Anime & Toons: What Are You Watching?

[Lantern7]

Looking at weyrbunny's post on Tokyo Ghoul . . . I'm up to the fourth volume in the manga. I can see it being on Toonami down the line. It's kinda like Parasyte, and it would be an easier sell than the other manga I'm reading these days, Assassination Classroom.

ETA for weyrbunny . . . is the scene with the giant griddle in the anime? I imagine less hardy fans to go "fuck this!!" and bail.

[Lantern7]

Comic Book Resources rank the top DC Comics cartoons. Can't argue with the top picks, but should Beware The Batman and Challenge of the Superfriends be there?

ETA: "Woke up with film this morning . . . I'm still alive . . ."

[Lantern7]

Is it weird that I like seeing the developments for Pokémon: Sun/Moon, not because I play  the games, but that I want to see it animated? Right now, we're getting into Ash trying (and failing) to get his eighth badge, and the only real slots that have to be filled are when Greninja achieves Mega-Evolution, and when Ash gets his sixth Pokémon to join his team. Normally, he'd have six by this time. Would he import one or more for the inevitable League? Anyway . . . I know that the anime is mostly older stories told to new audiences with a little variation (Clement is a goob like Cilan was, but for completely different reasons; Serena is the one girl on the show who maybe has feelings for Ash), but it's entertaining. And yes, that's with how tired Team Rocket comes off in every version. In real life, Giovanni would've had them shot in the heads and buried in shallow graves.

I hope there are others reading this with the same viewpoint. New species of Pokémon, weird variations (Ice Sandshrew! Psychic Raichu! Fancy-looking Meowth!!), and weird cheerleading moves from trainers to boost their critters' efforts . . . I'll keep coming back. And it doesn't feel as painful as each new version of Yu-Gi-Oh! That should have been stopped once Yami passed to the next realm.

ETA: Speaking of YGO, here's the trailer for the next movie, set for a 2017 release. Looks like Yugi will be dueling for himself, unless he gets another spirit buddy. And for anybody who's too into Pokemon, here are cross-sections of some of them.

[weyrbunny]

On 7/20/2016 at 0:04 PM, Lantern7 said:

 Tokyo Ghoul. . . is the scene with the giant griddle in the anime? I imagine less hardy fans to go "fuck this!!" and bail.

I don't recall a giant griddle in the anime... is it griddling human flesh? Otherwise, I don't know the reference. The anime is gory on occasion since it's a horror show—there's an extended torture scene in Season 1 that even I had to fight the urge to fast-forward through. The existentialist debate during the torture was important for moving the story forward, so you can't skip that scene, ultimately.

I gave up on the couple anime that I started in the Spring/Summer. They were too mediocre, too unoriginal even by anime's trope-soup standards. One of them was Hell Girl, which I had enjoyed watching years ago. Not this time. I need to go back to catching up on classic series that I've never seen before, I think.

[Sandman87]

On Saturday, September 10, 2016 at 10:31 AM, weyrbunny said:

trope-soup standards

I'm stealing this.

[bmoore4026]

I can't get enough of Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak.  It's compelling as hell.

[Lantern7]

As we close in on the close of the Kalos League seasons, I just want to share this Pokémon/The Walking Dead mashup. "Michonne, dat's right!!!"

Anybody got a strong opinion on Ash-Greninja? Of course Ash wouldn't just have a Pokémon for mega-evolution. No, he finds a way to super-power Greninja with a linked bond.

[Lantern7]

Poking around the schedules . . . MTV will be running the "I'm Living Anime" episode of True Life at 11 p.m. on Monday night. Two stories: a guy looking to make a name for himself in a cosplay contest, and a girl who's looking to get surgery in order to look more like an anime character. Not nearly as gross as you'd think, and the premise isn't as cringeworthy as -- and I wish I was making this up -- "I'm an Adult Baby."

ETA: I interviewed Assassination Classroom mangaka Yusei Matsui at New York Comic Con. I'm holding out hope the anime makes it to Toonami. If it goes On Demand undubbed, I'll make time to check it out.

[Lantern7]

Cute or Creepy: Bleach mangaka Tite Kubo dresses up as mad scientist captain. Now I'm wondering what creators would dress up as if they had to do that.

ETA: Here's Ryuk from Death Note doing something Japanese. Happy nightmares, everybody!

