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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!
Picked up Tenmaku no Jaadugar this season and loved it. Everything from the setting to the design work is a breath of fresh air in a time when the medium is dominated by shows leaning on well-worn tropes.
The supervising director is prolific Kyoto Animation alumni Yamada Naoko who also directed Heike Monogatari, which is probably the closest thing in visuals and feel to this show.
I watched High School of the Dead over the last few days. It's famous as one of the animes with the most egregious fan service in it, and I was curious about just how egregious it was after seeing a gif on the /r/MenDrawingWomen subreddit.
I tell you what, I was not expecting such a well written show! The plot was compelling, the characters deep and nuanced, and - for me at least - the egregious fan service was one of the least notable bits of the show. The only issue is, this only lasted about half of the first (and only) season. The quality drops off a cliff on the latter half, with the characters seeming almost like caricatures of themselves, uninteresting story, and huge plot jumps - I think skipping parts of the manga - that left me confused as to what on earth was going on.
It's such a shame, because the early writing was so good. Even with gratuitous fan service, the characters felt empowered, with strongly written women who actually pass the Bechdel test. It was just so surprising seeing that disappear in the second half.
Edit: Oh, and the best thing about the show? It has an unreasonably good opening theme that slaps way harder than it has any right to! https://youtu.be/8_Lim5nmkXQ
I just couldn't with the bullet boobs scene. When it first came out I was willing to ignore the fan service for a kinda interesting zombie story, but I just couldn't when the bullet scene happened. My interest stopped on a dime and I never looked back. I rewatched it while writing this post, its worse than I remembered.
I agree with you though, the initial premise was nice. The characters were kinda interesting and zombies were the "in" thing. Unfortunately the creator passed away due to medical issues, so we aren't going to get a finished story in the Manga front either.
It was so ridiculous I just found it kind of funny, it didn't really colour the enjoyment of the show for me
High School of the Dead is such a guilty pleasure series for me. Admittedly, I was in high school when it came out, so all of the dumb immature parts of it landed a critical hit on me. The manga never completed and the author has since passed away, so there was zero reason to make a second season or movie, but there is an arc in the manga where they end up in a mall, and I think it is the high point of the series and would recommend trying to read it if you liked the anime.
I think an important part of the series is that the group dynamic is actually just good. There is action scenes that are whole party affairs, but if you divide the line up into any smaller faction, they still have an interesting dynamic. There are both high and low powered team line ups, and the series just hits that balance of having tense horror movie scenarios and slaughter house wish fulfillment.
I've been rereading Slam Dunk slowly with a friend which has been really enjoyable. We'll probably finish in the next few months and then move on to something else.
I recently caught up on the latest Berserk chapters and my feelings are mixed. I'm sure that Kouji Mori is treating this faithfully, and he was clear that he is only publishing based on what he was told about by Miura before he passed away. I just can't help but feel like Kentaro Miura would have handled all of this in a better (if incredibly slowly released) way. The art for the chapters released after his passing has been good, but it lacks a bit of the flair that Miura had.
I'm glad to see an ending instead of having Berserk end on what would have been the most intense of cliffhangers due to implications, but the ending of Berserk will forever be a "what if" as Berserk was not only my introduction to manga as a medium but also my favorite manga and the one I've reread the most over the years.
My slow watch through of Armored Trooper Votoms hit a snag ages ago when the source I was watching didn't have the next episodes, and it's honestly been laziness and other interests/life happenings that have kept from continuing with it even though I've already found a source for that missing episode. I do plan to finish it eventually and will probably pick it back up and start watching an episode a week again at some point.
I binged Nippon Sangoku over the weekend. Pretty good. Two things I noticed right off the bat: they really have no modern tech left? Like no vehicles or even electricity? I get that the the story is supposed to be like Sengoku era Japan, but set not long after our modern times, but that seems unusual. OK, people in the show wear business suits. That's it?
The other thing is: why is there such a focus on the masses being dumb sheep? I know this can happen anywhere, at any time, but it almost seems like a critique of Japanese society or something, given how often the show shows it. Seems more than just a storytelling device.
Since it's an adaptation of a manga/webtoon, I feel like the show is missing a lot and moves very quickly. Like there's barely any focus on the supposed main characters who will change the world and re-unify Japan. Feels like the entire show is a recap. May need to give the manga a read.
Thought the art was great! I think the characters are drawn beautifully. Plus with the visual flourishes, It's like "watching" a manga. Also, the music selection was solid. And overall, story -- since it was very political -- was interesting and intriguing. I'd watch a second season.
Other than that, still slowly getting through Classroom of the Elite. Only 9 episodes in, even though I started it about 6 weeks ago. Did not expect a show about high schoolers to be so fan service-y.
For what it's worth, the manga does explain why everything is low tech. Your mileage may vary as to whether it's a good explanation :P
They say "war is development in reverse". Seeing the gap between some African countries that are still under conflicts nowadays compared to just other developing countries and I can buy it.
Reading Witch Hat Atelier manga and really enjoying it! I really like that it's cute and hopeful, while still having some intrigue and dramatic story beats. Just wrapped up Vol 6, looking forward to catching up to all the available volumes