What are you watching/or completed? (Anime)

[Dr Kain]

I am now halfway through DBZ. Only 146 episodes to go.

[EricDent]

Looks like I forgot to mention watching Fate/Kaleid Prisma Illya Liner (or whatever that's called).
Short, but has decent action, some cute girls, and a decent dub.

Now watching Fate/Stay Night (with dub), it's also full of action, has a good dub, and of course cute girls (especially Sakura).

Found Hand Maid May (all 3 volumes) at a local Half Price Books for $3 each volume (under $10 for all 3).
Looked it up on Amazon, and the first volume is going for $35 used...
They had a bunch of random singles and various OVAs for that price ($3) in the clearance section.

[Dr Kain]

Still DBZ. Just watched Gohan kick the asses to the Cell Jrs.

[alienhulk2099]

I just finished Outlaw Star. Unfortunately most of the stuff I have complained about remained throughout the series and the second ending theme was nowhere near as good as the first. In addition to this the villains are horribly under developed aside from the MacDougall brothers (and even then there is not much to them). The only real improvements are the somewhat reduced money talks in the last third and that a few episodes had actual plot development in them. Gotta love how Suzuka did so friggin little after her first appearance, made me wonder why the hell they bothered having her since anything she did could have been done by Aisha. Then there are poor physics (no you can't shoot a gun in space nor can you make sounds in space and you SURE AS HELL CAN'T SURVIVE A GRENADE UNDERWATER!). Might as well just talk about stuff I liked since there was not much of it: The first of the two unaired episodes since it had cool looking alien crustaceans (the second one was just unnecessary fanservice garbage that had some nice background information on the caster gun which for some reason they barely went much into in other episodes), a few episodes in the second third were entertaining, the cast slowly got more tolerable, and the last three episodes were decent. Usually when I find an anime that is quite lackluster but at least has some entertainment value in it (IE Great Teacher Onizuka, Vividred Operation, Aika: R-16, Bodacious Space Pirates, Patlabor: The New Files/Movie 2, Cardcaptor Sakura, Goldran, Arjuna, etc) I give it a decent rating. This has a similar level, but what tips this series over the edge into legitimately bad territory (IE TV Rayearth, X the Movie, Mai-Otome, TV Patlabor/Movie 1, Aika Zero, Girls und Panzer, Dai Shogun, Uta Kata, Devil Hunter Yohko, etc)? The animation. It tries too hard to be over the top when it should not/is really unnecessary and most shots showing more than just a character's head and shoulders tend to have low quality to them. This was not designed by an independent studio or some someone with a bad track record or even just one studio, two high profile studios constructed this series so yes, I am setting it to some standard, ESPECIALLY when I know they have made high quality anime before and after Outlaw Star. Even Toei, the masters of stock footage, put more effort in their monster of the week kid shows than this!

Eventually I will take on the Angel Links spinoff series and this rant reminds me I should get around to seeing that Girls und Panzer OVA that was released earlier this year.

[The Shadow]

Ummm... you can fire a gun in outer space, if you couldn't then rockets would not work in outer space either. The reason why is because the gun powder (or a rocket fuel mixture) contains an oxidizer (oxygen containing component) to supply the reaction -- be it propelling a bullet or a rocket.

Showing sounds in outer space scenes is pretty common for science-fiction, sure it's not accurate but it is a case of artistic license. If one is going to be a stickler for accuracy we'd have to hit the mute button for every outer space scene. Starfighters locked in dogfights, the Enterprise squaring off against Klingon battle cruisers, the Death Star exploding, etc. are going to a lot less interesting to watch, but that's the trade-off.

[alienhulk2099]

There's having sounds in space for artistic reasons and there is insulting nonsense like talking billboards.

[The Shadow]

True, talking billboards in outer space can exemplify silliness, but many anime series have instances of humor even of the silly kind.

I haven't watched Outlaw Star since it ran on Toonami Midnight Run years ago; are the crew of the Outlaw Star are aboard ship during the scenes with talking billboards? Perhaps the billboards are connecting to the ship's communication systems to deliver the audio component of their ads; the same could apply if crew members are suited up for extra-vehicular activities. If the local authority controls the placement and selling of such advertisements, an ads' audio could be broadcast on a channel that ships are required to keep open when landing or taking off from a planet. Of course, giving the billboards audio that the viewer can listen to, could simply just be a case of world building and there's nothing else to it.

