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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!
Fureru
Fourth work from the team that did Ano Hana, although it's not clear if this one is set in the same universe like the others.
Say what you want about Okada Mari's writing - she's definitely been responsible for a fair few train wrecks alongside the home runs - but she's in her element here for the first two acts of the film which deliver strongly on the awkward relationships and love triangles that she built her name on. There's a strong and consistent thematic focus on the patricular challenges of relationships and communication between men, which is an interesting and under-explored avenue to go down.
The third act is where it kind of fell apart for me, though. The tone of the film takes a sharp left turn and all of the tangled threads built up to that point are just quickly and conveniently resolved. I feel like it would have been a much stronger resolution had the characters had their same emotional development but then actually used it to sort out their problems via communication in the real world.
Oh, I didn't know that itʼs somehow related to Ano Hana. Itʼs interesting.
And, yeah, I totally agree with you about the third act.
As part of my “homework” given to me by my husband I just watched Jujutsu Kaisen Zero. God, I didn’t know that it was possible to make a Shonen battle anime movie so boring. Protag-kun has a completely nonsensical personality and his power-up moment literally comes from out of nowhere. You get the sense that he should have gotten there from training since they do show him going through some, but he does godlike things out of nowhere that completely break my understanding of how sorcery works in this world. I thought that abilities were supposed to be innate qualities determined by birth, yet he somehow manifests cursed speech.
Maybe the movie explains why protag-kun wasn’t in the first season (which I just finished), but I was so bored toward the end that I literally fell asleep two hours earlier than bedtime.
I mentioned in a past topic that I was only watching the series for the animation, but I feel that the action was actually slightly worse than the series has been. The quality of the individual frames - at least the ones that linger - seem to have gone way up, so they probably spent a lot of time to make it more “movie-worthy”, but I personally think it had the opposite effect.
Sadly, since I told my husband about the animation being the only reason why I watched the show, he told me that I have to watch season 2 as that is, in his words, the season where they really start to abuse and overwork the animators. Yay?
To the point it degraded the quality in some scenes later in the season, that they could only fix in the later Blu-ray release. It's genuinely stellar up to that point however.
It got so bad that multiple animators spoke up on social media about their horrendous treatment.
Supposedly it's better in the latest season but who knows.
Agree on the animation being the standout for this show. I feel like some of the underlying ideas in the story have promise, but it's often delivered in such a ham-fisted way that I just lose all emotional engagement as a viewer. The powerpoint presentation episode in season 3 in particular has to be seen to be believed...
This week bring to me only one ongoing, but the franchise isnʼt new, but I — and I guess, not only — waited a long time: Sousou no Frieren. Just for reminding, this season has only ten episodes. I really recommend to check the ending — itʼs good, and made by colour pencils (Iʼm not mistaken).
And Netflix realesed Prism Rondo with twenty episodes at once. But in reality it would be around twenty two by time spending, because two episodes [around sixth, and the last] are longer in two time. Sometimes I like the such way of realeased, but usually I donʼt. I wish I dropped it earlier, because it very clichéd, and not well delivered. It's fine made, but storytelling is very weak. But maybe itʼs just me: Iʼm not this kind auditory for this show.
For compare, I also watched Kobayashi-san Chi no Maidragon: Samishigariya no Ryuu which also not provide nothing new or special in storytelling meaning, but it was delivered very well. But for this you should watch previous serials in this franchises. In short, itʼs about Kanna.
And another movie Fureru. Itʼs about communication, friends with some supernatural thing. Again, nothing new, even a classic trick as «girls destroyed boys frienship» was used, but itʼs just a fine middle-tier movie which I liked too. Just in case, at the first minutes you may think that itʼs BL, heh. But it isnʼt.
Aw, I didn’t know Frieren would only have ten episodes. I wonder why.
I dunno, and I didnʼt read the source: a manga. Itʼs just a rumour, but I heard that the next arc could be converted into movie.
