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The Anime / Manga Thread (MK2) | Beware Spoilers
- Thread starter Acklow
- Start date
- Status
I didn't recognize that name but I recognized the singer anyway. Ayy. It's the Mawaru Penguindrum vocalist.
So I been watching Your Lie in April on netflix aaaand, holy shit this show just destroys all my feels. I don't even watch slice of life crap but hot damn
Asek
Banned deucer.
Hey heres my 3x3 /late/. Mainly da classics w. some of my tastes thrown in
Going from L-->R
Jojos - I'm not making a manga 3x3 (it'd be completely action shounen / seinen anyway), so jojos kicks off the anime choices. This has been my favourite ongoing series ever since I started reading manga / watching anime (first airing anime I watched was part 2!), perfect balance of action, feels and laughs and I love every bit of it (OK mayyybe not all of it....)
NHK - This anime genuinely made me think about the way I was living my life. A great balance of drama and comedy combined to make something really interesting, its got some themes that really resonated w. me, and overall just felt like a very genuine anime, where nearly every character introduced fleshed out the chemistry between the 2 leads further.
Bebop - One of my first experiences w. anime so i might look back at this one with the rose tinted glasses on, but I loved this both times I've watched it. It felt like not a lot was happening throughout in terms of the grand scheme of things until right at the back end of the course, and then everything just falls in together so well, I don't think theres many endings more iconic than bebops
Eva - anything I could say about this shows prolly already been said
Tatami galaxy - You know when I said everything in bebop fell together? This one takes that concept to a whole new level. A whole bunch of seemingly unrelated but very clever episodes managed to get tied together to make at least for me, the only 10/10 anime I've ever seen. MC is extremely relatable, themes are relevant to me, this show just gets so much out of its premise its really something quite special
Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de aru - I constantly flip flop between whether I prefer madoka or this as my favourite magic girl show, but whilst making this grid I decided I wanted to throw this one in. Whilst I find madoka more depressing of a show, this still manages to deliver on the feels whilst being a lot more uplifting. I'd recommend to any fans of madoka, surprisingly not many have seen this show.
The girl who leapt through time - short good movie, example of time travel done right in anime
Nozaki kun - feeling bad? watch this show. At the end of every episode i felt better than i did at the start, one of the few funny anime comedy out there, and its super cute!
Yu Yu Hakusho - my favorite generic shounen, kurama is probably one of the coolest shounen characters ever, the action scenes are awesome, even tho theres some really stupid cliche stuff every now and then i forgive it for what it is
Jojos - I'm not making a manga 3x3 (it'd be completely action shounen / seinen anyway), so jojos kicks off the anime choices. This has been my favourite ongoing series ever since I started reading manga / watching anime (first airing anime I watched was part 2!), perfect balance of action, feels and laughs and I love every bit of it (OK mayyybe not all of it....)
NHK - This anime genuinely made me think about the way I was living my life. A great balance of drama and comedy combined to make something really interesting, its got some themes that really resonated w. me, and overall just felt like a very genuine anime, where nearly every character introduced fleshed out the chemistry between the 2 leads further.
Bebop - One of my first experiences w. anime so i might look back at this one with the rose tinted glasses on, but I loved this both times I've watched it. It felt like not a lot was happening throughout in terms of the grand scheme of things until right at the back end of the course, and then everything just falls in together so well, I don't think theres many endings more iconic than bebops
Eva - anything I could say about this shows prolly already been said
Tatami galaxy - You know when I said everything in bebop fell together? This one takes that concept to a whole new level. A whole bunch of seemingly unrelated but very clever episodes managed to get tied together to make at least for me, the only 10/10 anime I've ever seen. MC is extremely relatable, themes are relevant to me, this show just gets so much out of its premise its really something quite special
Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de aru - I constantly flip flop between whether I prefer madoka or this as my favourite magic girl show, but whilst making this grid I decided I wanted to throw this one in. Whilst I find madoka more depressing of a show, this still manages to deliver on the feels whilst being a lot more uplifting. I'd recommend to any fans of madoka, surprisingly not many have seen this show.