I'm thinking the actual Ryuk would question why pineapples don't taste like apples.

[Lantern7]

Still watching Pokemon XYZ. And now Epic Rap Battles has brought Ash to the screen.

While Ash's franchise is an affront to Charles Darwin, I would've pitted Ash and Pikachu against Finn and Jake from Adventure Time.

[Lantern7]

Another post, this time directed at Fullmetal Alchemist fans: is this t-shirt over the line?

[Lantern7]

While I'm waiting for the Pokemon forum to be established, here's a highly-inappropriate image from Cheezburger. What kills me is how damn happy Serena looks.

ETA: It's up. Please don't let me be the only one there.

[Sandman87]

Sticking my nose in here for the first time in a few months.

Ryuk's "Apple-Pen" dance is...er...different. I'm trying to imagine that bit being worked into Death Note somehow. I suppose Light would then have to do a song & dance about how awesome potato chips are, and then we'd hear all about how chocolate helps L think.

ETA: I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep until I found out WTF that video clip was all about, so I did some looking around. It appears to be a parody of this clip, which seems even more frightening somehow.

I also stumbled across this partial clip of a music video for a song that's connected with Death Note: Light Up the New World. Guess who appears in it:

Edited December 25, 2016 by Sandman87

[Sandman87]

I've been neglecting my anime collection rather disgracefully for a while, so this week I've been watching Blue Gender, which ran on Adult Swim back around 2003 (back before I had access to [as].)  It's a wonderfully grim, bleak kind of show. Not as bad as Now and Then, Here and There or even Evangelion, but still not lighthearted by any means.

In a nutshell: Yuji is frozen in what is effectively the present time so that doctors can figure out how to cure his mystery disease and then wake him up for a cure. He wakes up decades later in the middle of a battle between terrifying mecha piloted by people with terrifying skeletal helmets, and some frightening alien insect things (called "the Blue"). What follows is a combination of "how do I fit into this frightening new world?" and trying to fight the Blue, which have all but eliminated humanity.

I'm enjoying it immensely so far.

[Lantern7]

All I remember is really not liking it. And I vaguely recall a female character who would not shut up. Might have been an anime issue, or it could have been the dub.

[Sandman87]

Oh yeah, good point: I tried watching the first episode with the English audio track, and the voice acting wasn't all that good. I've been watching with the original audio & subtitles, which is usually my preference anyway.

It's also worth mentioning that (according to Wikipedia) the version that ran on [as] was heavily edited to remove violence, sex, and nudity.  Considering how thoroughly that stuff is mixed in with the plot, there's no way they could have done that without butchering the story too.

I'm trying to pin down who might be the chattering character you mentioned, but the only one who might fit that description hasn't had all that much screen time so far.

[Fei Wen]

Re: Zero on Crunchyroll was a good watch. An episode can be slow and talky, but then it hits you with a violent twist. Looks like a fantasy harem show on the outside, but is actually very bleak.

The Long, Long Holiday on Netflix is an overlooked gem. It's about kids in France having to live with and resisting the Nazi occupation. It's an animated show that can be humorous, touching, uplifting, and tragic at times.

Though it's live action, I've been watching Blue Fire for free on Viki. It's a Japanese show about an art student who thinks he's hot stuff, but gets blown away on a regular basis by another student, Hideaki Anno, future creator of Evangelion. Funny stuff. Lots of references to 1980s anime.

[Sandman87]

I finished Blue Gender. I take about half of the good things I said about it. After they finally got to the human base, the show started going downhill at a breakneck pace. Don't even get me started about the last few episodes. Now I think I know where Eureka Seven got the inspiration for its "Limit of Questions" bullshit. BTW, one of the early episodes has a nice shout-out to a Larry Niven novel.

Just got started on Maken-Ki!, which has all the earmarks of a mediocre fanservice comedy. Clearly designed for adult males who have never seen panties before, and who therefore need as many views of them per minute as possible. Also full of stock characters, dialog, and writing. You know what's going to happen in every situation, but there's some entertainment to be had in trying to predict how they're going to get there. Ordinary guy transfers to a high school that has just gone co-ed, not realizing that the students there specialize in magical battles with their maken. Hilarity and fanservice ensue.

