What are you watching/or completed? (Anime)

[sentaison]

For those interested, the Cyborg 009 VS Devilman OVA is now on Netflix. I'm a fan of the Cyborg 009 franchise, though I'm not as up on Devilman. It was a pretty decent story, with great action.

[klen7]

^interesting!

I've started Terraformers. It seems like they have diverged from the manga right off the bat, but it looks like the live action Miike film will align more with the manga

[Dr Kain]

I've been watching Gundam Wing for the first time since 2010. So far, it hasn't held up well now that I have seen Zeta, ZZ, and 00.

[Hybrid Gojira]

I started watching Samurai Champloo. Two episodes in and I'm enjoying it so far. I understand the dub is pretty good, so I'm actually watching that as opposed to the subbed version (which is my usual preference for anime).

By the way, having watched Gundam 00 awhile back, my only complaint was the constant animation recycling they did during combat. It was pretty distracting seeing the same clip on repeat. The show itself is petty good.

[DannyBeane]

I'm about 6 episodes into Gurren Lagann and so far I really like it. The mech designs are awesome and I'm enjoying the characters so far.

[Hybrid Gojira]

[EricDent]

Black Butler season 2 (since I have seen season 1 before): was interesting, and can't wait for more.

Baka & Test season 1 was a rewatch, since I recently bought it. Again it makes school look more fun than it should.

I also watched the CGI Captain Harlock movie recently, that was nice looking, and had some good action.

[klen7]

There was some absolutely gorgeous CG mixed in with Harlock. Not necessarily the whole film, but there were aspects that were better than what you'd see in a summer blockbuster

[Rody]

I finished a couple of shows the other day. Myriad Colors Phantom World was nice, but nothing to write home about. Osomatsu-san was... Something else. I gotta admit, that was one of the craziest shows I've seen. If any of you guys want crude, off-the-wall humor, check it out.
I also finished the Squid Girl series; I had watched the first season a while back, but now I've seen season 2 and the OVD's. It's a pretty good show, good for cute, goofy comedy.

Speaking of comedy, I started Monthly Girl's Nozaki-kun this weekend. It's hilarious. I can tell I'll be sad when I finish its mere twelve episodes.

I haven't started any shows from this season yet, but Kiznaiver, Space Patrol Luluco, and My Hero Academia are on my "to watch" list.
I've also been encouraged to start GATE, so I very well may soon.

[lhb412]

[Dr Kain]

Finished Gundam Wing. Sadly, it went from being my favorite to somewhere around the 10th spot.

Also watched the first episode to the new Sailor Moon Crystal season. It was an improvement over the last arc and the animation is better. Unfortunately, the new opening song sucks.

Oh, and we watched some more One Piece.

EDIT: Anime is just as popular as the Kaiju genre, if not more so. As such, here is a list of my top 10 favorite anime series thus far.

[EricDent]

Baka & Test OVA, 2 episodes about the usual cultural festival (a thing they really should do in US schools IMO).

I'm not sure if it mentioned getting the new Ghost in the Shell movie based on the Arise series.

[EricDent]

Finished Season 2 of Baka & Test, a fun show.
As I have said before a lot of school based anime make it look like a ton of fun to go to these schools.

When in reality it's not fun at all, they had a special report about schools in China (probably pretty similar in Japan).
Basically the kid was at school or studying from about 5 AM to 2 AM, and that's 6 days a week...

I also watched Ghost in the Shell The New Movie, it was awesome.
Loads of action, intrigue, and as usual The Major kicks butt.

[klen7]

Just caught the first episode of the second season of Terraformars... its like a different show. The horror elements have almost been entirely replaced with comedy elements. The color palette got a bit brighter as well. I'd say it was a different show altogether but it picks up right where everything left on in Season 1.

[EricDent]

Yu-Gi-Oh the Movie, which I bought at a clearance sale for HPB (it was $2) it was pretty good.
I don't remember if I had seen it before, but I kinda doubt it.

[Dr Kain]

We watched the first 8 episodes to Turn A today. So far they have been pretty enjoyable, but it seems like this was never meant to be a Gundam show. Was that the case? Or did Tomino make it to be a Gundam show from the start? It just seems so different and in a good way, as it does deviate from the norm. The animation is really nice and the soundtrack kicks all kinds of all. Not sure how I feel about the design of the Gundam though, not to mention the fact that they keep calling him the machine with the mustache. Nevertheless I'm looking forward to see more of where this show is going, at least as long as Harry does NOT wear anything outside of his uniform ever again.

[O.Supreme]

I've been trying to make my way through Turn A. Its not that I don't like it, I just keep getting distracted by other things and forgetting to get back to it. It almost has a "Castle in the Sky" feel, although being a Gundam series. I played the game Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden (Ps1) 16years ago (which first introduced me to Turn A), and I still haven't watched the whole series yet. I think I'm somewhere in the 15-18 episode range. I'm going to try to make an effort to pick it back up again this weekend.

