Watching any anime?

[Hunter Sopko]

Bakemonogatari:

This show is one part fanservice, one part artistic flare, one part razor-sharp dialog,  and 97 parts BATSHIT INSANITY.

How crazy? The female lead makes her debut by attacking the male lead with a paper knife and a stapler. This is followed by an absolutely chilling speech, a playful wink, and an unmistakable clicking sound.

Started this up on this glowing review. Loving it.

Also watching Umineko, Zan SZS, and Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, as well as continuing with Basquash and Guin Saga. I can't seem to turn away from the trainwreck that is Needless as well... DAMN MY LOW STANDARDS!

Plowing through Kodocha on DVD meanwhile. Fun as hell. The opening (which is actually the 2nd opening since they couldn't get the song rights to the first one... WOO JAPANESE LICENSING) is full of silly fun energy that always brings a smile to my face and makes me want to dance along. The whole show just has tremendous, infectious energy and is just overall well done.

[Shale]

YES. Watch Kodocha. Hype Kodocha. Love Kodocha.

Otakon was good fun, as per usual. Watched:

Random episodes of Skip Beat. Not hugely special, but entertaining. The opening episodes did a lot of good with the premise that Kyoko is breaking into the idol business out of pure spite, but the later bits I saw didn't seem to follow up on it so much. Still fun.

Gunbuster 2 the Movie: Compressing three-hour OAVs into 90-minute movies wasn't a good idea when they made Armitage III: Poly-Matrix, and it's still not a good idea now. Massive cuts to some of the most fun parts of the show (the fight in outer space in the first episode, all of episode 3) and the ending makes even less sense than usual. Shiiiiiiiny on a big screen, though.

Evangelion: You Are (Not) Alone: Also shiny. It's still not different from rewatching the TV series until the last minute (they tell you what Lilith is way earlier! Good for the people watching for the first time, not so much for me.), but the great visuals are even greater in a theater. The Sixth Angel was particularly awesome. Dub was pretty darn good, too.

Purchased:
Now & Then, Here & There
Original Dirty Pair: Affair at Nolandia and Poject Eden
Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning
Two randomly selected Ranma DVDs
Iria: Zeiram the Animation
Dragonball Z: Fusion Reborn, AKA the movie where Goten and Trunks punch Hitler.

[NotMiki]

YES. Watch Kodocha. Hype Kodocha. Love Kodocha.

[NotMiki]

Windaria - the best way to describe it is as if a world of fantasy were populated exclusively by the stupidest extras from Miyazaki movies.  See two great nations tragically bumble their way into war, death, and destruction!  See yourself not caring a bit because they, every single one of them, had it coming.

[Ultradude]

Shin Getter Robo vs. Neo Getter Robo - First 3 eps. of 4. Not as meaty as Ishikawa's manga in any way, but the characters are fun. Neo Getter is a decent take on a Getter variation with a personality separate from the Getters of the original team. Animation is lowish on the budget end, compensated for by being fairly stylized and exaggerated, and it works. Complaint - needs more Jack and Mary King. Anime stereotypes of Americans are hilarious, and even I can tell how awful Jack's Japanese is, matched only by the Engrish.

[NotMiki]

Windaria - the best way to describe it is as if a world of fantasy were populated exclusively by the stupidest extras from Miyazaki movies.  See two great nations tragically bumble their way into war, death, and destruction!  See yourself not caring a bit because they, every single one of them, had it coming.

Seriously, everyone's Shakespeare-level stupid.  Think Hamlet, then subtract all literary value.

God!

[Fudozukushi]

Canaan: My lifelong dream of watching a Japanese weather report has come true!

Also YunYun's "power" is the worst thing ever.

[NotMiki]

Space Runaway Ideon.  Watched the 2 movies (the first of which is a Cliff's Notes version of the series, second is the last 5 episodes they never got to air or somesuch).  Well, that was about the most space operatic space opera that ever spaced an opera (or opera'd space).  Put together the end of Gunbuster with the end of DDS2, quadruple the combined cast size, amp up the violence, and salt with a bit of End of Eva for good measure.

Oh, and Cosmo, the main character, kicks it with a completely unironic afro.  Badass.

I've heard the Ideon is rather overpowered in SRW.  Makes sense, really.  At one point near the end it fires through an obstacle to destroy a spaceship.  What was in its way, you ask?  Jupiter.

[Twilkitri]

Started watching RahXephon. Up to episode 9.

Seems decent and sufficiently incomprehensible so far.

However, people have decided that they want to watch it with me. But they don't want to actually watch it per se, they want to have it in the background while they're doing something else, mostly because vast amusement is being derived from considering everything the guy in the white suit says to be sarcastic and that is about the extent of their interest. This has made it difficult to find any time in which to watch as they are not currently in the middle of anything portable enough to be done in my room.


In the meantime I watched through
Gravion.

It has the same kind of egregious artistic direction as Godannar has, but doesn't really have any of the higher qualities which Godannar has. Right there things are not adding up to the best of sums.

I like the rapid obsolecence path it takes at the beginning of the show, but that seems to peter out partway through, which is a shame. Returns at the end for all that's worth. They also don't appear to go anywhere with the EFA's disinformation campaign that they seemed to be making a big deal about. It's possible that that comes into play in Zwei.

Decent show all up, but nothing particularly special. Not sure whether I will go directly on to Zwei or not.