[Lantern7]

I haven't sought out anime from the library beyond the stuff I watch on Toonami. I tried Monster, but it didn't stick. I'd like to see Assassination Classroom, but the library only has the manga.I see stuff On Demand . . . I used to watch subbed episode of Hayate the Combat Butler, which will never get dubbed. I liked the concept . . . boy's asshole parents sell him to get out of debt, and he winds up the manservant of a precocious girl his age.

ETA: Anybody out there in the New York area? I'm thinking of seeing One Piece Film: Gold, and I'd like company.

[Lantern7]

Presenting Anime Lyrics 601. Some deep cuts (how often does one reminisce about Outlaw Star?), and the editor goes back to One-Punch Man. Never a bad thing.

[Sandman87]

Finally finished with Maken-Ki!, since I could only watch a couple of episodes at a time, otherwise the fanservice would start eroding my IQ. I figured that there had to be something about it that would be memorable - a character, a plot twist, a cool maken - something that would have convinced a committee to put up funding to produce the show, but no. Just generally bland. The protagonist, in particular, was barely even there. He was less of a character than he was a plot device for other characters to react to.

Now I've started watching watching Nurarihyon no Mago. It's a show about a kid who's 3/4 human and 1/4 yokai, and he just wants to be normal. Unfortunately he's also the heir to the head of his yokai clan, and his "family" consists of every batshit-crazy supernatural spook that exists in Japanese folklore (I'm talking Akaname and Slashed-Mouth Woman and frickin' Wanyudo here.) The story itself is surprisingly deep, involving politicking amongst important yokai figures. The animation varies from good to amazing (the cherry tree in the yard of Nura's home is the most impressive one I've seen in anime so far), and characters look as though they've been deliberately done in a variety of visual styles.

[Lantern7]

Heads up: Toonami is replacing One Piece with Tokyo Ghoul starting on March 25. I'm thinking a forum is in order, but it's been a while since I've read the manga. If you have thoughts on thread titles, post 'em here.

[Lantern7]

Somebody mashed up the opening credits of Cowboy Bebop with The Simpsons. Don't you just love when people have too much time on their hands?

[InDueTime]

I didn't know where else to post this, so I'll post it here:

http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/cowboy-bebop-live-action-tv-series-1202454831/

I liked Cowboy Bebop, I'll probably pass on this.

[Lantern7]

This was a good place to post that. I read that on CBR. My basic reaction is "Nooooooooooooooooo," because I can't trust American outfits to handle Eastern properties. I mean, if I get Netflix, it probably don't be for Death Note.

ETA: I don't consider this to be a case of potential "whitewashing." Cowboy Bebop is an anime which isn't set in Japan (examples: Attack on Titan, Fullmetal Alchemist), so the racebending should be inconsequential. Wanna make Jet Black black? Awesome. It's just a matter of companies not "getting" a property, or trying to make it way too "Murican" for the audience.

[Sandman87]

I'm not going to get my hopes up, but I'll wait and see. Maybe they can get the people who wrote and directed the Crank movies, which were basically over the top live action anime (complete with anime-esque wacky comedy moments), to work on it.

I just started watching Maho Sensi Negima! I figured I'd have to watch it eventually since it's referenced on so frickin' many pages at TVTropes, so I might as well get on with it. Swallowing the premise is a little difficult (a 10 year old school teacher? Yeah, right), but it looks like it could get interesting. I'm already intrigued that the apparent head of the ridiculous harem that's developing has slightly heterochromic eyes, as well as the girl who apparently needs to be wound up every morning.

[Lantern7]

Found out that Screen Junkies does an anime version of Honest Trailers on their site. Sadly, you have to pay a subscription for the bonus stuff. I signed up via Facebook, but I can only see 5-6 videos, and a banner telling me that blocks the screen.

I saw their takes on Naruto and One-Punch Man, and I just saw the one for Hunter x Hunter (". . . and Hisoka, the antagonist, who is as powerful as he is a pedophile." Cut to Gon and Killua with pained looks on their faces). They also have trailers for Bleach, Tokyo Ghoul and Attack on Titan. Word of warning: if you're into the Toonami pace, there's material from deep into those anime's runs.

[Lantern7]

This is a list of weird anime from WatchMojo.com. I found a list of 21 from IGN, but that was shorter and doesn't go that in-depth. I knew about a few of the anime, but it's still an offbeat list.

