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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!
I realize this is the most basic answer possible, but as it's now on netflix I'm back to Evangelion. It's kind of funny, it's a lot more rushed than I remember. Still, it's a classic for a reason, and I'm enjoying it immensely.
It does seem wrong not to be watching it with realmedia artifacts, though.
Just be aware that the ending doesn't make any sense to any first time viewer. Read the explanations on the internet afterwards and it becomes a lot more satisfying. That, and watch the remade ending because in the original endings the studio ran out of money to the point where some of the animations are literal story board sketches where animation is supposed to be (although they did do a good job of making it look intentional in an artistic way).
I'd just like to throw in that I think it's a much better experience to enjoy the ending as it is and leave it at that. If you want Eva to be this abstract thing you have to unravel rather than something that's spelled out for you, that's the way to go.
Not trying to push anyone in another direction, just expressing that there's opposing views out there.
The TV ending made total sense to me the first time I watched as a kid. It has psychological consistence with the rest of the series. The End of Evangelion is an hermetic mess.
That's interesting, if anything I'd say it doesn't really know what to do with its middle episodes when it kinda settles into being a normalish (if high quality) mecha show for a while. What makes you say it's rushed?
Or do you mean in terms of production rather than pacing? Because that was certainly true, though imo it was often to the show's benefit.
Oh, I did indeed mean pacing, and I was when I wrote the comment thinking essentially of the first episode. As time wears on we get pretty used to Shinji's angst, but both their arrival at the giant robot hanger and his immediate freakout about having to pilot it comes essentially out of nowhere. Which is not to say that his reaction is ridiculous, in fact I think it makes perfect sense. They simply proceed on the scene as though it were an argument and reaction he had been having for hours, as opposed to something that had just happened that very second.
Now that I'm further along, that brevity can be quite charming. I like how Misato goes from stating that they need all of Japan's power to having it in maybe thirty seconds of screen time.
I suppose I just wished they had taken a little more time with the character development up front, especially in how they spend a whole episode of Shinji wandering around a bit later on.
I do recognize that these things are hard to fit into a thirty minute episode, of course.
Oh snap that's next on the list... Crossing my 90s must-watches off slowly but surely.
It's F. Compo time
My new favorite manga & webnovel atm has been Instant Death, and the Novel Updates for the webnovel. It has OP protagonist and a interesting story. Really looking forward to seeing where it goes.
On the Anime side, I just finished up Date a Live and I liked it enough. Still don't like harems, and the dating sim parts were terrible. But overall it was decent eough.
Also decided to watch Armor Shop for Ladies & Gentlemen for no real reason, just wanted something way different. And it was short enough to bother with, but honestly don't. The story was terrible and not very funny, plus they essentially didn't have an animation budget so half the episodes were stills or RPGMaker pixel art.
Finally decided to also watch a Chinese Animation, I would love to watch more of them but have trouble tracking them down. But yesterday binged Chu Feng: B.E.E and it looked like it would be good. But was way too short and felt like they just ran out of money halfway so they just stopped. Seems to be a running style with Chinese Animation that I've watched thus far.
Found a webmanga called Mousou Telepathy. Kinda basic but it's interesting.
This is pretty class except for one arc that gets dragged on for a bit too much and resolved exactly how it should've 3 or so chapters into it. It's quality teen fluff.
I picked up Jojo's Bizarre Adventure since it's streaming on Netflix.
My take - style over substance, but in the best way. The story is ok. The characters are ok for the most part, but I liked Zeppeli the most. Dio is a proper monster of a villain as well.
Overall, I think I like Hunter x Hunter better, but it's still a quality anime.
Season 2 was what really hooked me on Jojo's, the protagonists get way more interesting. Season three cemented Jojo's with having some of the best finale's in the business.
Just made it to season 2 last night. I like the time skipping concept. It really gives me a Castlevania vibe!
HxH is amazing. But the wait is figuratively killing me.
As for what I am reading atm:
*Solo leveling
*Rising of the shield hero
*And mostly keeping up with some long running series.
I have only read it recently. Then re-read it during each hiatus.
The wait is still painful.
The first season of Jojo is amazing. I loved the period atmosphere.
I've been rewatching High School of the Dead knowing what I'm looking for from the show and have been loving it, I originally watched it wanting something like season 1 of the walking dead but taking it as more of a B movie approach has found me enjoying it far more.
I've started reading Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute only seven chapters out so far but it has been very entertaining, it twists the isekai OP MC formula and twists it just enough to squeeze a few laughs out of me a chapter.
Also finally catching up Jojo's latest season just before it finishes and I'm so happy I left it to binge, absolutely amazing as expected. I think I'll finally seek out the manga.
I started watching Attack on Titan. Wow, I’m hooked.
Aggretsuko Season 2 came out recently on Netflix so I decided to binge the entire thing.
I have mixed feelings on this season and overall feel like it's incredibly similar, yet vastly inferior to the first season. My problems with S2 are as follows:
On the plus side, Tadano is my favourite character. He is infinitely more interesting than Resasuke was and it actually leads to some meaningful interaction between him and Retsuko. Tadano also embodies the perfect man: wealthy, calm, nice, easy-going, a business leader and fun. The only 'flaw' with him that made him become a foil to Retsuko's ambitions was that he didn't want to marry or have kids.