I personally don't love most anime I've been recommended. Admittedly, shonen anime is pretty predictable and boring to watch to me, and I've only mostly been recommended anime in that genre since it's the most popular. There are some exceptions of course, but nothing has grabbed me too hard. I'm not super into the exaggerated reaction shots and repeating everything that's happening on screen like I can't already see it happening. Announcing your feelings and actions is so tiring.

Really looking for something that makes me laugh or feel something.

I've been getting bored of current TV offerings and I'm trying to boost my Japanese learning so I'm wondering if there's anything out there for me. I do try to watch at least a couple of episodes every time I get something suggested, nothing really clicked for me. Even the ones I do like, I feel like I had to force myself to sit through sometimes.

Some anime I do enjoy:

• Cyberpunk: Edgerunners - Even though I really dislike super over the top things, there's something about the relatively simple story and heart in this one. I really loved it and it's probably my favorite so far.
• most Studio Ghibli things - I mean, who doesn't, right?
• Your Name and Suzume - both kinda in the same vein of interesting stories and something different that is hard to pull off in conventional live-action, and beautifully drawn to boot
• Ju Jutsu Kaisen season 1 - I enjoyed it, will probably watch season 2, but waiting for it to finish
• Persona 5 The Animation - Honestly mostly because I liked the game, the anime was not as great tbh.

Things I've seen and are already on the list and will probably(?) continue -

• FMA:B (1 episode)
• Cowboy Bebop (1 episode)
• Undead Murder Farce
• Chainsaw Man season 1 (this one's a bit iffy imo, I really can't stand the main character's fascination with boobs, the action is good though and the story is actually kinda interesting)

Things I've seen and won't continue/didn't particularly enjoy -
(17 episodes of) Death Note, One Punch Man season 1, Demon Hunter season 1

Edit: Western shows/movies I enjoyed:
Background shows I'll put on:
Community
Brooklyn Nine Nine

Shows that made me feel things:
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul
The Last of Us
Mr. Robot

Not shows but things I enjoy:
Spider-verse movies
Everything Everywhere All at Once (my favorite movie of all time)
The Planet of the Apes trilogy remakes
Lord of the Rings

I only realized tonight that the second movie from the final season came out a couple weeks ago, and just got done watching it about 20 minutes ago. I didn't find any discussion about it on Tildes, so what's the verdict?

I'm an anime-only pleb. For those who have read the manga, was the final movie disappointing or satisfying? How faithful was the adaptation overall? Did they have to leave out a bunch of stuff to wrap the whole thing up with these last two movies?

For anime-onlies like myself, how'd you feel about how it all concluded?

I didn't foresee exactly how things would end, which is a plus, but I guess it ultimately felt sufficient rather than satisfying. It couldn't have been easy for the original author to come up with a good ending for something that became such a runaway hit in the first place, but I wonder if this was the ending he had in mind from the start... somehow I doubt it. I fully expected more of the final squad to die, honestly. I also don't feel like I got enough resolution from Mikasa. She feels like a big missed opportunity throughout the series, actually. As a character it seemed like she got rather two-dimensional after cutting her hair, and considering how her arc ends, her inner monologue would have been one of the most interesting threads to follow throughout the series but it pretty much just got some footnotes here and there.

I've only thought about series, but here are the top five that are seared into my mind.

#5 Katanagatari

Having been pretty skeptical of watching this in the first place, I made it that far and did not see this coming at all. I was totally dumbstruck. I'm thankful that I didn't see this when it originally aired, because there was no way I would have been able to wait a month for the next episode.

#4 Mononoke

The exorcism sequences.

I would link the first scene, but the only high-quality sources I can find are on YouTube, and their video compression simply cannot do it justice. If you are interested in this show at all (and you definitely should be, it's truly a work of art!), don't try to find out too much, just go in blind.

This just blew me away when I first saw it. I still think of this anime as the benchmark for art direction, and any of those scenes could probably qualify as the best-looking clip I've seen in the animated visual medium, period.

#3 Shigurui: Death Frenzy

Irako Seigen vs. Iwamoto Kogan fight

Even without knowing how the details of this scene fit into the wider context of this near-masterpiece of a show, this video speaks for itself.

