Smantie's recent activity
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Comment on Hi ~anime, what do you think about having more discussion threads? in ~anime
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Comment on Oshi no Ko - Season 1 | Discussion thread - What are your thoughts about the series so far? in ~anime
Smantie LinkI've not watched the series yet (waiting for it to be fully dubbed before I commit to signing up for yet another streaming service), but I'm up to date on the manga and very much looking forward...I've not watched the series yet (waiting for it to be fully dubbed before I commit to signing up for yet another streaming service), but I'm up to date on the manga and very much looking forward to watching it come to life on screen!
Manga spoilers, hopefully I've gotten the formatting correct
I'm really looking forward to seeing Tokyo Blade come to life in season 2, going in I thought it was going to be fairly slice of life (which I still love!) but we ended up getting a lot of deep characterb development, especially with Aqua's trauma being brought to the forefront, hopefully the studio will keep it as raw as in the manga rather than trying to soften it up. As for the latest chapter...it was really really sweet, up until the last two pages. Hopefully, really really hopefully, it's just a fake out - but of course there's a week break now so we won't find out where that's going until the end of the month! -
Comment on Community Watchthrough - Erased in ~anime
Smantie Link ParentI personally have a soft spot for opening/ending sequences which change as the show progresses, so I'm very interested to hear people's thoughts on the updated OP this episode used? Also, I think...I personally have a soft spot for opening/ending sequences which change as the show progresses, so I'm very interested to hear people's thoughts on the updated OP this episode used?
Also, I think this is an example of parallel timelines and 'they were in a coma the whole time' done perfectly; the coma allows the story to avoid the question of whether the changed future would override Satoru's original memories on his return, which is a big tripping point for time travel plots that result in significant changes.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this month? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Smantie Link ParentI'm really enjoying Cipher Academy too, the little backstory snippets we've had from various characters make me very curious about the world, but at the same time I'm quite happy with the story...I'm really enjoying Cipher Academy too, the little backstory snippets we've had from various characters make me very curious about the world, but at the same time I'm quite happy with the story staying inside the school. Tayu Yugata is my favourite character so far, she's a beast!
I'm not surprised the first translator threw in the towel at around chapter 15 (I think?), the early chapters were the heaviest on wordplay, but I'm still able to enjoy the story even when I have to skim over the actual puzzle due to it making my brain hurt.
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Comment on Community Watchthrough - Erased in ~anime
Smantie Link ParentYay, I'm glad this is going ahead! I hope this can continue to be regular too, I think it's going to be a great way to get people to step outside of their usual comfort zones for genres and...Yay, I'm glad this is going ahead! I hope this can continue to be regular too, I think it's going to be a great way to get people to step outside of their usual comfort zones for genres and hopefully find treasures that they otherwise would have missed. Maybe after the series ends we can do a community movie watch the next week, before starting a new series the week after? And during that intermission we could have a poll on which series to watch next?
Also just as an aside, Erased is also available on Funimation (in the UK at least) so maybe add that to the list of streaming links?
Thanks for doing this!
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Comment on Looking for high-adrenaline suggestions in ~anime
Smantie LinkThe first one which came to mind is Akame ga Kill, it's definitely my top recommendation based on you having enjoyed Chainsaw Man and Attack on Titan. Tokyo Revengers has the main character get...The first one which came to mind is Akame ga Kill, it's definitely my top recommendation based on you having enjoyed Chainsaw Man and Attack on Titan.
Tokyo Revengers has the main character get sent back in time to his middle school body in order to prevent a murder, however it's a very different vibe to Erased as it's about gangs of teenage delinquents, if you like the time travel concept then I'd say definitely give it a go, although annoyingly the second series has gone to Disney+ rather than staying on Crunchyroll.
I see Sword Art Online is on your watched list, the closest vibe show I can think for that would be Guilty Crown, plus it's the same animation studio as 86 so it's a visual delight.
Something a little different would be Moriarty the Patriot - it doesn't have any fantasy or supernatural elements but is a masterpiece.
Seraph of the End - this was sadly not well received at the time of release as the first episode sets up the story (vampires, post apocalyptic dystopia, etc) then the next few episodes are set in a high school, which apparently turned audiences in Japan off as there was so much media already set in high schools at the time. Which is unfortunate because after those episodes introduce the supporting cast, they all go out and have plot happen to them in this post apocalyptic world! If you give this a go and find it a slow starter (I personally didn't but that may be because I had already read the manga so knew how much action was coming) I'd say to give it a half dozen or so episodes to really give it a chance.