[Dr Kain]

We just watched 9-16 of Turn A. The show is still enjoyable, but there are a lot of things that are getting confusing. It seems like there are things happening between episodes that we are supposed to just know happened. For example, Kihel and Soliel switch identities. In the next episode, you see one of them back at Soliel's ship and the other is at the Heim home. What you don't know is that they never switched back until the following episode, so Kihel is actually running the Moonrace while Soliel is traveling around with Loran. Also, Soliel doesn't even seem to be shocked that Loran is the Gundam's pilot even though she was told it was a girl named Laura. Then she runs into some dude who looks like someone she used to love, but it turns out he is the grandson. How is that even possible? Do they age slowly when living on the moon? It's never explained or anything.

Anyway, the confusion aside and the fact that episode 16 was a friggin clip show, it has been enjoyable. It isn't anywhere near being the greatest Gundam series, but so far, it is definitely a great one. Way better than Wing G, and 0083.

[Rody]

I'm three-fourths of the way through Clannad: After Story now, and... Okay, Clannad, you got me. Episode 18 made me tear up a bit.

I'm 3 episodes into Space Patrol Luluco - nothing remarkable so far, but certainly amusingly over-the-top.
I'm 2 episodes into Kiznaiver - it has yet to reach the meat of the story, but the setup and introductions were pretty interesting. All the cast members seem to be a slight twist on stereotypical anime characters. I'm looking forward to seeing where this show goes.
I'm 2 episodes into My Hero Academia - I'm definitely liking this so far. Our main character has gotten a nice setup, the world-building is neat, the action is good, and there's already been a funny plot twist. I think this one's going to be great.
Twin Star Excorcists, on the other hand, may end up being underwhelming. 2 episodes in, and it's entertaining, but not remarkable yet. I like the color palette and the demon world art style, though.
First episode of Flying Witch was delightful - subtle, sweet slice-of-life with a show-stopping gag at the end. I think this one's also going to be great.
Finally, I watched the first episode of Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto! - which was weird, but very funny. It almost reminded me of Nichijou, it was that absurd.

...So, I'm watching a lot more shows than I expected. This is the most I've watched of a new season so far.

[Dr Kain]

Turn A 17-20 - So uh... stuff happens. I'm totally lost as nothing is making sense to me. Kihel makes this speech about reopening negotiations to Earth for peace, but then the next two episodes are just the normal Moonrace fighting the Militia. Huh? Oh, and now there are hippie Moonrace people fighting. WHAT?! Oh, and they just happen to have unearthed a perfect good conditioned Ramba Ral ship (okay, I know it's not the exact same ship, but it's the same type) and it has some sort of molding material that conveniently fixes machinery. I am so damn confused.

[O.Supreme]

Not to get to spoilery...but you are going to see more stuff from other Gundam universes as the "Dark History" slowly unfolds.

[Dr Kain]

[Dr Kain]

We just finished Turn A and overall, it was an enjoyable series, but far from being anywhere near the best of the Gundam franchise.

Positives:

+ The characters, especially Loran, Dianna, and Kihel.
+ Yoko Kanno's soundtrack was fantastic as always and there were a lot of moments where the music really moved the scene. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough variety after a while.
+ A new and interesting take on the Gundam mythos by setting it in a really unique world.
+ Lots of character development.
+ The Dark History and the scene when it is finally revealed in episode 43 is just full of fangasmic awesomesauce!!
+ Great animation despite there being flat moments.
+ Clever use of showing people in space for the very first time.
+ Turn X is like a giant set of funnels that form a mobile suit.

Negatives:

- Lackluster villains who are all pretty much just adult children. None of them are even remotely badass or cool.
- Most of the shows battles are due to poor communication over anything else.
- Too much character development. Yeah, as great as it is to develop the characters, there is just way too much of it because the plot suffers and the politics go by with a lot of information missing due to it happening off screen.
- Too much filler. This show should have been about 10-15 episodes shorter.
- The pacing is all over the place. Sometimes its great, other times it leaves a lot to be desired and the viewer is confused.
- Major character deaths that just happen and you may miss them if you blink.

As I said, overall it is a enjoyable show and one I will look forward to revisiting once it is released on Blu-Ray, but not the masterpiece I had hoped it would be. It started off strong by introducing us to a unique setting and situation and then it kind of fizzled out into things just happening for the sake of happening as if a fourth grader were retelling a story via, "And then this happened. And then that happened. And then..." Thankfully, the second half of the show takes off and the reveal of the Dark History is awesome. Sadly, the lack of any strong villainous characters really hurts it as there is no one that can be viewed upon as a serious threat and as such, makes it feel like there is little payoff. Oh, and there are moonrace hippies. WTF?! In the end, I give Turn A a 7/10. It is a more middle of the road series as far as the story is concerned, but its characters and setting are what makes it great.

[Hybrid Gojira]

God Eater - I'm 3 eps in and it's pretty neat...the monsters are nifty so far.

[O.Supreme]

Kain ^ Glad you like Turn A overall. Although I am not quite done (still like 10 epidoes left) I knew about most of the plot from playing various games etc... The only Gundam series I have to watch after this is Reconguista G , and Iron-Blooded Orphans (I wanted to watch this in "real time" as episodes were subbed within days of Japanese broadcast, but it fell by the wayside). Also I am excited for the release of Gundam Evolve (tomorrow!) Can't wait to see some new takes on various different Gundam series in short story form.