seem to be a handful of clear 'antagonists' there doesn't seem to be any particular moral high ground even for the main characters. They're all out for survival, and some are simply less scrupulous than others. The selfish can be sympathetic, and quite noticeably there's no plot armor for the innocent.

I heard that the show ran out of money towards the end and that it noticeably impacted the quality of the last few episodes, which if true is a shame, since I'm enjoying it quite a lot. In all honesty I haven't been wowed as much since the pilot episode (and what an episode that was), but it certainly has grown on me. I'm a sucker for action girls, and Michiko is as fiery as it gets (though it's quite noticeable that the studio tried their darndest to have her looking dark-skinned runway-model-fabulous in almost every shot possible, even in 'frumpy' lace pajamas), but even the more subdued designs are interesting and the fanservice itself is actually muted and tasteful most of the time, surprising given how much work they put into putting Michiko into states of dress and undress.
It's all rounded out by a combination of well-written and expertly-voiced character interaction, which more often than not is just a tiny cut above the regular anime cliches. It's definitely more subtle than most I've seen in anime, even in its moments of humour, and they seem to believably laugh, cry, scream and argue in ways that I would identify with in my family.

So far, I'm rating this about 4 large hoop earrings out of a possible pile of tiny Volkswagen police cars, with a super-badass-looking scooter on top. I like it Alot, and I think this will replace my Monday chill-out sessions once Season 1 of Space Dandy finishes.

Also, Watanabe's taste in music is fucking impeccable, as always.



edit: whenever I recommend Space Dandy to someone, I always like to link this video since it encompasses a majority of the things that the show does well:

 
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Splintered

unsavory tart
Oh I heard Muishishi is getting a second season, I hope that's true. Because it deserves one, it's also one of my favorites. It's slow and completely episodic, but also hauntingly beautiful, perfectly directed, and often just bittersweet. Each of the stories are imaginative and draw you in.

I capped a gifset awhile ago, to give an impression on what Mushishi was like

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Erg this show is such a friggin work of art.
 

Strangelove

AI Researcher
AKA
hitoshura
does anyone else think the english op (the video) for space dandy is awful? what's the point of having animation if you're going to lazily stick big ugly credits over it. at least the japanese op tries to put the credits into mainly empty space
 

Hisako

消えないひさ&#
AKA
Satsu, BRIAN BLESSED, MIGHTY AND WISE Junpei Iori: Ace Detective, Maccaffrickstonson von Lichtenstafford Frabenschnaben, Polite Krogan, Robert Baratheon
My theory is that it was basically a combination of Toonami trying to get the rights to Viva Namida and them trying to broaden their western audience by putting in an OP slightly less foreign (also putting in groovy 70s font)
 
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Drax

Pro Adventurer
AKA
Benoist; Captain Highwind
Cartoon Network's just weird. They think if they shorten their intros to 1 second they're going to make billions in ad space.

EDIT: Unrelated

b9ZILdU.jpg
 
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Hisako

消えないひさ&#
AKA
Satsu, BRIAN BLESSED, MIGHTY AND WISE Junpei Iori: Ace Detective, Maccaffrickstonson von Lichtenstafford Frabenschnaben, Polite Krogan, Robert Baratheon
^ Hah! That's awesome.

And yeah I hear that for some shows they cut out entire OPs and EDs because of the need for advertising? That's really sad >:
 

Hisako

消えないひさ&#
AKA
Satsu, BRIAN BLESSED, MIGHTY AND WISE Junpei Iori: Ace Detective, Maccaffrickstonson von Lichtenstafford Frabenschnaben, Polite Krogan, Robert Baratheon
oh my god the toaster in the final episode of Space Dandy is voiced by Akio Ohtsuka

lilVE5Q.jpg


MY TWO MOST FAVORITE THINGS OF MARCH 2014. UNITED.
 
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