[Sandman87]

18 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

This is a list of weird anime from WatchMojo.com.

What are the shows in that list? I can't do YouTube without tying up the phone line for hours and hours.

[Lantern7]

3 hours ago, Sandman87 said:

What are the shows in that list? I can't do YouTube without tying up the phone line for hours and hours.

10. Speed Grapher

9. Dead Leaves

8. Midori Days

7. Moyashimon

6. Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan

5. FLCL (hey, it had to show up somewhere)

4. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo

3. Yakitate!! Japan

2. Hetalia: Axis Powers (try not to contain your surprise)

1. Akikan!

Honorable Mentions: Horizon In The Middle Of Nowhere, Lucky Star, Sleeping With Hinako (accompanied by 10-12 seconds of a girl -- assuming she's Hinako --  sleeping)

[Sandman87]

They missed Potemayo, Haiyore! Nyarko-san, and every single thing produced by Studio Shaft.

Sleeping With Hinako is more low-grade pervy than weird. Same with all the other the other (something) With Hinako shows. They basically using teaching the proper way to do some activity as an excuse for the viewers to watch a bouncy anime hottie doing something for 20 minutes.

[Lantern7]

Here's IGN's list of 21 weird anime, in no apparent order: Assassination Classroom, Sekko Boys, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Makura no Danshi, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture, Samurai Pizza Cats, Unko-san, Akikan, Mawaru Penguindrum, Cat Soup, Paranoia Agent, Serial Experiments Lain, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Fooly Cooly (not listed as "FLCL"), Cromartie High School, Mad Bull 34, Ebichu, Pom Poko, Tonde Burin, Polar Bear Cafe.

[Lantern7]

Found this trailer for the Fullmetal Alchemist movie. Now with homunculi!

I'm still curious if we'd get Armstrong.

[Lantern7]

Here's the Honest Trailer for the live-action Ghost In The Shell. I am not watching that movie, because I don't think American production companies can get Japanese properties right enough. Also: no Tachikoma. I did see that the guy playing Aramaki has hair that's reasonably close to the anime. And there's a dude with the makings of a mullet, so I'm guessing that's Togusa.

[Zola]

Am fairly new to Anime, and have only watched perhaps a handful of full-length films since watching Akira back during my undergrad years 2 or 3 years ago.

I watched Patlabor, a few days back, and really enjoyed it; so am now watching the follow-up Patlabor 2, which seems far more darker in tone, plenty of political intrigue, good story, great dubbing, and decent graphics for a 24 year old film 

 

[Lantern7]

Sony is going to acquire Funimation. I don't know if that's a good thing or not.

[weyrbunny]

I was about to complain about Sony impacting Funimation, but then I remembered that I have an Internet connection and that there are tons of other places to stream anime, if it goes to hell.

On 7/5/2017 at 6:31 PM, Lantern7 said:

Here's IGN's list of 21 weird anime, ... Serial Experiments Lain...

Serial Experiments Lain isn't weird so much as surreal, unnerving, and very, very brilliant. I wish there were more anime like it.

Edited August 7, 2017 by weyrbunny

[Lantern7]

Meant to post . . . you know what I found on Starz On Demand? Death Note. The whole anime, every single episode. Even without the specter of Ghost In The Shell and the concerns of "whitewashing," I can't see the Netflix series being as delightfully bugfuck as the anime. "I'll take a chip . . . AND I'LL EAT IT!!!!!"

[weyrbunny]

In an effort to further get over my anime burnout, I’ve been watching ninjas kill each other in Basilisk. Well, the story also has Shakespearian levels of tragedy, chess-game-like political maneuverings, and a pervasive sense of doomed history—all of which I like in an anime. But on the surface, yeah… mostly ninja badass-ery. A ninja stands over his dead enemy and says, “Hell welcomes you.” Damn, that’s cool.

But that’s not what I’m here to talk about.

I originally watched Basilisk maybe 10 years ago, and I decided to revisit it after noticing that a sequel is in development. Apparently, I was more forgiving a decade ago: though it’s still an interesting concept about feuding feudal clans, I now find Basilisk vilely misogynistic.

Did I watch an edited or censored version on some TV channel originally? Because I didn’t remember the multiple rapes and attempted rapes, the rape fantasy imagery in fight scenes, or the endless sexual degradation of female characters. It actually got repetitive that so many of the kunoichi killed with sex or were punished for love or lust. JFC, one of the women had to be sexually aroused in order for her ninja superpower to activate, which the show used as an excuse for her onscreen rape!