I have a strong aversion against this newest trend of prestige shows making two seasons and then going for the big bang movie. Don't get me wrong, I think Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc was beautifully made, but it just takes so damn long to create. Call me old fashioned for wanting slower burns, but I prefer more frequent episodic releases with tight focus more than I like half a decade wait periods for a two hour anime movie.
Part of me wanted the Demon Slayer to have been a smaller success than it has. It appears this is going to be the new way of making money for larger shows.
For now I donʼt have a strong opinion about it, but I understand your. If we speak about prefering, then Iʼm on your side, itʼs the same for me: detailed episodes > a long movie. One of my reasons: weekly community discussions.
Based on a recommendation from a friend, I binged To Your Eternity.
I could tell from the show's description that this was meant to tug at your heart strings. That turned me off a bit. I don't care too much for shows that are just made to make people cry. It feels cheap in a way. But it did hit my emotions during the second adventure of the first season. That's when it started to pull me in.
The second season really ramps up as the protagonist has grown a lot, but still has more to learn. I really enjoyed the journey and new characters this brought. The ending was really good and felt like a turning point.
I was really curious about the direction of the third season after I finished the second. I caught up to where the show is now. I really appreciate when stories can move into a modern and future time. It feels easy to put stories in a more primitive time when it comes to supernatural elements. It seems harder to mix modern technology with fantastical elements. So I really appreciate where the story is now. The protagonist is facing some harsh realities that they didn't have to before. I'm curious on the decision they will make and how that will shape the future.
I totally understand where you’re coming from, but this is one of my favorite currently running shows and I feel the opposite to you. The current “modern day” arc feels watered down compared to the more fantastical past. And when our dear immortal protagonist learns how to be a messiah figure it jumps the shark with way too many characters.
Still I love the amount of interesting plot twists that it still manages, and there’s something endearing about a story that fulfills on a grand promise. The show is one I don’t care for the weekly format so I’m waiting for more episodes before I pick it up again.
I can see why you feel that way. At this point, conflicts are more nuanced and require a different approach. It's not as blunt as in the last season. I really appreciate that growth though. A never ending slug fest would be boring to me.
The messiah thing was introduced in season 2. Also hinted that he would replace the Black One who showed similar powers relating to that. So now it feels like the natural progression. But the show seems to be addressing that issue right now. Idk if you're caught up because that is in the last few episodes.
I was talking about the movie, specifically. The guy went from “some guy” to “some guy who has a sword and a nuclear bomb” to someone who can improvise a deus ex machina.If season 2 becomes more subtle it might be a good thing. But as things are I’m kind of annoyed that all of the character development seems to be one step away from being entirely off screen.Why didn’t anyone tell me I was responding to the wrong comment? This comment was about Jujitsu Kaisen here….
Ohhh the movie comment had me confused! I was hesitant to ask, so i just let it go haha
One of the other things I love about this show is that alongside the drama, it has this really offbeat sense of humour. Bon in seasons 2 and 3 is one of my favourite Koyasu Takehito roles in recent memory. He's so frequently typecast as a flat villain, but they've given him plenty of room to deliver both comedic and dramatic performances here. Hirotoshi in season 3 is great too.
Nearly done with Mob Psycho 100 manga. While I previously said it was very similar thematically to One Punch Man, and it certainly started that way, it very quickly grows into its own thing, and in my opinion has a lot more "heart"! (Btw I love OPM, but it's mostly silly fun anime trope parodies, Mob Psycho has like morals and such alongside the jokes).
I am sad that I have Vol 1-15, but Vol 16 (the last one) doesn't release in English until May, ack!
Also, while it's not going up in the louvre, I think ONE gets unfairly criticized for his artwork. Especially as the series goes on, he pens some legitimately detailed and creative art, and has a great sense of motion and framing.
I loved Mob Psycho 100. My wife and I have come to the same opinion that it's a more refined and nuanced approach to the more blunt forced concepts the creator did in One Punch Man.
For the anime, I've started telling people if they're upset with the recent output of the OPM anime, just go watch Mob Psycho and you'll get a better experience for a similar concept.