#2 Aku no Hana

The classroom scene.

This show is SO good at building tension, and this scene was almost as cathartic a release for me as it was the characters. At the end of this episode, I was just stunned. Lovely cinematography as well.

#1 Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig

The Tachikoma are one of the best examples of character development I've seen in anime, if not the best. By the time this played out, I couldn't believe those silly little spider tank robots managed to make me shed a tear..

So, what are yours, and why? Please tag spoilers as necessary!

Alternative title(s) Horimiya: Piece
Genres Romance
No. Episodes 13
Information MyAnimeList AniList AniDB

Synopsis

It followed the relationship between Hori and Miyamura, two high school kids slowly forming a bond and falling in love - but only so much manga can be adapted and put into a thirteen-episode series. "Horimiya: The Missing Pieces" is here to fix that: It goes back to the beginning of the original series and fills in the pieces of the original manga that were left out in the first adaptation. From silly moments to quiet ones, this is a chance to reconnect with your favorite characters and see what happened between the scenes of the original.

^{(from IMDb)}

Discussion rules

BEWARE OF SPOILERS. Since all episode discussions are within a single thread, here are some rules to ensure revisits are safe from spoilers.

Special note:
Since this is a bonus series for the original run of Horimiya, assume there'd be a lot of spoiler for the original show (i.e. details about the original show won't be/ don't have to be hidden). Please watch the original first for the best experience.

Direct links to each mini-thread

Episode discussion (main)

| Ep1 | Ep2 | Ep3 | Ep4 | Ep5 | Ep6 | Ep7 | Ep8

General discussion (extra)
| General chat || Main series, Source material,

^{P/S: See here for more ongoing show discussion threads this season.}

Alternative title(s) Dekineko, The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today
Genres Comedy, Supernatural
No. Episodes 13
Information MyAnimeList AniList AniDB

Synopsis

When Saku took in a stray black cat, she never expected that he would become the equivalent of a housekeeping life partner. But Yukichi, a giant cat who towers over Saku, is not your ordinary feline. He takes great pride in his culinary skills, and a good sale at the supermarket always gets his whiskers twitching. Saku may not have her act together yet, but at least she has Yukichi!

^{(from MyAnimeList)}

Discussion rules

BEWARE OF SPOILERS. Since all episode discussions are within a single thread, here are some rules to ensure revisits are safe from spoilers.

Direct links to each mini-thread

Episode discussion (main)

| Ep1 | Ep2 | Ep3 | Ep4 | Ep5 | Ep6 | Ep7 )

General discussion (extra)
| General chat || Source material,

^{P/S: See here for more ongoing show discussion threads this season.}

Alternative title(s) The Gene of AI
Genres Drama, Psychological, Sci-Fi
No. Episodes 12
Information MyAnimeList AniList AniDB

Synopsis

This science fiction omnibus depicting a doctor who "treats" robot and humanoid problems takes place in the near future, when humanoids with artificial intelligence account for 10% of the population. The main character, Dr. Sudo Hikaru, also has the undercover name Moggadeet, under which he secretly takes on illegal medical procedures. For example, for a man who inadvertently infected his humanoid wife with a computer virus when illegally backing up her data, Sudo proposes an operation to rewrite her memory using backup data. Could an existence replaced by backup data truly be said to be the same as it was before?

^{(from MyAnimeList)}

Discussion rules

BEWARE OF SPOILERS. Since all episode discussions are within a single thread, here are some rules to ensure revisits are safe from spoilers.

Direct links to each mini-thread

Episode discussion (main)

| Ep1 | Ep2 | Ep3 | Ep4 | Ep5 | Ep6 | Ep7 )

General discussion (extra)
| General chat || Source material,

^{P/S: See here for more ongoing show discussion threads this season.}

Alternative title(s) Undead Murder Farce, Andeddo Garu Mada Farusu
Genre(s) Fantasy, Mystery, Supernatural
No. Episodes 13
Information MyAnimeList AniList AniDB

Synopsis

The end of the 19th century—a vampire's wife is murdered, and the detective known as the "cage user" is called in to solve the crime. But there's more to the detective and the curtained birdcage he carries...after all, when solving a case involving a monster, it might just take one to know one!