The girl who leapt through time - short good movie, example of time travel done right in anime
Nozaki kun - feeling bad? watch this show. At the end of every episode i felt better than i did at the start, one of the few funny anime comedy out there, and its super cute!
Yu Yu Hakusho - my favorite generic shounen, kurama is probably one of the coolest shounen characters ever, the action scenes are awesome, even tho theres some really stupid cliche stuff every now and then i forgive it for what it is
Already 3 seasons of Luluco are over...time flies, man.
Stratos
Banned deucer.
I did it...I made an anime 3x3.
i put shows in from left to right, top to bottom. so toradora #1, kokoro connect #2, nagi no asukara #4, etc.
Honorable mentions: fma:b, shinsekai yori, hoshi no koe
i put shows in from left to right, top to bottom. so toradora #1, kokoro connect #2, nagi no asukara #4, etc.
Honorable mentions: fma:b, shinsekai yori, hoshi no koe
Basically the primary criteria for how much I love a show was if it was able to make me cry like a little bitch.
Toradora: Every rewatch (i've done three) this show is liable to make me cry in like 7 or 8 different places. On top of that, a lot of the slapstick comedy in the first half is actually really on point. It's got a lot of cringe scenes, which I usually can't stand, but at least they're appropriately shown as uncomfortable and not ever trying to get laughs, and make the characters more relatable, so I can appreciate them even if I have to pause sometimes to get through them. I know the romance isn't particularly realistic but fuck it man I love Taiga's character growth so much.
Kokoro Connect: I think episode 5 (last of the first arc) may be my favorite episode of anime ever. Yes, it made me cry like a bitch. Also if you couldn't tell from my avatar, Inaba is the best girl of all time. Sometimes it was really corny and melodramatic (I never felt that Toradora was over the top or badly written, but Kokoro Connect definitely was in parts) but not in a way that significantly detracted from my enjoyment otherwise. Shame the rest of the show failed to live up to the first arc, though it was still good. I wish there were more shows like Toradora and Kokoro Connect. The warm cute art style compliments the soundtrack well, especially in the OPs and EDs, which are all fantastic.
Stardust Crusaders Season 2: Battle Tendency has a tighter narrative and better plot, but the groundwork Stardust Crusaders put in through its slower pacing allowed its final dozen episodes to be one of the most emotionally powerful and intense conclusions ever. So many feats of badassery and excellent fights. The four youngsters all displayed fantastic character growth as they realized what they had to do to defeat Dio while the two old men were impressive in their own way. It has the best OP ever for getting hype. And yes, it made me cry like a bitch.
Nagi No Asukara: Mari Okada may not exactly be known for making great anime but I think Nagi No Asukara is an exception to the rule. The thing I love so much about this show is that even though there's magic and shit, it doesn't feel like the characters are in Anime Land, they're in Real Life Land. When all the adults want to ignore a mounting problem, what can a fourteen year old do to save the world? Realistically, very little, and that's exactly the powerlessness which Hikari and the rest of the cast find themselves faced with as they struggle to do their best anyways. The characters in this show are all super realistic: nobody ever preaches their motivations and you really have to think to find the reasons why they say and do what they say and do—and they're all very normal, often selfish and emotional, reasons. The first half is better than the second half but the second half is still good. Cried like a bitch at episode 12; Kaname is my favorite character. Also dear jesus it's beautiful.
Madoka Magica: The only show on my list whose fantastic production quality is more than just an afterthought on the list of reasons I love it, madoka may be the best-looking anime ever produced, and its soundtrack is godly too, particularly the ED and Sayaka's theme. I did not cry at this one, but that doesn't mean I wasn't heavily invested in the characters. Crying just wasn't the right reaction, you know? More like fear and tension. My first watch I had to pause for a long time after each episode to let it sink in how fucked everyone was. I really appreciate a tight narrative where everything in the show is important to the main plot and nothing goes unresolved, and Madoka has that going for it for sure. I've posted a lot about Madoka in this thread in the past so I won't keep going.
the iDOLM@STER: This may be a weird thing to care about but I really like when something is innocent yet also profound. Tsuritama does it well, but idolmaster does it way better. This very accurate depiction of the idol industry has a wide cast of almost-entirely-loveable characters and some of the best, cutest comedy ever (the wedding shoot episode, the beansprout festival, Yukiho's shovel gag...). And yet it has some really hard-hitting episodes too. My two favorite characters are pictured, though it's hard to leave out Makoto and Yayoi... For being an idol show, most of the music is very take-it-or-leave-it (I've only got four songs on my iPod from it), but Nemurihime makes a very notable exception. The art can look retarded at times bc of the budget but they make it look good where it counts. Bitch u know I cried at Haruka's arc.
