Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

Found used copies of both of the Eden of the East movies at a local Half Price Books.
Been watching High Score Girl via Netflix, so far it's very fun & cute.

Makes me wish cute girls got interested in my playing of video games back in the day...

I just posted my review of Magic Knight Rayearth Season 2:

Watched the Eden of the East movies, they kinda leave you hanging on if the main characters ever become a couple.

Other than that, I watched the most recent (and last of that season) episode of Sword Art Online Alicization via on demand.
Looks like we will be waiting a while to find out what happens (I prefer the dubs).

Edit: went back to watching The Third.

Recently Purchased and completed watching Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. I really enjoyed this. I have to say, as prequels go, this is a rare example of a prequel done right. I was amazed at how much I enjoyed it, and the production value was top notch on the translation both for subtitles and dubbing. I was amazed at how much background could be given for so many characters. It often focused on Char and Sayla of course, but given there were six parts, at least an hour each, there was a lot of ground to cover. Admiral Dolzle was probably my favorite, as they made him into quite a sympathetic character.

I've been really wanting to revisit the original series again, but the classic animation style is something my son is not a fan of. I'm really hoping after this, he will give it a chance, because it really is a great series despite its age. I mean c'mon, what better way to celebrate the 40th anniversary

Finished The Third, it gets kinda serious near the end, but overall it was a fun show.
Kinda wonder what happens after the anime ends...

In the wake of Kyoto Animation's tragedy, I've halted everything else (and I do mean everything) I've been watching to focus on seeing and revisiting most or all of KyoAni's titles.

-The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (revisit): I watched this show in original broadcast order my first time, so this time I'm doing it chronologically, with both seasons together. I loved this show the first time I saw it, but so far I think the broadcast order may have played a big part in elevating the show. It's still good, but the manner in which KyoAni built up the mystery and eccentricity by shuffling the stories was an inspired move, and taking that away makes the show feel a little more ordinary in retrospect. Haruhi herself is also, quite frankly, a terrible person, and the first arc of the show highlights that in a way which makes it hard to like her or really understand what Kyon sees in her - which, again, was alleviated in the broadcast order by cutting up that first arc across the length of the season. Even this early on, though, it's not hard to see all the little tricks of editing and character animation which would become part of KyoAni's overall signature.

-Tamako Market (first watch): I feel like this show, directed by Naoko Yamada, gets overshadowed by her work on K-On! and more recent films like A Silent Voice, but this is a delightful show in its own right. The show is a bit abrupt in its introduction, but really it's all about making the audience at home with the market, enjoying slice-of-life routines and antics with Tamako while subtly building a story arc which culminates in a heartwarming message about what family is. Naturally, KyoAni's standard bar for design and animation detail are in full, colorful display here. I just purchased the show from Right Stuf's birthday sale, so I may be watching it again already very soon!

-K-On! The Movie (first watch): speaking of K-On!, this film really brings out the series at its best: following five adorably dorky highschool girls adventuring in another country (often with no idea what they're doing) while four of them also prepare a farewell tribute for their junior. It's totally sweet and silly, and even at its most awkward moments I felt totally relaxed. I hope we can see another pleasant feature like this from KyoAni someday; I need more of this goodness in my life.

-Tamako Love Story (first watch): following the Yamada trend, this film picks up about where Market left off, but with a big change in mood and intent as Tamako is faced with a personal challenge she's completely unprepared for. The film is still very colorful and sometimes silly, but it's also much more tender and contemplative, with a couple of artistic sequences that I think foreshadow the sensibilities displayed in A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird. It's a really sweet, relatable film, and I think Yamada is becoming one of my favorite film directors.

I've started up Free! and Miss Kobayahi's Dragon Maid next, and will probably revisit Lucky Star after I'm done with Haruhi. I've meant to see all of KyoAni's works for a few years now, but I hate that it took an incident like this to really drive me towards accomplishing it.

I have several of the KyoAni things, and have kept them because they were fun.
I was rather saddened by the loss of the director who did several of the things I own, including Full Metal Panic.
Hopefully we will get another season of that, since Invisible Victory kinda leaves you hanging.

I watched some Studio Ghibli movies while on "staycation".

Castle in the Sky
Castle of Cagliostro

Just released my review for Sailor Moon S:

currently watching and need to finish the Godeater anime.

Fumoffu is its own thing, and loosely ties into the other seasons.

So I would do first season, TSR, Fumoffu, and then Invisible Victory.
Just in case make sure to watch any bonus OVAs (especially the one featuring Tessa wandering around drunk).
Just in case the dub is excellent on all of those, Chris Patton, Luci Christian, and Hillary Haag.
To be fair due to a recent loss of voice actors they had to recast 2 characters in Invisible Victory.
The replacements do a fine job (they are kinda minor characters in that anyways).

Anyhow I tend to forget about this site when I am busy.

Bought & watched Grimgar, and thought it was good.

Watched My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Tenchi Muyo In Love (1st Tenchi Movie), Tenchi Muyo Daughter of Darkness (Mayuka is a hottie), and Straight Jacket (Crispin Freeman vs Steve Blum FTW).

Well, I'm firmly in the camp of thought that The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya loses something in chronological order. Yes, there are references between seasons that make a little more sense when one watches them all together, but the first season in particular had a very deliberate setup in its order, and without that, the overall story lacks the punch it had to its mystery, since the big reveal is over and done with in the very first arc. I also noticed that watching in chronological order really doesn't do Haruhi herself any favors; I've viewed her as the actual main antagonist of the show from the start, but watching the first arc all together really drives home how much of an awful pill she is. Granted, for the second season material that works out, if one considers it as a prelude to the events of the Disappearance film, but for the first season, it's very hard to figure out what Kyon could possibly see in her, if he sees anything at all. It's still a good show overall, which I don't think has aged too badly; but I definitely recommend making the effort to watch in broadcast order, instead of chronological/disc order.