Sure, for us the viewers it can appear fairly silly for an orbital billboard to have audio when none should apparently exist. But it can be perfectly feasible within the fictional world even if it is never expressly stated how we can hear the audio.

Of course, none of this means you need to find talking billboards in outer space anything but silly. That's fine by me; a lot of things can add up to someone not liking a given anime or manga.

[EricDent]

My stuff came on Sunday (apparently the USPS delivers packages on Sunday now).
Didn't know about it until really early Monday morning.
So I went to grab it at the apartment office.

The box was about 2' long, a foot wide, and a foot tall.
Will post links to the pictures later.
Odd thing is they didn't include any post-it type notes like they usually do.

BTW to the person talking about Outlaw Star, have you ever checked out the show set in the same universe...Angel Links?

Sure Outlaw Star is kinda odd, but reminder this was made back in the '90s.
Most anime from that period was a bit on the strange side.

[alienhulk2099]

[EricDent]

Well I have seen quite a few from that era:

Slayers (includes the movies/OVAs)
Cowboy Bebop
Trigun
Tenchi Muyo (most of it was made back in the '90s)
El Hazard
801 TTS Airbats
Adventures of the Mini-Goddess
Ah My Goddess
Agent AiKa
Cat Girl Nuku Nuku (all 3 versions)
Black Jack
Burn Up
Dai-Guard
Dual
Di Gi Charat (original TV series)
Gatchaman OVA
Ghost in the Shell movie
Irresponsible Captain Tylor
Jubei-Chan The Ninja Girl
Lost Universe
Macross 2
Macross Plus
Magical Project S (Pretty Sammy TV)
Master Keaton
Metal Fighter Miku
New Dominion Tank Police
Ninja Scroll (Uncut version)
Orphan (first season/series was in 1998)
Outlaw Star
Perfect Blue
Princess Nine
Ruin Explorers
Super Atragon
Ushio & Tora
Wild Arms TV

That's just stuff I own, probably have forgotten several other shows that I have rented/seen.
So I do know what I'm talking about when it comes to odd anime.

To be fair it has been a while since I last watched Outlaw Star.
I do remember thinking that the "Galactic Layline" thing was really lame.
Also felt kinda bad for Jim, since he met that cute girl, but then had to fight her (without knowing it was her).
Of course I was rather amused by Aisha Clan Clan.
BTW did you know her dub voice later did X-Men (Rogue)?
She's some sort of senator in Nova Scotia now.

[EricDent]

So after finishing disc 2 of Fate/Stay Night, I decided to try Hand Maid May.
It's pretty darn fun!

Cute mini robot maid, cute neighbor girl, main guy seems to care, and rival is pretty funny.
Dub features Lia Sergant, Michelle Ruff, & Wendee Lee.
Along with the main guy who sounds like Makoto off of El Hazard.
The rival is very obviously the same guy who did Jinai on that show.

Plenty of fanservice (only watched 2 episodes) mostly underwear, but hints of boobs as well.

[Dai]

Just watched Short Peace, an anthology movie of short anime. Overall, I would have preferred to rent it rather than buy. It's an impressive visual showcase that features a variety of art styles, but some of the directors struggle to tell an interesting or complete story in short-form. Possessions is by far the most compelling of the four main stories, thanks to a main character who reacts to a stock haunted house setup in an unexpected and ultimately heart-warming way. Combustible has a striking art style and presents an interesting look at how fires were fought in a city full of wooden houses, but its narrative abruptly stops with a bang that feels like an awkward and misplaced whimper. Gambo can't seem to decide if it's just setting up its climactic fight or trying to say something more, and ends up not saying anything. It also features a needlessly horrific scene that feels completely out sync with the tone of the rest of the anthology. A Farewell to Weapons suffers from placing its actions scenes before explaining their context, and consequently feels like a hollow parade of SF weaponry. Again, it makes a desperate attempt to be profound at the end, but only manages a trite and cliched 'war is pointless and self-perpetuating'. Even the brief opening sequence falls foul of this problem: visually impressive, apparently attempting to convey some deeper meaning, but incapable of figuring out what it wants to say or how to convey it. And that's the general feeling the movie left for me.

