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+--- Thread: Anime Thread - 2012 (/showthread.php?tid=6387)
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 1st January 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - Great Rumbler - 2nd January 2012
I've been rewatching Hidamari Sketch.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 5th January 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 7th January 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - Great Rumbler - 7th January 2012
Bodacious Space Pirates [Moretsu Pirates] - Episode 1
The name conjures up images of something utterly abysmal and depressing, which is unfortunate because that's not what the show is like at all. Rather than drawing on the current trends in anime [moe slice of life and fan service escalation], it actually draws more from anime during the 90's [On ANN it was likened to Martian Successor Nadesico, which I think is a good comparison especially considering they share the same director]. The story is that a teenage girl suddenly finds out that her father was a [legal] space pirate and that's he's recently died, leaving the girl as the sole inheritor of his pirate ship. Overall, it's a fine productions, with decent animation [even if nothing really happens], detailed backgrounds, and an art style that doesn't try to do too much. Nothing much happens in the first episode, just setup for the rest of the series. The next few episodes should give a good idea of where the show's going, but for now it looks to promise lots of lighthearted space adventure that won't make you feel depressed for having watched it.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 9th January 2012
Kill Me Baby 1 - This is about on par with the quality, and content, of the manga.
That is, it's pretty mediocre. In either manga or anime, this is a pretty bland series. Sure, once in a while something is funny -- for instance in this episode the ninja girl, most notably, is pretty amusing -- but overall, it's nothing special to say the least.
Given that the manga is pretty much the same though, I guess it about meets with my expectations. I'll probably watch a bit more of this at least, I guess.
Tantei Opera Milky Holmes II 1 - Milky Holmes is back! It was nice to see that it got a second season, and it's off to a decently good start. First though, this is very much a sequel -- DEFINITELY watch the first season first, this picks up right where the last one left off and doesn't explain anything about what happened last season.
Anyway, in this episode, the girls of Milky Holmes have forgotten all about their detective selves and have instead become farmers, growing vegetables in a plot of land near the school. They're also going to stores to get food leftovers, doing odd jobs, etc, to try to raise money. Henriette/Arsene is, of course, quite unhappy about this, and her and her minions try repeatedly to force Milky Holmes to become detectives again, to little avail.
Meanwhile, the four police girls are promoting an upcoming detective festival. The main one's not too thrilled about this, or her silly costume. :)
Finally the villain's underlings hit upon a plan that sort of works, which sets off a battle between them and Milky Holmes. The imagery here, with the girls as dark shadowy figures terrifying the three villain guys, was good stuff.
In the end... well, they may or may not be on the path towards being detectives again. We'll see next episode, this plotline isn't over yet. Overall this was a solid episode, with some decently funny humor and silliness. As entertaining as them as farmers was though, I hope they remember their true selves soon though, they are supposed to be detectives after all.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 9th January 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - Great Rumbler - 10th January 2012
Quote:that's not how those things work!
That's not how those things work in a far-flung future society on a completely different planet?
And, if anything, the town actually looked vaguely European.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 16th January 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - Great Rumbler - 16th January 2012
Aria the Natural
I'm watching this again because I got the DVD sets for Christmas, but I could probably watch it a dozen times and not get tired of it. What Aria does really, really well is to immerse the view in a wonderfully realized and idealized world. No other anime I can think of does this so well. And that soundtrack [those acoustic guitars = love], easily one of the best. I like the second the season the most because it had a lot of episodes that dealt with the more supernatural side of the world [especially with Cait Sith].
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 20th January 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - Great Rumbler - 20th January 2012
Redline
There's really not much to say here. Redline is an absolutely fantastic thrill-ride of high-octane racing and mind-blowing, hand-drawn animation. A spectacle not to be missed.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 22nd January 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 23rd January 2012
Maria Holic 5-6 -- Overall, not quite as good as the first four episodes.
Specifically, ep. 6 was better than ep. 5; 5 is the weakest episode so far, I thought. That whole segment through the first half of the show was overdone and never very funny, and while the second half was better, it didn't make up for the weak first part.