The Tatami Galaxy: An anime with a very preachy message that manages to deliver it in an incredibly unpreachy and engaging way. The nonlinear and seemingly unconnected stories tie together in the final arc in a way that's brilliant and oh so satisfying, while each of them are also interesting enough on their own to be worth watching. Mr Yuasa takes you on some wild rides, but I don't want to get off.
White Album 2: I decided to include this show despite it bring produced on a budget of approximately "what can i get for this sack of potatoes" because of how hard it hit me. I seriously didn't have an appetite for three days after watching it. The only tragedy on my list, it spends the first half building up an idyllic and happy situation so that we can be destroyed by watching the characters grow apart, trying desperately to reclaim what they once had. It feels very raw and real, like how I felt when I grew apart from friends naturally and tried to contact them but it was never the same as old times and we both knew it, except distilled into 13 episodes. Also probably the best use of an OP in anime. My understanding of the OP changed with each episode as my understanding of the show changed, which was an impressive feat on the part of whoever wrote the song.
Monogatari Series (Second Season): particularly for the specific episode which I linked, though also Tsubasa Tiger and Hitagi End and Mayoi Jiangshu were good. Hachikuji is my favorite character in the Monogatari series because...well maybe because she's the biggest sap, honestly, you know i love sappy shit. But also her dialogues with Araragi are always very entertaining and u know this episode made me cry like a bitch. Monogatari is an anime which likes to toe the line between legitimately deep and pretentious bullshit, but I think that Bake and SS were both pretty much in the former territory throughout, which makes them the best arcs. The entire thing is very entertaining though.
Toradora: Every rewatch (i've done three) this show is liable to make me cry in like 7 or 8 different places. On top of that, a lot of the slapstick comedy in the first half is actually really on point. It's got a lot of cringe scenes, which I usually can't stand, but at least they're appropriately shown as uncomfortable and not ever trying to get laughs, and make the characters more relatable, so I can appreciate them even if I have to pause sometimes to get through them. I know the romance isn't particularly realistic but fuck it man I love Taiga's character growth so much.
Kokoro Connect: I think episode 5 (last of the first arc) may be my favorite episode of anime ever. Yes, it made me cry like a bitch. Also if you couldn't tell from my avatar, Inaba is the best girl of all time. Sometimes it was really corny and melodramatic (I never felt that Toradora was over the top or badly written, but Kokoro Connect definitely was in parts) but not in a way that significantly detracted from my enjoyment otherwise. Shame the rest of the show failed to live up to the first arc, though it was still good. I wish there were more shows like Toradora and Kokoro Connect. The warm cute art style compliments the soundtrack well, especially in the OPs and EDs, which are all fantastic.
Stardust Crusaders Season 2: Battle Tendency has a tighter narrative and better plot, but the groundwork Stardust Crusaders put in through its slower pacing allowed its final dozen episodes to be one of the most emotionally powerful and intense conclusions ever. So many feats of badassery and excellent fights. The four youngsters all displayed fantastic character growth as they realized what they had to do to defeat Dio while the two old men were impressive in their own way. It has the best OP ever for getting hype. And yes, it made me cry like a bitch.
Polnareff's "death"
Nagi No Asukara: Mari Okada may not exactly be known for making great anime but I think Nagi No Asukara is an exception to the rule. The thing I love so much about this show is that even though there's magic and shit, it doesn't feel like the characters are in Anime Land, they're in Real Life Land. When all the adults want to ignore a mounting problem, what can a fourteen year old do to save the world? Realistically, very little, and that's exactly the powerlessness which Hikari and the rest of the cast find themselves faced with as they struggle to do their best anyways. The characters in this show are all super realistic: nobody ever preaches their motivations and you really have to think to find the reasons why they say and do what they say and do—and they're all very normal, often selfish and emotional, reasons. The first half is better than the second half but the second half is still good. Cried like a bitch at episode 12; Kaname is my favorite character. Also dear jesus it's beautiful.