[Dr Kain]

Only 27 episodes left to DBZ.

[klen7]

I read the first volume of the "Assassination Classroom" manga... Should make an entertaining series in 2015

[Destroysall]

So I was watching Wolf Girl Black Prince and Agame Ga Kill this season. Both were pretty good. Agame Ga Kill was amazing!!!! Seriously, next to Attack on Titan, this was a show I've been wanting to see for a long time!! I loved every minute of it. The ending was good too!! Sad to see it end, but I'm happy with it. Wolf Girl Black Prince, nothing really new here, but I had fun watching it. I kinda like silly romantic comedies such as this, so it didn't bother me.

[Dr Kain]

As you can see, I finished DBZ today. In fact, I watched the Vegeta special and Battle of Gods before I watched the final three episodes to the series.

In the long run, it is a great series, but it does have its ups and downs. I also have to say that I am not a fan of the ending. It is a good ending as it fits with Goku's character, but the way it is written makes Goku look like a total "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!". Also, there are a few continuity problems with the special and movie. First off, in the special, they talk about how Mr Satan is a big hero for defeating Boo, but Boo was erased from everyone's memories by the Dragon Balls, so how does that work? I did like that the villains Abo and Cabo are not some big bad ultimate power dudes. Finally, I never noticed this before in Battle of Gods, but it just doesn't work. They say Bulma is 38, but by my calculation, she has to be 44 or 45 (which also makes Mai having to be 46 or 47). Also, the movie has to take place 5 years after Boo was defeated, putting Goten at 12 and Trunks at 13, but neither of them look older than when they were 7 and 8. Not only that, but Mr Satan acts like he never knew Dende was Kami. Lastly, I want to say that my god, the new voices they got for Master Roshi, Gyumao, and Mr Satan suck compared to their old voices. They don't even sound like they are trying to sound like the characters they are portraying.

[EricDent]

Is there something weird going on with this site?
It looks really odd right now on my phone.

Anyhow I bought Spice & Wolf recently.
I also am still watching Hand Maid May.

[EricDent]

I guess it was just a glitch, since right after I posted that message the look of the board went back to normal.
It looked like all the pages were white with very plain looking boxes.

Finished Hand Maid May, it was pretty fun.

Also watched the Hellboy Animated movies (pretty well done).
Liked that they used the actors from the movie for the voices.

Then watched Battle Angel & Burn Up.
Pretty good stuff (they were a tad short).
Might see if I can find the rest of the Burn Up series (there's like 5 different shows)

Up to the 2nd disc of Eden's Bowy.
So far it's very odd, but has decent action & cute girls.
The story is interesting (but a bit random).
This one was dubbed at Monster Island studios which used to be open in Austin.

[EricDent]

Here's a list of what Monster Island did (just in case):

