The Anime / Manga Thread (MK2) | Beware Spoilers

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Martin

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Seeing how we're doing rankings, wynaut I do my own?
  1. Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED) (I don't think ep 5 was as poorly executed as people are saying honestly, and the bit of the manga it's adapting is pretty much just connective tissue anyway, and if anything its an improvement over that part of the manga)
  2. Grimgar (I like shows that put me at ease because they clear my complete and utter apathy for around 2 hours after I watch them, making this perfect for me. Also it is character driven rather than story drive , which is one of my favorite catagorys of show (this is the same reason why I love Non Non Biyori/Non Non Biyori Repeat so much).
  3. Ajin (this'd be right on ERASED's coat-tails if it wasn't so goddamn ugly. Still wouln't top ERASED due to just how much thought and meaning has been put into every second of said show, but it'd be very close behind regardless)
  4. Phantom World (really freaking entertaining. Best time-waster of the season, and ep 6 managed to get a solid amount of character developent, which really caught me off-guard.)
  5. Dimension W (I am completely sold on this and think it is an absolute must-watch, its just that I enjoy watching the others more)
  6. Bubuki Buranki (this is getting a worse wrap than it should get imo. I am enjoying every second of it even if it is far from perfect, the OP music has grown on me (going from loathing to really liking) and it is a rare case of CGI looking really pretty)
  7. Dagashi Kashi (inconsistent but enjoyable)
  8. Honestly I think that this show gets more credit than it deserves. Like, sure its kinda enjoyable, but I have one pretty major issue with it which has tainted my opinion of it massively. It uses the only form of pandering that I find annoying. Seriously, I'm not usually phased by pandering at all. Show me ecchi or those bath scenes which anime/manga seems to completely adore and I'm un-phased; show me a load of girls in bikinis, underwear or minimalist clothing and I'm unphased. Hell, people rat on NGNL as pedophilic but honestly they were careful about what they did and didn't show with Shirō, with it mostly being limited to less explicit forms of the treatment that adult/teenage ecchi girls get (the only scenes which I think crossed the line were during the Shiratori and the shampoo scene). What does piss me off, however, is clothing with half of the character's ass hanging out of it (seriousy what do people find attractive about this eyesore .-.). This is precicely the type of fanservice that this show uses the most, and it is a huge turn off for me. I've reached a point where I can't physically look at Aqua due to her attire, and the fact that she is the deuteragonist just means that I am almost constantly averting my gaze. This is not good. Beyond that problem though, I think that it is pretty solid. To use a sports analogy, it is definitely an upset given its competition with shows like Schwarzesmarken, which should be superior for so many reasons but just isn't.
  9. Schwarzesmarken (yeah this started out as one of the season's best shows and has started proving to be not what I had hyped it as. It isn't bad, and I'd definitely say watch it if you're up to date with other stuff and have a spare moment, but I'm kinda disappointed by it)
  10. Active Raid (yeah I'm in the minority here in that I think that this isn't particularly entertaining. I think the action is boring, but it isn't something I'll drop as it is just entertaining enough to keep me interested for half an hour. The more recent episodes are better than the disappointing eps 1-2)
  11. Aokana (this is something I feel like I should drop but am hesitant to in that I keep expecting it to be somewhat solid in places. Maybe that's just a weakness of mine but honestly this is just ultra inconsistent)
I've not actually watched Shouwa Genkou thingimabob but people are saying its pretty good so I'll probably binge it either tonight after I've caught up with Grimgar and anything else I've been put behind on due to school or tomorrow.

Anyway based on the fact that Dagashi is released on saturdays iirc (correct me if i'm wrong) I'm gonna assume that its been delayed due to the WIXOSS movie, which aired yesterday.
 

brightobject

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So I started watching Madoka Magica and the first thing I noticed was if witches are so fuckin terribad and cause all of humanity's problems why not have someone just wish for all witches to disappear, then no more problems AND they have magic powers to boot

i really like the shot compositions and sound design though, am looking forward to watching eps 3 and up over the week
 

Martin

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I just watched episode six of Bubuki Buranki and really like Shizuru Taneomi's character. It is the first time we have been given any kind of insight into her character beyond just being the series' designated rabbit-girl, and in the space of half an episode she was portrayed both as completely badass and as a multi-layered personality, and I want to find out more about her past and her mental state in the next few episodes. She reminds me a lot of someone who I know irl in respect to the drawing sequence, so I'm able to connect with the character in that sense, and the backstory written by the drawings is kinda like Hinazuki Kayo's page in the student composition collection in Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (its definitely taking the same direction with her character - albeit not as a sufferer of abuse), albeit not as deep.

