Anime & Manga Thread Vol. 2: Za Warudo!!!

Finished Honey and Clover...guess I'll give part 2 a shot since its shorter.
Then I'm not sure what comes next...
 
[quote name='ChibiJosh']Personally I thought the latest Reborn! chapter was a preview of some sweet bad assery to come, but no one read Reborn! but me.[/QUOTE]

I was wanting to try our Reborn!, but I know that I don't have the patience to read 30 volumes :hot:
 
I loved the latest Bleach chapter, but I think One Piece was the best of the three main shounen books this week. I've also been catching up on Gantz. Such a great read.
 
[quote name='MattJ1991']I was wanting to try our Reborn!, but I know that I don't have the patience to read 30 volumes :hot:[/QUOTE]
I think it's better than Bleach or Naruto.
 
[quote name='ChibiJosh']I think it's better than Bleach or Naruto.[/QUOTE]

I'm sure I'll get to it eventually, when I'm up for it
 
So I signed up for Hulu plus for the main purpose of catching up with some anime like One Piece, Naruto & Bleach. I'm not even a week into my subscription and they take them all off Hulu plus. I was really digging One Piece too. Sucks :bomb:
 
[quote name='ChibiJosh']I think it's better than Bleach or Naruto.[/QUOTE]

I'm only as far as the anime minus a couple eps...

I wouldn't say it's really better as Reborn's periphery characters are pretty worthless. I also feel things took a turn for the worse in general with intro of box weapons. Still the Ju-Nen arc has some pretty good surprises to differentiate it from just another shonen anime. (note I never watch Bleach or Naruto filler eps)

One Piece is pretty much the king of shonen anime at this point...
 
All caught up on Negima (299 chapters). The story evolves nicely, especially towards the most recent chapters. I only like to read one manga series at a time, but while waiting for new Negima releases I've started up The World God Only Knows. Only read the first chapter but the main character seems intriguing.

-Edit-
Read a couple more chapters of TWGOK and am enjoying it. It's a fun take on the romantic comedy genre.
 
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Nothing much to say except that Bleach is still great (new chapter I mean), and that I'll be starting FMA: Brotherhood Volume 2 very shortly.
 
Finished Kenichi. It was a fun series with lots of shounen action and training.

Also finished DearS. It was, um, not the worst thing I've seen. If you have any interest in DearS, watch Chobits instead, it is infinitely better. Also the teacher in DearS makes the one from Mahoromatic seem like a nun.

Starting DB S5 and NieA Under 7.
 
[quote name='scuba t']Does anybody know of a store that sells manga in Japanese and ships to the US?[/QUOTE]

Kinokuniya
dv8cag.com
Sasuga Books
 
[quote name='thelonepig']Kinokuniya
dv8cag.com
Sasuga Books[/QUOTE]
Thanks I knew about Sasuga but, they went out of business recently so I was looking for other options.
 
[quote name='GhostShark']Finally finished all of School Rumble after delaying it a bit (damn you, Eternal Sonata!) and I really loved it. I wish a third semester would happen in the future, but who knows. It's now time to watch Pumpkin Scissors.[/QUOTE]

For all who watched School Rumble:

Ordered School Rumble 1 from Amazon today. How was Semester 2 as a whole? Can I stick with SR1 and feel good as a standalone, or must I buy the second to fully enjoy the series? Read that it kind of goes in a different direction after the cultural festival storyline.

Thoughts appreciated as SR2 is currently sitting in my gold box. Thanks.
 
[quote name='Hibiwa']For all who watched School Rumble:

Ordered School Rumble 1 from Amazon today. How was Semester 2 as a whole? Can I stick with SR1 and feel good as a standalone, or must I buy the second to fully enjoy the series? Read that it kind of goes in a different direction after the cultural festival storyline.

Thoughts appreciated as SR2 is currently sitting in my gold box. Thanks.[/QUOTE]
(School Rumble is my favorite anime series, so this may be a biased opinion :))
You can stop at S1 if you want. The end of S1 is kind of like the end of S2, nothing gets fully resolved but it's a good stopping point (kind of like the end of a chapter in a book). The anime doesn't cover the full story of the manga. Once you get to the end of S1, even though you can stop there, you'll probably want more School Rumble. S2 continues the story from S1 and maintains the same quality and humor; it is worth picking up, especially since there is a SAVE version now.
 
Yeah, I've read how much you like School Rumble. Sounds like it's more or less, more of the same if I get Semester 2.

So you had no issues with the basketball arc, etc. being different in tone and pacing along the lines of more romance and less comedy (according to ANN)? Keep in mind I don't know if that's true since details are scant. Everyone seems to lump the two seasons as one, and endorses the whole show enthusiastically.

I'm just a little wary though. The SR2 S.A.V.E. is a few cents cheaper in my gold box, but not as cheap as it was the last time it was on sale at Amazon a couple months back.
 
[quote name='Hibiwa']Yeah, I've read how much you like School Rumble. Sounds like it's more or less, more of the same if I get Semester 2.[/QUOTE]
Yes, S2 continues right along like S1. The only difference is S2 highlights some of the other characters (don't worry, there's still plenty of Harima and Tenma story).

[quote name='Hibiwa']So you had no issues with the basketball arc, etc. being different in tone and pacing along the lines of more romance and less comedy (according to ANN)? Keep in mind I don't know if that's true since details are scant. Everyone seems to lump the two seasons as one, and endorses the whole show enthusiastically.[/QUOTE]
The basketball arc is a good example of S2 highlighting characters other than Harima and Tenma. That is an important story arc for some characters, and it has plenty of SR humor.