[Xeroma]

Zwei is a fair deal better than the original, so I'd say go for it.

[Shale]

I've heard the Ideon is rather overpowered in SRW.  Makes sense, really.  At one point near the end it fires through an obstacle to destroy a spaceship.  What was in its way, you ask?  Jupiter.

What the hell does super robot anime have against Jupiter?

[Hunter Sopko]

I've heard the Ideon is rather overpowered in SRW.  Makes sense, really.  At one point near the end it fires through an obstacle to destroy a spaceship.  What was in its way, you ask?  Jupiter.

What the hell does super robot anime have against Jupiter?

Jupiter is the jobber of all the planets.

[hinode]

Well the sun is obvious the main character of the solar system, since it's necessary for life to exist. That leaves Jupiter as the biggest expendible object to get chopped up to prove how badass your giant robot is.

[Bardiche]

Just finished "Like the Cloud Like the Wind". How disappointing. They gloss over dramatic events. The story is about the Emperor's Wife. Now the Emperor commits suicide. You get exactly 7 seconds of grieving over this, then the story moves on about how she takes someone hostage with an empty gun and manages to get 1,000 women set free by some weird mechanic and--yeah, it's weird. And silly.

They introduce this girl who is TOTALLY rival material but then... gloss over it. "Six months later"...

"Yay I win!"

Rival: "Nooooooooo!"

Okay... I understand it's a movie but still guys,

Started Kodocha because of this thread. ... eh, my friend assures me it's "typical for you" to watch because it is a "romantic love story".

Just what kind of person do people see me as?

[DjinnAndTonic]

"Romantic Love Story" -does- happen in Kodocha, but it wasn't really what I remembered best about the manga. Can't speak much for the anime, though.

It struck me more as a Comedic Family Drama about a Child TV Star. On Crack. It also helps that it does a pretty good parody of the melodramatic shoujo genre, especially poking fun at Marmalade Boy, which I watched specifically because of Kodocha.

Started Kodocha because of this thread. ... eh, my friend assures me it's "typical for you" to watch because it is a "romantic love story".
Just what kind of person do people see me as?

Well... before I always kind of saw you as a writer-type. But now that you bring it up, I can't shake the 'girly-and-he-likes-to-watch-chick-flicks' vibe.... >.>;;

[Bardiche]

Well... before I always kind of saw you as a writer-type. But now that you bring it up, I can't shake the 'girly-and-he-likes-to-watch-chick-flicks' vibe.... >.>;;

I dropped my monocle. I actually had to google chick flicks to know what it means. >_>;

I can't say I'm in complete agreement. I mean, sure, they're fun to watch, but just as much in the same way as James Bond movies are fun to watch. When I talk to girls about movies I just tend to talk about movies I think they'd enjoy more.

I can't bore my friend with talk of movies she doesn't like, now can I?

doiredeemmyselfnow? ;_;

[Shale]

Look, we're getting away from the core principle here, which is that Kodocha is awesome and everybody should watch it.

[Bardiche]

Look, we're getting away from the core principle here, which is that Kodocha is awesome and everybody should watch it.

Eh, I think you're overrating it a little.

How's Now and Then, Here and There? I hear lots of good stories about it, revolving around CHILD SOLDIERS and stuff, and pewpew.

[Hunter Sopko]

Look, we're getting away from the core principle here, which is that Kodocha is awesome and everybody should watch it.

Eh, I think you're overrating it a little.

How's Now and Then, Here and There? I hear lots of good stories about it, revolving around CHILD SOLDIERS and stuff, and pewpew.

No, he's not overrating Kodocha.

And among other things awesome about N&T, H&T, King Hamdo is barr none the most batshit insane character in anime. Not to mention one of the other characters is a HUGE douche.

[NotMiki]

I dropped my monocle.

Is that, like, something that happens in minimum-security prisons?

Also, Now and Then, Here and There is an awesome downer.  If you get home one day and you're thinking, "Boy, you know what I sure could use?  Something that makes me feel just awful."  then it is the show for you.

And Kodocha IS that good.  Once the plot gets going along with the slapstick, you'll probably agree.

[Hunter Sopko]

Also, Now and Then, Here and There is an awesome downer.  If you get home one day and you're thinking, "Boy, you know what I sure could use?  Something that makes me feel just awful."  then it is the show for you.

Just letting you know, that character is still a douche.

[Grefter]

Still a douche.

But now that you bring it up, I can't shake the 'girly-and-he-likes-to-watch-chick-flicks' vibe.... >.>;;

When I talk to girls about movies I just tend to talk about movies I think they'd enjoy more.

Does this mean that Bard has been talking to Djinn about chick flicks because it is yet another person Bard has mistaken for a girl?  Time will tell.

[NotMiki]

Does this mean that Bard has been talking to Djinn about chick flicks because it is yet another person Bard has mistaken for a girl?  Time will tell.

Oh heavens, Djinn's suspect taste in men should be a dead giveaway.

[Nephrite]

I'm going to second (third?) Now and Then's extremely depressing nature. It is a wonderful show, but... fuck, I would never watch that again.

Now, an anime I WOULD watch again? Gun x Sword. Go watch it. It's awesome.

[Hunter Sopko]

Meh. I just watched Now & Then again and it was fantastic. It also helps when you're watching it with Grefter for not letting it get to you.