As for ep. 6, I do think that the show is overusing the "nosebleed" jokes... I've never been a fan of nosebleed stuff to begin with, but seriously, it's a bit overdone. Sure, the fact that here there are actually consequences -- she ends up in the clinic after major nosebleeds -- is kind of amusing, but still, I just think it's a kind of stupid thing. The episode was mostly funny anyway though.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 29th January 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 30th January 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - Great Rumbler - 30th January 2012
I love Patlabor 2: The Movie.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 30th January 2012
What's good about it? Apparently it got good reviews too, but I don't understand why at all, as I say in my review...
Anime Thread - 2012 - Great Rumbler - 30th January 2012
It's a visually-impressive, deliberately-paced political thriller whose implications and themes are still relevant today. Great soundtrack, as well.
And I happen to think Tsuge is very interesting "villain". His goal wasn't to kill anyone or to take over Japan, but rather to "bring the war home" because he felt like the people in Japan had no comprehension of what things were like on the battlefield even though that fighting was what allowed them to live as they did. Exposing the incompetence of the country's military and political leaders was also probably part of his plan.
But I think what really sells me on it is this scene:
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I've watched the movie at least 4 or 5 times, by the way.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 31st January 2012
Kill Me Baby 3-4 - One good episode, one bad one.
Ep. 3 - I found this the worst episode so far. It just wasn't very funny at all beginning to end. I actually almost dropped the series, after this...
Ep. 4 - This episode, on the other hand, made me glad that I hadn't stopped watching -- I found this the most amusing episode of the series so far. Sure, this show is INCREDIBLY stupid, but it can be amusingly so some of the time, and this episode often was that. Also, the ninja girl continues to be the best character in the show so far. She can be pretty amusing when the completely trolls the two lead characters. :)
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 2nd February 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 10th February 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - Great Rumbler - 10th February 2012
Bodacious Space Pirates is one of the best big-budget anime series in several years.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 10th February 2012
Yeah, it's really pretty outstanding. It's so, so much better than I was expecting... realistic looks at space combat in anime are not exactly common to say the least, but here it is, and done fantastically. Show of the year so far for sure!
Anime Thread - 2012 - Great Rumbler - 13th February 2012
Moretsu Pirates episode 6
Haha, beach episode averted!
After moving at a slow pace for the first five episodes, episode six really starts out fast! I loved that whole sequence in the first few minutes, lots of great locations that only got a few seconds of screentime! And Marika's training, great set of scenes there too. Overall, best episode so far.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 16th February 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 22nd February 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 22nd February 2012
Bodacious Space Pirates 7 - Have I said how great this show is?
Yes?
Well, Bodacious Space Pirates is an outstanding series, so it deserves the praise. In this episode, it is revealed that Marika's gradesa re suffering. Hopefully she can turn things around at school, I can understand why her focus isn't on schoolwork but she's right to consider it important. But despite intentions to study (after going back to that kind of stupid maid cafe she works at of course), Marika gets dragged off onto another bout of pirating.
Just like in ep. 6, the pirating is mostly farcical, as the victims cheer the arrival of the pirates, are reimbursed by the company later, and as usual no injuries occur on either side. Pirates apparently are an entertainment act for bored space liner guests, some of the time, at least. And sure, why not, it's as good a use for them as any, with the war over. But as the episode hints at, and as has been shown earlier in the show, there is a serious side to this too. It seems that next episode will bring the more serious side back, with this stowaway. (On that note, the preview spoils who the stowaway is. That was kind of stupid, they should have left it a secret...)
Oh, there's also a bit in this episode with Chiaki and Marika's friend at the cafe having a conversation. Good scene. The episode as a whole was great fun as always. Stuff like Marika having to wend her way through the clutter-filled halls of the Bentenmaru's amusing too. :) Overall, I want the next episode, now!
High School DxD 7 - Too bad, MC, no clothes-stripping-acid-spewing slime for a pet for you... and you'll have to wait another month for another chance at a pet, too. Should have tried for a more attainable one I guess... healer girl got a nice pet, though. Overall, good episode as always. The MC is such a dedicated pervert, normally such characters in anime don't act that way in front of girls, but he has no qualms. :)
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 24th February 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 28th February 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 7th March 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - Great Rumbler - 7th March 2012
Miami Guns was a fun show, until it got to the end and it tried to get all serious.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 8th March 2012
Apart from that one episode it's definitely pretty good so far... as for it getting serious though, yeah, that does sound bad. The manga ending was on the weak side for sure, but with how different so much of the anime is, I don't expect it to end the same way... though it doesn't sound like I should expect it to be good either. Oh well, at least it's good along the way.