Madoka Magica: The only show on my list whose fantastic production quality is more than just an afterthought on the list of reasons I love it, madoka may be the best-looking anime ever produced, and its soundtrack is godly too, particularly the ED and Sayaka's theme. I did not cry at this one, but that doesn't mean I wasn't heavily invested in the characters. Crying just wasn't the right reaction, you know? More like fear and tension. My first watch I had to pause for a long time after each episode to let it sink in how fucked everyone was. I really appreciate a tight narrative where everything in the show is important to the main plot and nothing goes unresolved, and Madoka has that going for it for sure. I've posted a lot about Madoka in this thread in the past so I won't keep going.
the iDOLM@STER: This may be a weird thing to care about but I really like when something is innocent yet also profound. Tsuritama does it well, but idolmaster does it way better. This very accurate depiction of the idol industry has a wide cast of almost-entirely-loveable characters and some of the best, cutest comedy ever (the wedding shoot episode, the beansprout festival, Yukiho's shovel gag...). And yet it has some really hard-hitting episodes too. My two favorite characters are pictured, though it's hard to leave out Makoto and Yayoi... For being an idol show, most of the music is very take-it-or-leave-it (I've only got four songs on my iPod from it), but Nemurihime makes a very notable exception. The art can look retarded at times bc of the budget but they make it look good where it counts. Bitch u know I cried at Haruka's arc.
The Tatami Galaxy: An anime with a very preachy message that manages to deliver it in an incredibly unpreachy and engaging way. The nonlinear and seemingly unconnected stories tie together in the final arc in a way that's brilliant and oh so satisfying, while each of them are also interesting enough on their own to be worth watching. Mr Yuasa takes you on some wild rides, but I don't want to get off.
White Album 2: I decided to include this show despite it bring produced on a budget of approximately "what can i get for this sack of potatoes" because of how hard it hit me. I seriously didn't have an appetite for three days after watching it. The only tragedy on my list, it spends the first half building up an idyllic and happy situation so that we can be destroyed by watching the characters grow apart, trying desperately to reclaim what they once had. It feels very raw and real, like how I felt when I grew apart from friends naturally and tried to contact them but it was never the same as old times and we both knew it, except distilled into 13 episodes. Also probably the best use of an OP in anime. My understanding of the OP changed with each episode as my understanding of the show changed, which was an impressive feat on the part of whoever wrote the song.
Monogatari Series (Second Season): particularly for the specific episode which I linked, though also Tsubasa Tiger and Hitagi End and Mayoi Jiangshu were good. Hachikuji is my favorite character in the Monogatari series because...well maybe because she's the biggest sap, honestly, you know i love sappy shit. But also her dialogues with Araragi are always very entertaining and u know this episode made me cry like a bitch. Monogatari is an anime which likes to toe the line between legitimately deep and pretentious bullshit, but I think that Bake and SS were both pretty much in the former territory throughout, which makes them the best arcs. The entire thing is very entertaining though.
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: This was one of the first shows that I watched and around 70 shows later I still haven't found something that can match the epicness of this show. I personally think its one of the all time greatest, with perfect pacing, animation, soundtrack, and I can't even think of a single character that I found annoying to have on screen.
Samurai Champloo: Samurai Champloo was one of the first "real" anime that I watched, and by that I guess not really entry level show. I picked this over Cowboy Bebop because I can't think of any character in Champloo that I absolutely hate, and Bebop has that Edward hacker dude who is annoying af to have on screen god I fucking hate that character.
Kill la Kill: I prefer Kill la Kill over Gurren Lagann even though I gave TTGL a higher score, I prefer Kill la Kill's more over the topness in how it doesn't take itself seriously at all. I also just really like parodies for some reason, more so than regular shows, idk why.