I fell behind on the still-running Gegege no Kitaro, but the last several episodes have been very strong. Kitaro continues to present poignant social commentary and charming character moments, with lots of yokai battles in between.

...And, at last, I have started revisiting Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's been over 6 years since I first saw this show, beginning my official dive into the anime medium, so it's pretty exciting to revisit the show - and on an official platform this time.
I stand by that anyone who hates Shinji is either missing the point or just a lousy person themselves. Shinji may not be entirely likeable, but he's still sympathetic. NGE goes out of its way to establish that piloting an EVA is NOT a pleasant job to be envied, and that Shinji clearly has a troubled history already. With as much as people today continue to struggle with depression, I bet Shinji's example of strife and inner turmoil will prove more relevant than ever.
That's not to say this show is a total downer, though - seriously, there's some cool worldbuilding going on here, and the aesthetics of the EVAs, Angels, and Tokyo-3 feel like an Ultraman project maxed to 11. I'm enjoying noticing more details in Shiro Sagisu's soundtrack, and I'm feeling more confident right now that whatever Anno and Higuchi end up doing in Shin Ultraman, it'll be pretty cool for tokusatsu fans.

We finally finished the final disc to Nanbaka and what a crock of stinky ass "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!" that was. The second to last episode leaves off with the characters about the fight the main bad guy and then the next episode is some alternate universe bullshit story of the characters being in high school. It was the Ginyu Saga with Tree of Might all over again, only at least more existed past that, that was the end of Nanbaka at this point in time. It really soured my over enjoyment of the series and at this point I am going to say this show is NOT worth watching in its current form.

Watched Tenchi Forever (Tenchi Muyo In Love 2).
One thing we learn from these 3 movies is that Tenchi's granpa was a serious player with the ladies when he was young.

Edit: Still slowly going through High Score Girl on Netflix (up to episode eight), might try to finish it by Sunday.

Random anime game:

First up was World of Narue, which I had already started. Finished disc 1, still pretty fun.

Then I got Birdy The Mighty Decode: which is a good action show with bits of comedy. I went through disc 1.

Finally I got Full Metal Panic, which is one of my favorite shows, so I am now on disc 4 (almost done).

Will probably mix up the others again (including Tenchi Universe & Angelic Layer).

Finished Code Geass: Akito the Exiled. Set between seasons 1 and 2 of Lelouch of the Rebellion it's still got that darkness that marks the Code Geass universe, but does have a happier ending for its protagonists. And it has the usual excellent mech battles as well. I'm looking forward to more stories set in this world.

I'm still completely behind on shows recently or currently airing, besides Gegege no Kitaro, which is still going strong even as it enters its final extended arc - seriously, if any of you like yokai/monster-of-the-week tales with additional overarching plots and biting social commentary, you should be watching this show - but I have finally entered the last few episodes of Lupin the IIIrd Part 2, which I started about three years ago now! It's been a fun ride, and Hayao Miyazaki's presence in some of these later episodes has been extra delightful. I'm glad to be finally almost DONE, though - phew!

Tonight I finished my revisit of Neon Genesis Evangelion, which was an overall pleasure. It's a messy show, at times, but it's earnest and I admire all it sets out to do. The lack of "Fly Me to the Moon" in the Netflix credits felt weird, though.

I've fallen behind on my KyoAni shows again, but I did revisit Haruhi-chan and Churuya-san, which are pretty silly little side projects for the Haruhi franchise. They're not great, but it's interesting to see how KyoAni was experimenting with style in these shorts.
I did recently purchase Love, Chuunibyo and Other Delusions! during a Right Stuf sale, so that and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya will probably be my next revisits. Then I need to seek out Munto.

Oh, hey, did anyone catch Promare in theaters last month? It was all the adrenaline-pumping, self-aware awesome nonsense you'd expect from the Gurren Lagann/Kill la Kill team, except on the big screen this time! I was also pleased to see 2D and 3D animation meshed together quite well, and both Hiryuki Sawano and Superfly brought on some terrific music!



A fan also made a you can play around with, and I must admit, it can become addicting; check out the :

Finished World of Narue, it was cute and fun.
Though it does bring up an interesting point, can a spaceship make love to a human?

Tenchi Universe disc 1 was next in the random anime game, still very fun, and Kiyone is a great addition to the Tenchi harem.

Then I switched to Angelic Layer, and watched 2 discs.
Very fun, & very cute.
Kinda wonder if this idea will ever be reality.

I'm sad I missed the Promare screenings.

Finished Tenchi Universe recently, still a fun show.

Did some spooky anime recently.

Hellsing (both versions), the original is decent (and treats Seras better), Ultimate is REALLY bloody and still kinda lacks a solid ending.
Rosario+Vampire: disc 1, lots of cute monster girls with plenty of fanservice. Big deal it deviates from the manga in season 2, it's still fun.

Edit: finished both seasons of Rosario+Vampire, still very fun!

Odd, I thought I posted here. I watched the new Blu-Ray of Boogiepop Phantom for Halloween.

I watched the Tenchi Muyo Mihoshi Special & the Pretty Sammy OVA.
Kinda surprised that Funimation (or somebody else) hasn't rescued them (that I know of).
Another couple things that need rescued are Dual, Magical Project S (Pretty Sammy TV), and of course Kamichu.

Speaking of license rescues, when is someone going to rescue Silent Mobius, RahXephon, Bubblegum Crissi 2040, and Tekkaman Blade and release them on BD?