3D Magical Play (OAV) : Recording Studio
801 T.T.S. Airbats (OAV) : Recording Studio
(The) Adventures of Kotetsu (OAV) : Recording Studio
Birth (OAV) : Dubbing
Black Lion (OAV) : Recording Facility
City Hunter: The Motion Picture (special) : Recording Studio
Cosplay Complex (OAV) : Recording Facility
Dai-Guard (TV) : ADR Recording
Debutante Detective Corps (OAV) : Recording Studio
Devil Lady (TV) : Recording Facility
Eden's Bowy (TV) : Recording Studio
Final Fantasy: Unlimited (TV) : Recording Facility
Getbackers (TV) : Dubbing
Getter Robo: Armageddon (OAV) : Recording Facility
Happy Lesson (TV) : Recording Studio
Iczelion (OAV) : Recording Studio
Jing: King of Bandits (TV) : Recording Facility
Legend of Crystania: The Chaos Ring (OAV) : ADR Recording
Lost Universe (TV) : ADR Recording
Magical Play (ONA) : Recording Facility
MAPS (OAV 1994) : Recording Studio
MazinKaiser (OAV) : ADR Production
My Dear Marie (OAV) : Recording Studio
Nadia - The Secret of Blue Water (TV) : Recording Studio
Nadia - The Secret of Blue Water: The Motion Picture : Recording Facility
New Fist of the North Star (OAV) : ADR Recording
Petite Princess Yucie (TV) : ADR Production
Princess Blade (live-action movie 2001) : Recording Facility
Queen Emeraldas (OAV) : Recording Facility
Rail of the Star - A True Story of Children (movie) : Recording Studio
Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection (OAV) : Recording Studio
Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture : Recording Studio
Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal (OAV) : ADR Recording
Sakura Diaries (OAV) : ADR Production
Sakura Wars (OAV) : ADR Recording
Sakura Wars (TV) : ADR Production
Sakura Wars 2 (OAV) : ADR Production
Shuten Doji-The Star Hand Kid (OAV) : Recording Studio
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (OAV) : ADR Production
Soul Hunter (TV) : ADR Production
Steam Detectives (TV) : Recording Facility
Tekken: The Motion Picture (OAV) : Recording Facility
Variable Geo (OAV) : Recording
Wedding Peach (TV) : Recording Studio
Wedding Peach DX (OAV) : Recording Studio
Zaion: I Wish You Were Here (ONA) : Recording Facility
Zone of the Enders (TV) : Recording Studio
Zone of the Enders: Idolo (OAV) : ADR Recording

[MekaGojira3k]

I started re-watching the first Tenchi Muyo series. I have the dub and subs, but I'm watching the dub for nostalgia reasons.

[EricDent]

I own everything with Tenchi on DVD or Blu-Ray.
Includes all the OVAs, Tenchi Universe, Tenchi in Tokyo, all 3 Tenchi movies, the Mihoshi/Pretty Sammy special, Magical Project S (Pretty Sammy TV), Tenchi Muyo GXP, War on Geminar, and Sasami Magical Girls Club.
Also have almost all the other shows that are similar to Tenchi that were made by the same team.
Such as Dual Paralel Trouble Adventure, and all of El Hazard.

The only ones I am missing are that new "tourist attracting" Tenchi show (which is currently airing), and the adult show Spaceship Agga Rutger (IIRC).

[alienhulk2099]

I recently started taking on The Skull Man because a few months back I gave the tokusatsu prologue a watch and am currently at episode 8. With stock music, constant distractions with the main plot, slow pacing, lackluster characters aside from the titular vigilante, forced philosophy that is mediocrity in execution, and little action, I can safely say this is one of the most boring anime of all time and given the amount of trash I've seen over the years that is saying a lot. Yes, lets have a story about a cult controlling a city, people that become mutants through pharmaceutical experiments, and a masked serial killer but instead of concentrating on those aspects people actually want to see lets instead focus mostly on two boring reporters with lots of slice of life moments because we can't have the audience be interested! Shotaro Ishinomori's name is attached to this, I don't know what the manga that was based off this was like, but my gut tells me they screwed up bad.

[The Shadow]

From what I've read, Skull Man was originally a one shot story by Shotaro Ishinomori (it grew out of development for Kamen Rider, but also influenced the show's development).

I've seen the Skull Man anime series and liked it overall, as I recall there are a couple episodes that seem to wander a bit from the main story which doesn't help with the apparent slowness. Things pick up over the last few episodes with the story, and it there are multiple connections to Ishinomori's Cyborg 009 (one of his most popular works). Now that I think about it, you may want to check into Cyborg 009 to illuminate some of those connections, or at least ask once you've finished watching Skull Man -- I don't want to risk spoiling anything just yet with specifics.

Right now, I'll just say that there is a reason the story follows the reporters rather than the Skull Man himself, but you'll need to finish the last few episodes to find out why.

[alienhulk2099]

Feel free to spoil, I have no interest in Cyborg 009 for the time being.

[Dr Kain]

Skullman is an awful awful anime. I stopped watching it after 4 episodes.

The Skullman manga was a one shot manga that Ishinomori did, but the publisher felt it was way too dark and mature, especially since Toei wanted to turn it into a TV show, so Ishinomori went back to the drawing board and created Kamen Rider out of it.