Honestly the episode is one of the best episodes of the season so far (with the best being ep 2 of Boku Dake) and honestly if you're not watching Bubuki Buranki you should probably pick it up again as it is starting to become clear and is getting rather good. Still gotta catch up on this week's Konosuba, Grimgar and Dimension W so I'll do that now and maybe post again if any of them have any particular detail worth commenting on.
 
So I started watching Madoka Magica and the first thing I noticed was if witches are so fuckin terribad and cause all of humanity's problems why not have someone just wish for all witches to disappear, then no more problems AND they have magic powers to boot

i really like the shot compositions and sound design though, am looking forward to watching eps 3 and up over the week
Without spoiling too much: the show doesn't explicitly discuss this, but there are limitations on the wishes that Kyubey is capable of granting and you learn more about why those limitations exist as the series progresses, though it's not spelled out for you. If you're still confused about this by the end of the series then feel free to ask again - this is a good question and I had to search online for a bit to give a satisfactory answer.

That being said, don't do any research on this show before you finish watching because you'll massively spoil yourself on at least one of the major plot points that have yet to happen.

Glad you like the show from an artistic standpoint, though. Most people agree that Madoka's soundtrack is absolutely brilliant, regardless of whether they liked or disliked the actual show.
 

Martin

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OK so having just watched Grimgar episode 6 I'm gonna come right out and say that it is tied for the current episode of the season with Erased Ep 2. Nothing barring said episode of ERASED has anything on this - not even Konosuba ep 6 or Bubuki ep 6.

Idk what the deal is with the 7-point-something MAL rating but Grimgar is legitimately flawless. The sheer levels of character development are absolutely immense, every single one of the characters is thoroughly likeable, the soundtrack and artwork are both absolutely incredible, the story is engaging despite the slow pace, and it is legitimately relaxing to watch. Like, seriously it is absolutely spectactular, almost matching ERASED in terms of pure anime quality, and I take back what I said about how Ajin would be better than it if wasn't so ugly, because I now think that Grimgar is better even before consideration of appearance. It makes me personally empathise with every single character (aside from Ranta) on the same level as I do with Aisaka Taiga and Hinazuki Kayo - the two non-Grimgar characters that I empathise the closest with on a personal level due to extremely meaningful irl personality comparisons (Taiga with myself barring the violent part, Kayo with my best friend barring the abused part) - and its ability to do this with such a large number of characters is a display of genuine talent in all of character, interraction and story design. Mary - the new member of the cast - has already recieved Kayo levels of character development (which is immense for three episodes worth of development) in the space of a single episode through the combination of direct interactions and the indirect supply of information into her backstory.
===================================================
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I want people's opinions on what I should watch next. Here are the things that I'm considering, so which should I watch first?
  • Shirobako
  • Madoka (re-watch)
  • Clannad
  • Kanon
  • FMAB
  • Steins;Gate
  • Anohana (re-watch)
 

Martin

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Oshit Grimgar's full OP has finally been unleashed upon the internet. It took long enough but oh boy was the wait worth it.


Freaking love this song. Its definitely either OP of the season or second best of the season.

Speaking of this, did anyone notice that the backing animation for Grimgar's OP changed? It shows the characters much happier and features character movement this time around as opposed to a series of character stills. It is a really progress that the characters are making on all fronts, and I'm surprised at just how much of an effect such a small change can have on the meaning of the OP.
 

Martin

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The end of Schwarzesmarken ep 6 crossed the line... you can tell that something is adapted from a VN the moment that a sister runs up behind her brother completely naked, starts pulling him close and says "take me." -_-

I'm disappointed...
 
pretty sure Schwarzen is an LN, as little difference as that makes

also Grimgar has a really obvious flaw in that it's way too self-indulgent with its montages, one was fairly unnecessary and the other went on about twice as long as it needed to but otherwise it's been really solid
 

Martin

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IDK I rather like the montages personally. It lends to the tone of the show and helps it retain its ability to make the viewer feel at ease - which I think is the aim here. It also gives us an excuse to admire just how gorgeous this show is and how amazing the music is, and while they are long they don't feel like a chore to watch (which is more than you can say about that one in the middle of Garokawa...). It feels incredibly immersive and makes you understand the situation the characters are in - which is a good thing in my book.
 

tcr

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Ok i finally caught up with Grimgar and can say that I like it better than Boku Gake right now. Erased is cool and all, but its very obvious to me who the killer is, i assume everythjng will be alright, and it just kinda plateaued for me. Like how good it is is like the graph of sqrt x, it starts off pretty well but hasnt really done TOO much to increase the tension or make it really good (look at steins gate, who uses the main twist to further and further increase tension until the final climax. It just feels like erased has already climaxed, or is repeatedly doing it, idk how to explain it.