Katanagatari: This is my all time favorite show, or at least extremely up there. I just love everything from the art style to the symbolism behind the show, and its something that I enjoy rewatching from time to time.
Death Note: Another one of my first shows that I have watched, this show holds extreme nostalgia to me while also being one wild ride. I've probably rewatched this show at least 7 times, which imo is suprising as its a thriller cliffhanger type show so you think that I would get tired of watching it.
Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata: Again, I really enjoy parodies, and imo this parody of harems really nails it. Utaha is easily best girl, while tsundere childhood friend is worst girl.
Working!!: I just recently finished watching it but this is one of my favorite comedic SoLs that I have seen so far. I don't really like the skit based stuff that shows like Nichibros uses, and the unique blend of otherwise skit based jokes and a running story is something I like. That and the Openings are FUCKING ADORABLE
Durarara!!: OK the first season of Drrr was something that I thoroughly enjoyed, I thought it was almost perfect, with an excellent soundtrack, some twists that I did not see coming, and a memorable cast. The other seasons seem kinda boring however, idk why but after 6 months i STILL haven't been able to finish drrr x 2 :( First season was really good however.
Spice and Wolf: This is one of my favorite "romance" shows, even though its not REALLY romance it still has those elements in it. Thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between the main cast and such, and I couldn't think of many romance oriented anime that I have seen that aren't just generic harem stuff.
Samurai Champloo: Samurai Champloo was one of the first "real" anime that I watched, and by that I guess not really entry level show. I picked this over Cowboy Bebop because I can't think of any character in Champloo that I absolutely hate, and Bebop has that Edward hacker dude who is annoying af to have on screen god I fucking hate that character.
Kill la Kill: I prefer Kill la Kill over Gurren Lagann even though I gave TTGL a higher score, I prefer Kill la Kill's more over the topness in how it doesn't take itself seriously at all. I also just really like parodies for some reason, more so than regular shows, idk why.
Katanagatari: This is my all time favorite show, or at least extremely up there. I just love everything from the art style to the symbolism behind the show, and its something that I enjoy rewatching from time to time.
Death Note: Another one of my first shows that I have watched, this show holds extreme nostalgia to me while also being one wild ride. I've probably rewatched this show at least 7 times, which imo is suprising as its a thriller cliffhanger type show so you think that I would get tired of watching it.
Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata: Again, I really enjoy parodies, and imo this parody of harems really nails it. Utaha is easily best girl, while tsundere childhood friend is worst girl.
Working!!: I just recently finished watching it but this is one of my favorite comedic SoLs that I have seen so far. I don't really like the skit based stuff that shows like Nichibros uses, and the unique blend of otherwise skit based jokes and a running story is something I like. That and the Openings are FUCKING ADORABLE
Durarara!!: OK the first season of Drrr was something that I thoroughly enjoyed, I thought it was almost perfect, with an excellent soundtrack, some twists that I did not see coming, and a memorable cast. The other seasons seem kinda boring however, idk why but after 6 months i STILL haven't been able to finish drrr x 2 :( First season was really good however.
Spice and Wolf: This is one of my favorite "romance" shows, even though its not REALLY romance it still has those elements in it. Thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between the main cast and such, and I couldn't think of many romance oriented anime that I have seen that aren't just generic harem stuff.
(sun)
In no particular order
Left-->right, top-->bottom: Hotaru no Haka, Shinsekai Yori, Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai, Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko: -Everything Flows-, Non Non Biyori, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, Nagi no Asukara, Boku Dake ga Inai Machi, Toradora
Honourable mentions (will make this a grid later 'cause I reached a point where I had listed enough to the point where I decided I might as well round it up to 9 HM picks; once again in no particular order): Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, AJIN, Kyoukai no Kanata, Clannad After Story, Steins;Gate, Akira, Ping Pong the Animation, Inazuma Eleven
Will add explanation later because I'm being rushed off of the PC.