Majikoi 10 - So I decided to finally get around to watching the last few episodes of this show, but watching this reminded me exactly of why I'd stopped -- this show is a pretty bad action/drama. It can be a funny and entertaining harem comedy series, but once it goes to action or drama, it just starts falling apart. This was true from episode one, which was all-action and not very good, and is still true here. This episode is bad.
Unfortunately, the people making this don't seem to realize how big of a disparity there is, so there's a LOT of action/drama stuff in this series, which means a lot of subpar episodes like this one. And that really is too bad; more of this show should be like episode six, less like episode ten.
As for the plot of this episode, here the girls (and the MC) face off against the main two villain girls. The lead girl is fighting the strong villain girl, while teh MC and the other four try to beat the other girl, Saki. Unfortunately, the four of them are utterly incompetent as usual, and get destroyed in notime. The MC tries to help out, semi-successfully, but in the end only outside intervention saves the whole group from getting blown away. Why are the four of them so incompetent? Aren't they supposed to be at least somewhat strong? They can beat weak enemies, but against anyone good they fold. It's kind of stupid.
This episode also has a subplot, where we learn some of the backstory of the two villains here. It's a generic tale of betrayal and the revenge they want on those who they feel betrayed them. These parts aren't particularly well shot, so the point is kind of muddled, but it sort of comes across. It's nothing particularly interesting, though, like most of this episode.
In the end, the MC is knocked out, somehow. I didn't notice him ever actually get hit, only threatened, but he's unconcious at the end and the girls are all worried about him, so I guess he was hurt or something. Yeah, these action episodes leave a lot to be desired in clarity and competence for sure. The scene that finishes off the episode, of the lead girl's breakdown of sorts, isn't any better either.
I may finish this show (probably will), but I really hope the last two episodes aren't as disappointing as this one.
B Gata H Kei 1-3 - I've read the whole manga series, and enjoyed it, so I decided to check out the anime adaptation. It doesn't cover all of the material from the manga, and there unfortunately isn't a second season, but so far at least, what is here is quite solid. The characters and situations are a lot like the manga, but animated. This series is not quite as good as, say, Seitokai Yakuindomo, but it is decently funny at times, and the cast and concept are entertaining.
My main criticism would be that despite the somewhat over-the-top basic concept, about how Yamada wants 100 sex partners in high school, it ends up being more generic than you'd expect. Yamada has big thoughts, but is much shyer in person; this is okay, and keeps things going much longer than they otherwise would, but the show has bigger problems. One would be that the series has some unnecessary harem elements as well (and she's not the one with the harem). Also, it's yet another "super attractive girl with random loser" show, except from the girl's perspective here. It does manage to make some of the stereotypes funny -- like, how Miyano (his childhood friend) clearly likes the male lead but neither he nor his sister realize it -- but still... it'd have been better without the harem, really. And also, Yamada's reason for wanting him as a partner and not other guys is vaguely plausible, but it sure is a convenient way to have yet another generic, bland male lead be paired with a beauty, that's for sure -- and that's an overdone anime trope if there's ever been one. The series keeps going back and forth between following these anime conventions and playing with them, and I wish the series had less of the former. The series is funny, yes, but I do have issues with some elements of the concept.
Despite these issues, however, it is funny enough within the episodes to be worth watching, even if conceptually I wish they'd been a bit more original. It's too bad the anime doesn't finish the manga material. These three were mostly amusing stuff.
I've also been watching the R-15 BDs. I don't usually do this for shows I've watched before, but eh... I am this time. It's still a good show, except uncensored now. I've watched eps 1-4 so far. I'm sure I'll continue, I am enjoying it enough to keep rewatching.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 8th March 2012
Bodacious Space Pirates 9 - This is the best anime in the last two years for sure. Not since Sora no Woto have I loved an anime this much... Space Pirates really is an anime take on Star Trek-style sci-fi television, and I loved shows like Star Trek, and like this too. It's just such a great show all around... sure, I could complain about some minor things, and have before, but overall they don't hurt it too much. They do affect it a little, but not a lot. Overall this is a fantastic series. Anime (that isn't made by ABe) doesn't get a lot better than this, really.