Finally, I see you've already been recommended Jujutsu Kaisen so I will just add another +1 to those and also let you know that the next series starts in a few weeks, so if you enjoy it (I'm sure you will) then there will be more to come! There's also a movie, too.
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Comment on Which show kickstarted your interest in anime? in ~anime
Smantie Link ParentMy Hero Academia was what got me into reading manga, it wasn't my first anime but it was the first one where I just could not wait for the next season to find out what happens next. I think it was...My Hero Academia was what got me into reading manga, it wasn't my first anime but it was the first one where I just could not wait for the next season to find out what happens next. I think it was already up to season 4 when I started watching it so I had a lot to binge when catching up, but after the end of that series I decided I absolutely was not waiting 18 months to see how it turns out, so I was down at the bookshop the next day basically clearing out their shelves!
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Comment on Has anyone tried 4DX movies? in ~movies
Smantie LinkI've only seen a few and it's been a bit mixed. My first 4DX movie was Dragonball Super: Superhero, which was amazing, the seats hardly stopped moving and during the fights the seat backs gave us...I've only seen a few and it's been a bit mixed. My first 4DX movie was Dragonball Super: Superhero, which was amazing, the seats hardly stopped moving and during the fights the seat backs gave us a good thumping too, it was like a theme park ride and it seemed like the movie was designed for 4DX. I enjoyed the movie and experience so much that I went and saw it in 4DX again before it left theatres, it was just pure fun. After that positive experience I then saw Nope in 4DX and there was nothing. In the movie there's horse riding, a swooping UFO, panoramic camera movements, jump scares, all sorts of things that could have seat movements choreographed to. I remember one judder and some smells being pumped at us, and a couple of little water sprays. It was such a disappointment! Then, a few months ago I went and saw the Demon Slayer special, and once again it was done so well that it seemed like it was designed for the 4DX experience.
Overall I think moving forward I'll definitely see any anime in 4DX if it's available, but probably won't bother with live action unless it's got really, really good reviews. Maybe there's something about anime that makes it easier to choreograph the special effects, but that's speculation on my part.
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Comment on Accent diversity is fascinating in ~humanities.languages
Smantie LinkMy parents met in the RAF so I have a couple of accent quirks I've picked up, probably mostly from the Geordie side as my dad's accent is now very neutral, especially compared to his family...My parents met in the RAF so I have a couple of accent quirks I've picked up, probably mostly from the Geordie side as my dad's accent is now very neutral, especially compared to his family members who stayed in his home city way over in the East Midlands. At one point when I was very young we lived on a base abroad which also had American families, I didn't realise understand the concept of regional accents until we moved back to England when I was about 6, I just thought it was part of everybody having their own sounding voice and was very surprised when a school friend asked me why my parents sounded so different to each other and if they were from a different country! We ended up in Wiltshire when we moved back so quite a distance from the origins of my parents accents, I'm pretty sure my mum was the only Geordie in a 15 mile radius so looking back I can see why she was so foreign sounding but at the time I was baffled.
30 years later I have the skilled local ear which allows me to tell exactly which nearby town someone is from, and definitely if they're from over the border to a different county, but it works the other way too - people who were truly born and bred here can tell that something is a bit off with my accent so I've been asked "where did you live before you moved here" or "so where are your parents from" quite a few times over the years! It's funny though, because I don't know what it is that they're picking up on, but I also can't definitively say how I can tell the difference between Town A and Town B's accents, I just kind of...feel it? I wouldn't say it's caused any sort of identity crisis, but I do wonder if I'll ever be able to truly blend in or if these unquantifiable differences will forever follow me.
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Comment on Would anyone be interested in doing a community watchthrough of a show? in ~anime
Smantie Link ParentBackflip is high school men's rhythmic gymnastics and it's one of the ones where you can tell someone who actually knows the sport has been involved in the choreography, it's beautifully animated...Backflip is high school men's rhythmic gymnastics and it's one of the ones where you can tell someone who actually knows the sport has been involved in the choreography, it's beautifully animated and the soundtrack is one of Yuki Hayashi's best, but I haven't seen the movie yet so I don't know if the story is finished.
I'll definitely avoid spoilers if/when I join discussions! I'm currently lending a 15 volume book series to a friend and I'm rereading them all before I lend her each one so that I can reply appropriately to her reactions haha!