Left-->right, top-->bottom: Hotaru no Haka, Shinsekai Yori, Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai, Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko: -Everything Flows-, Non Non Biyori, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, Nagi no Asukara, Boku Dake ga Inai Machi, Toradora
Honourable mentions (will make this a grid later 'cause I reached a point where I had listed enough to the point where I decided I might as well round it up to 9 HM picks; once again in no particular order): Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, AJIN, Kyoukai no Kanata, Clannad After Story, Steins;Gate, Akira, Ping Pong the Animation, Inazuma Eleven
https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comm...me_you_most_embarrassing_weebo_moment/d3rxlda
just wanted to link a reddit post because oh lordy
code geass spoilers I guess
just wanted to link a reddit post because oh lordy
code geass spoilers I guess
Nice to see a fellow iM@S fan on Smogon... :)I did it...I made an anime 3x3.
i put shows in from left to right, top to bottom. so toradora #1, kokoro connect #2, nagi no asukara #4, etc.
Honorable mentions: fma:b, shinsekai yori, hoshi no koe
the iDOLM@STER: This may be a weird thing to care about but I really like when something is innocent yet also profound. Tsuritama does it well, but idolmaster does it way better. This very accurate depiction of the idol industry has a wide cast of almost-entirely-loveable characters and some of the best, cutest comedy ever (the wedding shoot episode, the beansprout festival, Yukiho's shovel gag...). And yet it has some really hard-hitting episodes too. My two favorite characters are pictured, though it's hard to leave out Makoto and Yayoi... For being an idol show, most of the music is very take-it-or-leave-it (I've only got four songs on my iPod from it), but Nemurihime makes a very notable exception. The art can look retarded at times bc of the budget but they make it look good where it counts. Bitch u know I cried at Haruka's arc.
Speaking of which, I've watched the Cinderella Girls anime and, honestly, having your worst enemy inside your own agency was really surprising. Mishiro trying to enforce her policies when everything went right seemed disturbing at first, but it's actually how the idol industry works. I liked how Kaede managed to inspire others to resist Mishiro's ways of producing and Nana Abe, among others, showed that you could have your own quirks and still shine. The Uzuki arc (ep 20-24, it starts when Rin joins Project Krone and gets away from New Gen) reminded me of the Haruka arc of the 2011 anime (ep 23-24), but with a twist: here, she's not sure of her abilities as an idol (she's the average girl of the CG mobile game) and realizes that being able to smile isn't enough. I liked also how the Producer never gave up his Cinderella Project against Mishiro's tactics. Maybe we'll get a Million Live anime next...
What are people's favorite ED themes? Mine is probably either Daisy from Kyoukai no Kanata or Itsumo Nando Demo from Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, although there are so many good ones that it's hard to say with 100% certainty.
Assassination Classroom is awesome. I was a little worried they were ending it on this most recent episode based on how they showed the credits but I think there will be a few more. Both One Piece references slayed me, and the budding romance with Karasuma and Bitch-sensei is hilarious. Hyped for the next few episodes
RODAN
Banned deucer.
check out Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash / Kekkai Sensen
von Karma is literally Reppukening people now. Who said this was a bad show again?
Today's and last week's Haifuri episodes were just so much better than it has been since episode two or three, and with it having picked up over the past two I am really hoping we get more like this in the last three episodes.
Kiznaiver keeps getting better and better; I really relate to Katsuhira in particular, but what they are doing really well is all of the characters. I like all of them, they are complex and I can see a little of myself in each one. I'd say at this stage Honoka is probably my favorite in terms of how she has been developed, and I think they were right to dedicate an entire arc to her situation as it gave the entire cast time to be developed more as well as showing the other side of her character (and explaining the person she's resting her back on in the ED for anyone else who watches through it) really nicely.
Finally, agreeing with Stratos. Ace Attorney is rlly enjoyable now.
Kiznaiver keeps getting better and better; I really relate to Katsuhira in particular, but what they are doing really well is all of the characters. I like all of them, they are complex and I can see a little of myself in each one. I'd say at this stage Honoka is probably my favorite in terms of how she has been developed, and I think they were right to dedicate an entire arc to her situation as it gave the entire cast time to be developed more as well as showing the other side of her character (and explaining the person she's resting her back on in the ED for anyone else who watches through it) really nicely.
Finally, agreeing with Stratos. Ace Attorney is rlly enjoyable now.
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