As for the episode... just watch it, it was great as always! It's got spaceships, school antics, a return of the Yacht Club, intrigue, Chiaki, and more, and it's all really good.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 11th March 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 12th March 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 15th March 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 16th March 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 20th March 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 22nd March 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 22nd March 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 29th March 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 30th March 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - Great Rumbler - 30th March 2012
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Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 30th March 2012
My list for next season... of course, I'll certainly still be watching Space Pirates, but of the new stuff:
Will watch:
Saki Achiga-hen: Episode of Side-A (like the franchise quite a bit)
Upotte! (have read some of the manga, it's an amusing harem series with gun-girls)
Tasogare Otome X Amnesia (have read some of the manga, liked it; hadn't realized it was getting an anime... cool! The manga has pretty good art. Hopefully the anime can match it.)
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san (the first season was so wrong, but often funny... hopefully this is more of the same.)
Seitokai Yakuindomo OVA3
Will try:
Lupin the Third: The Woman named Fujiko Mine (what I've seen of the original was good)
Ushuu Kyoudai
Hyouka (KyoAni? Will try.)
Yurumates 3D
Sengoku Collection (I usually at least try these genderswapped-history shows. :) )
Gakkatsu
Might try:
Ozma
Koi-Ken!
Hiiro no Kakera
Jormungand
Medaka Box (have read some of the manga, it's okay but so very shonen action...)
Eureka Seven Ao
AKB0048
Natsuiro Kiseki
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 31st March 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 4th April 2012
Inu x Boku SS 3 - Yes, this is shojo, isn't it... but yeah, good episode as usual.
Bodacious Space Pirates 13 - After a while, you start running out of words of praise for something... it's hard to rephrase "this series is so great" in a new way every time. But yes, this series is great, and this episode was good. This series so far has generally been better in space than on the planet, so that this episode is planetbound was a somewhat bad sign, but it's one of the better on-the-surface episodes, and was entertaining while also progressing the plot forwards.
I do think that [spoiler]both princesses are now attending Marika's school[/b] is anime being anime (ie, it's stupid and predictable), but apart from that, this was a solid episode. It was nice seeing the princesses visit Marika and her mother for dinner, good stuff. :)
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 6th April 2012
Anime Thread - 2012 - Great Rumbler - 7th April 2012
Some brief thoughts on what I've seen so far this season:
Accel World - Dabbles a bit in otaku bait with some of the plot elements and characters, but the ideas are interesting enough to pull me in a for a few episodes at least. The main character is amusing, too, you don't see many shows with a chubby, little, almost-chibi high school kid. Feels a bit like Guilty Crown, but with a story that isn't completely terri-bad.
Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine - Best show of the season so far. An adult action series that handles seriousness and ridiculous actions with ease. Loads of fanservice here, mostly from Fujiko, but it actually, unlike most shows, fits here very well. Fujiko will uses every weapon she has to get what she wants, that's just who she is. The animation and art style are incredibly unique and much more daring and retro than any recent series.
Sankarea - A bit more standard than the other shows I've seen, but it's mildly interesting to me since I've read and somewhat enjoyed the manga. A kid who likes zombies [especially zombie girls] becomes friends with the daughter of the principle. She dies and he brings her back as a zombie [though that's not show in the first episodes]. I don't know if I'll stick with this one for very long.
Space Brothers - Drawing from the same well as Planetes, this show is about two brothers who dream of space travel. Now adults, one brother is stuck in middle management [though he just recently lost his job] and the other brother is about to depart on a mission to the moon. The older brother, seeing his younger brother achieving his dreams, decided to apply for NASA's mission to Mars. Really good first episode, solid direction.
Ozma - Scifi adventures in the desert. It's a decent series, but is only 6 episodes long. Nothing really great in the first three episodes, but it's decent enough to be worth watching.
Anime Thread - 2012 - A Black Falcon - 8th April 2012