Grimgar is ramping up to be p good, the classic trope of
her party dying so she turned into a bitch that just wants her teammates to not make the same mistake
seems a bit overdone and kinda predictable, but its still solid. Looking forward to the red haired girl and mc development, hope it actually becomes a thing if not ill be disappointed.
 

Martin

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Ur all making it so hard to not spoil the manga lol

Honestly for me currently I'm enjoying the two equally. They are both spectacularly made in similar areas and I am honestly hard-pressed to say which I like better. However, I do still feel that Boku Dake is the better anime on a technical level due to how spectacularly directed it has been and due to Hinazuki's character.

Like, Boku Dake has only really platauxed due to it having just adapted what is, for the most part, a slightly dull part of the manga. I think that they've done the cliffhangers consistently well, and I don't think that there is much that the director could have done to make it not plataux for the time being. Simple things like the narrowing of the screen signifying his child self, the tree barrier and the anti-climax with the car during his conversation with Kenya where he finds out about the student composition collection (which is a nice piece of subtle foreshadowing for the events later on) all show how well written and how well directed it is, and as I've said on multiple occasions the relationship between Hinazuki and Satoru is spectacularly complex for such a low amount of screen time. And then you see the sequence at the very end of episode six, where everything goes gray and the blue butterfly appears to seemingly invite the credits screen, and you cam see how the director has taken a scene in which not much happens in the manga (another generic colour inversion) and stylised it absolutely spectacularly to make it that much more compelling and to make the cluffhanger better. Of course you can then bring up the scene from the park in episode two, which is spectacular on so many levels, and there are also a number of other scenes which can be heavily intellectualised (albeit without being quite as spectacular as the park scene) - as can the OP and the ED (which are both the most well produced on the whole season).

Something I've found is that, wheras Grimgar is better on the first watch, ERASED gets better the more times you re-watch it as you start to pick up on more stuff details (which is kinda amusing given that Satoru has that rerun ability). This is the final thing that I think cements its position of AotS for me.
 

Martin

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Oml I'm regretting reading the boku dake manga so much right now. It has thoroughly spoiled an otherwise solid cliffhanger ;;;;
 

Martin

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Speaking of boku dake ga inai machi I just want to say I love its ending theme and I wish it was the op ;(
Agreed (although I like it as the ED personally as Re: Re: is also really fucking good). The animation over it is legit gorgeous too


Edit: aaand it rises to #6 on MAL

Edit 2: As an aside, Junshin Always (Musaigen no Phantom World ED song) is one of the most addictively upbeat songs I have ever heard

 
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erased episode 7 was quite good. i dunno if it's "plateauing" per se - i think it's maintaining a very high level of quality and staying interesting, and "plateauing" is too negative of a word to use, imo

dagashi kashi's latest episode had the most saya screentime in the series so far and i'm liking it a lot as a way to relax and destress. the humor doesn't really land for me all the time like it did with MonMusu and Prison School back when they were airing, but it's pleasant to watch. i'm also retiring my ema avatar for a while in favor of twintails saya

i'm on episode 97 of HxH, too. overall everything up to and including Greed Island (so around episode 76) really didn't impress me; it played out like a very generic battle shounen and lacked a lot of the emotional heft that series like FMA, shokugeki, and one piece had by that point. the chimera ant arc is quite different, though, and i'm really enjoying it.

also watched all of death parade - while it had an interesting premise, i feel that it flopped in its execution and had so much wasted potential. all of the supporting characters are criminally underdeveloped while Decim himself doesn't really change at all until the last two episodes. i didn't really care about the B-plot, the environment is cool but never explained, etc, etc. it had some very strong individual episodes (6 and 9 in particular were really good) but it failed to come together, at least for me

started kekkai sensen today and i really like the environment. it's got a fantastic soundtrack and i've been a fan of its OP and ED long before actually starting the show, the animation is beautiful, and the fight scenes are really reminiscent of Kill La Kill.
 

Martin

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I still think Grimgar ot Erased wins in terms of ops, if only because of the former showing the characters' change of attitude and the latter having lots of symbolic value.

DW is really good at getting you hyped though and that car chase is dope
 
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