I laughed when one of the ninjas said, “Women are frightening creatures no matter how you look at them,” because it perfectly encapsulated the show’s attitudes: women are inhuman “others” to be objectified, leered at, and feared by men.

Basilisk does include an impressive spectrum of female roles, at least: leaders, warriors, caretakers, lovers, adversaries, wives, a princess—and they get to be naïve, smart, chaste, wanton, pacifist, bloodthirsty, manipulative, manipulated… not just sexual. To be fair, there is also a gamut of male characters, including some who object to or put a stop to the sexual violence. And one who has killer nose hair. (Not a euphemism.)

Anyway… I’m now undecided about whether to watch the sequel when it comes out in 2018 or whenever. Do better, Basilisk sequel, or fuck off, I guess.

[Lantern7]

I'm at Liberty City Anime Con. Watching The Wallflower from Funimation. There is a lot of screaming. So. Much. Screaming. Also nosebleeds. Anybody here seen this anime?

[Lantern7]

Here's my account of the con.  I felt that LCAC improved from last year. I'm aiming to hit Anime NYC in November.

ETA: Here are the pictures that I took that weekend.

[Lantern7]

Heads up for those with Facebook: Honest Trailers put out something for Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. It's not on the Screen Junkies site, though. Very complimenting stuff. " . . . Brotherhood fixes all the problems that the original series had. Like, straying away from the original manga. Annnnnnnnnd that's it. That's literally all they needed to fix." Here's a link, though I don't know if non-FB users will see it.

ETA: I clicked the link without logging in. I could see the video, so it's accessible for everyone.

[Lantern7]

Just wanted to share this video I found on an AMV kick.

[Captain Carrot]

I don't know if it will be as good as the original, but I'm still ecstatic about the new Kino's Journey. For those curious about the original, here's the ending:

 

 

[Lantern7]

Got an email from Anime NYC. Turns out the Fullmetal Alchemist movie will premiere that Sunday, before its release in Japan. Anybody else interested? I saw a comparison thing with the anime. Dunno if I could get used to Winry not being blonde. On the other hand, their Hughes is spot-on.

[Lantern7]

Here's the interview I had with Fumihiko Sori, the director of Fullmetal Alchemist. Before that, I saw the movie. Basically, his vision was to try to appeal to hardcore and new fans, and I think he did a good job.

[Lantern7]

@17wheatthins: awesome. First version or Brotherhood? I asked the PR contact if the movie would be screened in U.S. theaters, but she didn't get a response from the director's people. If that does happen and you can make it, I'd go for it. I mean, don't drive three hours to see it, but they did a good job. And you can make comparisons between Al and Colossus from Deadpool.

[Lantern7]

I saw Your Name today. Hoping it gets nominated for an Oscar, even though I reckon only one anime has won Best Animated Feature. Basically, a city boy and girl stuck in the country sporadically switch places and lives.  Halfway through, the plot gets turned on its side, and it gets  lot deeper. Perhaps the best body swap story put on a screen . . . unless Crosswind gets adapted into a TV series. I'm a fan of Gail Simone. Fingers crossed!

ETA: Turns out it was released last year and it wasn't nominated. Still worth watching.

[Lantern7]

Just curious to see what anime you guys and gals are watching. I went to Hot Topic last week to pick up a gift and scratch my blind box itch. You know what I saw? A small display dedicated to Yuri!!! On Ice. For real . . . shirts, figures, and other stuff. Not really my thing, but I get the crossover appeal. Also, "History Maker" basically embeds itself in your brain and does not want to leave.

ETA: I found Detroit Metal City on cable "On Demand." Only three episodes, but it's funny to see something I read as manga ages ago. Never saw the anime proper before then, but I did watch the live-action movie at a convention. Good stuff.

[Sandman87]

Yeah, DMC manages to be ridiculous and awesome at the same time.

I keep looking at the stacks of DVDs that I haven't gotten to yet, and they intimidate me. Haven't really watched anything other than what's on TV lately other than occasionally indulging the urge to take in an episode or two of something I've already seen, either anime and non-anime.

Toon related: I recently watched the first Avatar: TLAB live-action movie. What a mess.