^{(from MyAnimeList)}

Discussion rules

BEWARE OF SPOILERS. Since all episode discussions are within a single thread, here are some rules to help ensure revisits are safe from spoilers.

Direct links to each mini-thread

Episode discussion (main)

| Ep1 | Ep2 | Ep3 | Ep4 | Ep5 | Ep6 | Ep7 )

General discussion (extra)
| General chat || Source material,

^{P/S: See here for more ongoing show discussion threads this season.}

Alternative title(s) Sorcery Fight, JJK
Genres Action, Drama, Supernatural
No. Episodes 23
Information MyAnimeList AniList AniDB

Synopsis

The second season of Jujutsu Kaisen.

The past comes to light when second-year students Satoru Gojou and Suguru Getou are tasked with escorting young Riko Amanai to Master Tengen. But when a non-sorcerer user tries to kill them, their mission to protect the Star Plasma Vessel threatens to turn them into bitter enemies and cement their destinies—one as the world’s strongest sorcerer, and the other its most twisted curse user!

^{(from AniList)}

Discussion rules

BEWARE OF SPOILERS. Since all episode discussions are within a single thread, here are some rules to ensure revisits are safe from spoilers.

Direct links to each mini-thread

Episode discussion (main)

| Ep1 | Ep2 | Ep3 | Ep4 | Ep5 )

General discussion (extra)
| General chat || Season 1, Source material,

^{P/S: See here for more ongoing show discussion threads this season.}

Alternative title(s): My Star
Genres: Drama, Supernatural
No. Episodes: 11
Series Description: (source from MyAnimeList)

Stream Link(s): Hidive, Disney, Ani-one Asia, Bilibili, Akiba Pass TV, ADN

Discussion Rules: Manga readers are welcome! Since Season 1 only covered till chapter 40, please hide any spoilers from chapter 41 onward by following the "Expandable sections" part of the formatting guide.

_{Fluff: I noticed that a few people in the recurring thread have been watching Oshi no Ko. Seems like a discussion thread is just what the doctor ordered!}

One Piece is known for extreme foreshadowing and grandiose world building, which allows for some interesting fan theories. So, let's see what you've got :)

I'll start.

I've always suspected that Imu was from the Void Century or earlier, due to them having history or knowledge of the giant straw hat frozen in impel down, and with the recent chapter it's looking moreso indicated.

My thoughts about how and why he became immortal, are because of the Op Op fruit, but the reasoning I think is because it was necessary to beat Joy Boy the first time around.

Joy Boy, or at least Luffy's manifestation of it, seems to sap vitality whenever it's used. My suspicion is that the Op Op fruit is necessary in order to achieve a full form Joy Boy, or else Joy Boy will just die of old age. So, Imu used it in order to steal that opportunity from Joy Boy in the past.

So, if I had to guess, Law will sacrifice himself for Luffy toward the end of the show to allow Luffy to permanently enter the Joy Boy state and bring eternal freedom to everyone!

That's all folks!

• Manga MAL

• Anime MAL

Today marks the release of the final chapter of Mashle: Magic and Muscles by Hajime Komoto. After three years, 162 chapters, and an official anime release, it's finally time to say farewell to our muscular, magicless, creampuff loving bowl cut.

Many of us have grown used to weekly updates on the world that seems like a farcical mix of One Punch Man / Harry Potter and will definitely feel its absence on Sundays.

I wanted to create this thread due to the popularity of the series (more than 5 million units in circulation!) and to spark more manga discussion in the community overall. This is the largest series to end in a long while, so it deserves a bit of a sendoff.

Topics/discussion points (feel free to address all or none):

• What did you think of the final chapter/arc?
• How do you feel about the series as a whole now that it has ended?
• Was Mashle successful in its storytelling goals?
• What are the strongest/weakest parts of the story and work as a whole in your opinion?

What are your thoughts on Naruto as a series? Anything specific you want to highlight (plots, characfers, themes, arcs...). Thoughts on manga, anime, movies, novel... all welcome.