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What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga)
What have you been watching and reading this week? You don't need to give us a whole essay if you don't want to, but please write something! Feel free to talk about something you saw that was cool, something that was bad, ask for recommendations, or anything else you can think of.
If you want to, feel free to find the thing you're talking about and link to its pages on Anilist, MAL, or any other database you use!
Dandadan is the hit of the season. Not to diminish other bangers this season but... it's well deserved.
I watched the fourth episode and I'm simultaneously feeling like I should wait until the entire season has dropped so I can enjoy it in its full chaotic glory, and feeling like I can't wait to put on the next episode seeing what's in store for me.
The quality is impressive, the direction is flawless, and the voice actors are really selling it.
It's the show where the serious budding romance scenes overshadow the well executed rollercoaster ride action sequences. This is partially because of the stellar writing but definitely also, and I can't stress this enough, the voice acting displaying a chemistry that when trying to explain always feels a bit ethereal.
It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but you shouldn't miss out on finding out.
Are you watching subbed or dubbed? I keep searching for dubs I enjoy and I just cannot do it, but I am always willing to try again if someone says the dub is spectacular
I always watch subbed. There's a time and place for dubbed, and it's right there between my youth and nostalgia (So just DBZ and Shinzo, probably).
Even so, I've heard really good things about the Dandadan dub. It comes up frequently enough in discussions that I'm inclined to believe that they're at least good and probably great. The US VA for one of the main characters, Okarun, has read the series as well so he knows what he's in for and he's not just reading lines. And if it means anything to you, one of the antagonists early on is Rita Repulsa. So there's at least a lot of effort put into getting the right dub.
I'm watching the dub and i like it. It sounds like you just don't like English dub. So just watch sub. It's fine to have a preference.
Is it safe to assume you've seen the most popular examples of good dubs? Cowboy Bebop, Baccano, Steins;Gate, Stand Alone Complex?
I feel like I have tried and given a fair chance to Cowboy Bebop and Steins;Gate dubs. Which is sad because I would love to add Cowboy Bebop to the list of shows I can passively enjoy having on in the background while I am knitting or something.
Baccano is a weird case. I think it is the dub that I feel is the best-done. Unfortunately(?), I first watched the Baccano sub in my formative years and it immediately became and has remained one of my favorite pieces of media ever. I've watched it countless times and shown it to everyone I know. It's just a very special piece of media for me and so hearing the dubbed voice I can't stop thinking "that's not what that character's voice sounds like". No offense to the voice actors of the dub; the parts I saw were good! I'm just too married to the version of the show I watched when I was younger.
Never heard of stand alone complex, but I am adding it to my list to try!
I was a big fan of Dragonball Z as a kid, but had limited access to it. I decided to watch the rest of the series, because the little me that made a great Angelfire image gallery would be so disappointed to find out I had the means to do so, but decided not to.
Crunchyroll is having a disagreement with my Chromecast, so I can't currently turn off the captions. I'm pretty sure this is going to burn into my TV screen.
Still, I'm having a delightful time.
I have been following the Ranma 1/2 remake on Netflix, it's pretty faithful and similar in style and humor to the first anime and I don't really understand why they decided to do such a close remake, but it's been a fun watch so far.
Last weekend I watched all of Senpai wa Otokonoko in one day. It was a bad day and I needed cheering up, and I lucked out with it because it had a lot of things that tangentially helped me out.
If I were to summarize it as suscinctly as I possibly could, I think it's the queer anime that I've always wanted to see get made. I'm glad that the translators didn't decide to change the descriptor of the character in the title as trans or crossdresser, because neither of them would have really worked, especially because they spend most of the series trying to figure out their gender identity. In any case, the show doesn't entirely focus on that character; it's really about the trio of friends and their complex growing relationships. Not only do we have the titular otokonoko dealing with issues of gender, they have a male best friend who is coming to terms with his attraction to them and another friend who is dealing with emotional issues that relate to her feelings of abandonment from her parents.
The music and voice direction is top-notch, the visuals are cute and well animated, and it's just all together a great show that will make you feel good.