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Comment on Would anyone be interested in doing a community watchthrough of a show? in ~anime
Smantie LinkErased is SO GOOD, that's a great choice! I watched it really recently but I'd still be interested in reading people's thoughts on it as they do the watch through even if I don't actively watch it...Erased is SO GOOD, that's a great choice! I watched it really recently but I'd still be interested in reading people's thoughts on it as they do the watch through even if I don't actively watch it myself at the time.
Maybe we could switch up genres when we move onto the next show? It could help inspire people who wouldn't normally choose to try a certain genre. A nice shortform slice of life one could be My Roommate is a Cat, there's some really sweet moments, some funny moments, and some punch you in the gut emotional moments, and it's visually beautiful too. For sport/coming of age there's SK8 the Infinity which is great fun, and the dub is superb, you can really tell how much the VAs were enjoying themselves! It's 12 episodes (I think? Maybe 14) but it's complete - other sports ones like Haikyuu and Backflip have the tournament aspect so go on for much longer.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this month? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Smantie LinkI'm just coming up on the end of my rewatch of Fruits Basket, which spent far too long on my to-watch list. I only managed to wait a week after finishing my first watch through before starting...I'm just coming up on the end of my rewatch of Fruits Basket, which spent far too long on my to-watch list. I only managed to wait a week after finishing my first watch through before starting again, it's been great catching little hints of foreshadowing but also honestly I just wasn't ready to leave the characters behind yet. I can see myself watching it reading this again and again.
Two of the newer manga I'm reading are:
Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins, which is very very engaging and managing to pull off the 'wait what' plot twists without them seeming gratuitous, the very basic summary is that a whole family has amnesia after a car accident, and they have to figure out who they were before the accident happened. It is...a lot more than that! The art style was a little odd to me at first as I've not read anything from this mangaka before, but it grew on me very quickly and is actually quite refreshing in its difference.
The other is Cypher Academy, our main character is the only boy at a code breaking/intelligence agency high school but it's not got any harem themes at all which was a worry for me going in. Some of the earlier chapters were very heavy on word and alphabet based puzzles, which is a massive brain strain when you consider they're translated from Japanese so also have to include an explanation for how the puzzles work, however you don't actually have to solve the puzzles yourself and after the first bundle of character establishment chapters the plot really gets going and is very enjoyable.
Both of these series are very new to Weekly Shonen Jump so there's an underlying worry that they'll fall victim to an early axe, however IchiFam at least seems popular enough to be safe, and Cypher is more popular than a couple of the other new series so hopefully they'll both stick around.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this month? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Smantie Link ParentAnohana is next on my list, I'm glad to see a positive review! If you haven't watched them already, Erased is an excellent short series, as is Violet Evergarden. Violet also has a couple of movies...Anohana is next on my list, I'm glad to see a positive review! If you haven't watched them already, Erased is an excellent short series, as is Violet Evergarden. Violet also has a couple of movies and OVAs, they're canon but not plot-essential so are a nice bonus but not crucial to the main series.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this month? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Smantie Link ParentOh no, thanks for the prompt that it's leaving! Time to resume my search for a Blu-ray copy - it was surprisingly elusive when I last looked. When I watched it I actually felt a bit lost for a few...Oh no, thanks for the prompt that it's leaving! Time to resume my search for a Blu-ray copy - it was surprisingly elusive when I last looked. When I watched it I actually felt a bit lost for a few days afterwards because I just didn't know how I was going to find something that would match up to it, and I was still processing all of the emotions it put me through. Absolute stunner of a movie.
Part of the reason the scheduling is so odd is because the two arcs being covered don't split 50/50 with regards to how much content they have, so the first is only 7 (I think) episodes rather than the more usual 10-12. We're also getting two recap episodes because the first arc is pure flashback. If you were to watch JJK in the chronological order of events you'd go: S2 part 1, JJK0 (the movie), S1 part 1, S1 part 2, S2 part 2. Anyone who hasn't rewatched S1 or JJK0 since their release could end up very lost with one particular character so although I am a little disappointed at a double recap, I can see how it's for the greater good overall!
Another reason, pure speculation on my part, is that because the majority of the arc being covered in part 2 takes place on one day they're going to try to line up big moments in the series with an episode either side of this date (the date is on a Tuesday so if the episodes continue to release on Thursdays or Fridays then they could have a happy calendar sandwich). They have plenty of impactful moments to choose from, but it would be very satisfying to get that nod!