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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!
My ongoings were not changed. Only one notice: after three watched episodes Decadence suprised me and does not remind Kuutei Dragons. Now itʼs close to light version of serial Black Mirror.
I watched a movie Genji Monogatari (1987) — strange ending, hard to understand but it was esthetical like theater: good music and erotical but not like echhi.
After seeing it mentioned somewhere I decided to read Hourou Musuko. I finished it a few days ago and it's so far the best manga I've ever read. It's full of negative emotions, feelings and worries, but also of good things. The characters are well done and feel realistic, there are lots of them but they all take part of important parts of the story. I watched the anime adaptation expecting it to be as good but I was disappointed, it skips the whole first half of the story and only shows it through some vague memories here and there, and it also ends before the actual end of the story.
I watched the anime sometime late last year. I was quite impressed by the character writing, which is typically a blatant weakness when children are involved. It gave me pause to reflect on my own childhood in ways that I never have, and consider how many of my classmates' experiences I totally overlooked. I have a couple gripes here and there (e.g. those kids went through more drama in one year of middle school than I've had in my entire life... but I guess that's the point, it's middle school), but as someone that habitually needs reminders to cultivate empathy, it was well worth the watch.
It's worth the watch, yes, just a heads up that it's not the full story and that the manga goes much much deeper. Sorry for the very late reply.
Record of Lodoss War, TV series. Part of the reason I dropped it the first time was that I couldn't get used to the new voice actors, changed from the OVA, and also didn't like the focus shift to new characters. Now I'm watching with a fresh perspective and I like it quite a bit. The pacing is good so far with things moving forward at a decent clip, and spending just enough time with each character to get to know them.
I'm not very far into it so hopefully this keeps up. I'm trying to check my expectations since there is a moderate amount of criticism about the TV series.
I watched the OVA and gave it a solid 6, thought it was decent but didn't have enough time to develop everything it wanted. So will be interested to hear when you finish it if you think the tv show is good enough for me to watch at some point.
Another week wrapped up, and thus far I'm liking what I'm seeing for the most part. I am learning something, that my opinions and scores of shows I watched years ago definitely don't match what I would give it now. Teen Romantic Comedy just isn't remotely as amazing as I remember it being from that original 2 seasons years ago when I watched it back in high school. And I kinda wish this season didn't exist, because if it didn't I could keep pretending that I wasn't remembering the original through rose-tinted glasses. I'm loving Amagami SS, it is a style of show I haven't seen in a rather long time. And Cat Planet Cuties is just batshit crazy and might be the oddest show I've watched all year, actually oddest show I've watched in multiple years. Next week I'm also going to be starting another 20+ episode show, so making more long term plans that I'm gonna make myself stick with.
2020 Summer Week 3
Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! Ep 3
Ah yes, typical idiot couple episode. The side characters are really what make this show great, not the main characters for me. The silly antics the side characters get into trying to get some reaction from the main characters is absolutely amazing.
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax! Ep 3
This week’s episode just didn’t do anything for me, I just don’t feel like it made any progress with anything. I wanted to see more of the little sister if that is what they started with and keep going with it. But instead they went with this fake prom, which is essentially just letting people imagine an alternate ending with Yui winning. I guess it isn’t terrible, but they don’t really have much time left to keep finishing up plots and buildings characters endings to have what is essentially a filler episode.
2010 Summer Week 3
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan Ep 2
This feels like a solid set-up episode. Setting up the world and potential enemies who will show up over the course of the show, and also some goals to achieve. The main thing I didn’t like is how fast and almost uneventful his transformation was. I thought him transforming would be this major event given how it hasn’t happened in years, but instead it just kinda happens quickly without any thought or buildup. Also, I don’t think I’m going to enjoy the eventual conflict between the two main girls. It just has the makings of a super generic conflict that I know won’t go anywhere.
I’m going to make a possibly and probably wrong prediction. Kana will have no clue about Rikuo’s true identity for maybe another 2 episodes. Then in typical fashion she will end up being abducted in some plot to bring down Rikuo and the Nura clan. So Rikuo will try and save her without transforming, but eventually have to in order to defeat the minor bad guy and save Kana. Thus, learning all about Rikuo’s true identity and the Nura clan and Yokai. Following this we will get an episode or two of relaxing with some silly events occurring between Kana and Tsurara trying to get Rikuo’s attention, who will of course be oblivious to this all happening. Don’t know how close this will be but given the genre I feel like I can’t be too far off.
Amagami SS Ep 2
I just love when romance shows progress quickly, and also the main character is willing to just confess. Let’s you quickly skip by the normally pretty boring and long second guessing about how or if to confess bit and get right into the actual story. And heck, we even got a kiss already which is faster than most shows. Overall, I can tell that this is a dating-sim Visual Novel adaption with the various girls that you could possibly date popping up occasionally. They also throw in some of the obvious spots you can tell would have an important route choice. I’m liking it thus far, that is really all this comes down to and I think I will continue to like it.
Cat Planet Cuties Ep 2
What is this show? What am I watching right? How does any of this make any sense? Where are all these people getting all these guns? I have so many questions about how silly and stupid and nonsensical this show is. I don’t understand where this show is going or what will happen with it. If this was a more realistic and sensible show I would also be asking things like; why would you make enemies of an unknown alien force, how does this human group how power suits, and how is this kid so just comfortable with all this shit going down.
But in all, this is just a crazy non-sensical show that I feel I can’t even start to try and understand. I’m never going to get my answers I want so I should just go with the flow. I guess the only thing I can hope to get an answer for is which girl will win.
The Tatami Galaxy Specials Ep 2
Yeah, I don’t have a clue what this episode was supposed to be about or mean at all. I’m super confused and questioning what happened in it. But hey it had some fun wacky hijinks.
I started watching Brand New Animal, the intro is quite good (which is something since I think most anime intros are terrible) and the aesthetics are great.
After finishing Avatar:the Last Airbender and couple seasons of Legend of Korra, I started on One Piece.
Unfortunately I feel disappointed. Animation quality is not great, too many fillers, and in general the 'alive' feeling from Avatar or One Punch Man just isn't there.
I am not a regular anime watcher, so it might just be me, but looking at sheer nukber of episodes, not sure if I'll continue at this point.
Finished BNA. It is very much a Trigger show, complete with completely unnecessary over the top ending, but it was certainly a ride. Beastars is probably still the better animal characters allegory for prejudice anime that happens to be on Netflix, but I don't feel like I wasted my time.
Today I started watching Dorohedoro. Today I also finished watching Dorohedoro. I binged through it, which is pretty unusual for me.
I probably don't need to say that I liked it. It was trippy, silly, gruesome. Pretty much no-one in this show is a good person - possibly Nikaido and some of the side characters - but they still manage to be likable, even somewhat relatable. Also, Noi is very much goals.
Content warning: it is extremely gruesome, with gratuitous bodily mutilation in pretty much every single episode. Even if body horror doesn't bother you, one of the characters gets enslaved and mind-fucked via devil magic shenanigans near the end of season 1 (also known as the only season so far). It gets undone, but it's still there.
That said, it's also very very very silly. At one point, one of the sorcerers tries to get revenge for the death of his partner, but ends up joining a baseball game against his reanimated remains and a giant mutated cockroach. At another point, an amazon in a gimp mask gropes the fake breasts of a girl in a skull mask. It's ridiculous, and I hope it'll keep going like this.