[quote name='Hibiwa']I'm just a little wary though. The SR2 S.A.V.E. is a few cents cheaper in my gold box, but not as cheap as it was the last time it was on sale at Amazon a couple months back.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, the whole series was like $26-27 during the last Amazon anime sale. I would say if you haven't seen any SR yet and are worried about wasting money then just try out S1 for now. You can always get S2 later... even at normal price the SAVE edition is cheap.
 
So I think lilman made a manga program for the Nook right?
I'm thinking of picking up a Nook and just want to hear opinions on ease/quality of manga reading.

Thanks.
 
I preferred School Rumble Semester 2 over Semester 1. Both are amazing.

So I need people's insights on three series; Queen's Blade, Gurann Lagann, and Ouran High School Host Club. I went to AnimeFest down here in Dallas this past weekend and so many people cosplayed as characters from all three series and said that they loved them. I've only heard of OHSHC so are those 3 any good?
 
well I watched some of GL and a preview of OHSHC....Host Club is just basically very, very, very homosexual in presentation and humor. I can't imagine a straight male (Raz?) enjoying this show at all.

GL started off with potential but just quickly degraded into nonsense for me. I stopped after 9-11 eps due to unfunny comedy and the fan service is just really egregious.
 
[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']So I think lilman made a manga program for the Nook right?[/QUOTE]
Yes I did, you can see general discussion for it over here: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89798

[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']I'm thinking of picking up a Nook and just want to hear opinions on ease/quality of manga reading.[/QUOTE]
I haven't tried a Nook, but I had a Sony PRS-505 for a little while (I think they both have 6 in. screens so the comparison should be valid). Epaper screens are so awesome that you can read even tiny text on them, but 6" is just not enough for manga. I was straining my eyes trying to read such tiny text, especially on two-page spreads.

If you want a portable digital manga reader I recommend getting one with at least a 9.7 in. screen. The best right now is the iPad which absolutely rocks with digital manga. I read on mine every day (currently reading TWGOK, which is awesome and currently only available in English as scanlations).

[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']well I watched some of GL and a preview of OHSHC....Host Club is just basically very, very, very homosexual in presentation and humor. I can't imagine a straight male (Raz?) enjoying this show at all.[/QUOTE]
I'm a straight male and enjoyed OHSHC. It isn't aimed solely at a homosexual audience... in fact, the majority of the characters are straight.
 
If anything Ouran appeals more to fangirls than homos... the only gay thing is the twinsest, and they only do that because they are pretty much paid to.
 
[quote name='Indecisive Rattle']If anything Ouran appeals more to fangirls than homos... the only gay thing is the twinsest, and they only do that because they are pretty much paid to.[/QUOTE]
(possible Ouran spoiler)
The twincest (which is an intentionally fake relationship) is not the only homosexual part of Ouran. There are a few real homosexual characters.
I think Ouran is considered shoujo but guys (including myself) can enjoy it too. There were only two episodes which I didn't enjoy (the two involving Lobella Academy), the rest I liked.
 
[quote name='lilman']
I think Ouran is considered shoujo but guys (including myself) can enjoy it too. There were only two episodes which I didn't enjoy (the two involving Lobella Academy), the rest I liked.[/QUOTE]

Well, yeah Haruhi's dad and the Lobelia chick, but thats about it... in the anime anyways
But you're right, just because a show has a couple positively portrayed GLBT side characters doesn't mean a straight male can't enjoy it, especially if they watch other shojo shows...
 
[quote name='GhostShark']I preferred School Rumble Semester 2 over Semester 1. Both are amazing.

So I need people's insights on three series; Queen's Blade, Gurann Lagann, and Ouran High School Host Club. I went to AnimeFest down here in Dallas this past weekend and so many people cosplayed as characters from all three series and said that they loved them. I've only heard of OHSHC so are those 3 any good?[/QUOTE]
i watched the first 2 episodes and the last episode of gurren lagann. my impressions are as follows:
fanservice
robots
terrible jokes
good animation

so for me at least, i knew the series was going to be bad the instant the characters found a mech and fought another mech with it since i absolutely hate anything remotely close to mecha. it only went downhill from there with an entire character devoted to nothing but fanservice. the ending from what i saw has some characters i hadn't been introduced to yet but seems like your usual disappointing ending.

however, if you like robots and "zany"/sexual humor, it'd probably be enjoyable.
 
[quote name='GhostShark']
So I need people's insights on three series; Queen's Blade, Gurann Lagann, and Ouran High School Host Club. I went to AnimeFest down here in Dallas this past weekend and so many people cosplayed as characters from all three series and said that they loved them. I've only heard of OHSHC so are those 3 any good?[/QUOTE]

Queen's Blade, as described by Zac Bertschy of ANN, back when it first aired:

[quote name='Zac Bertschy']
Here's what happens in the first episode of Queen's Blade, which is apparently based on a roleplaying game in Japan:

A blonde chick is strolling along a medieval highway when she's intercepted by some sort of a cutsey demon girl wearing a ridiculous pink outfit whose hair turns into hands and the hands cover her giant breasts. They start fighting, since the blonde girl is apparently someone important; the breast-holding hair-hands squeeze said breasts, which shoot acid from her nipples as a primary means of attack. The blonde's clothes get dissolved (and then she's mostly naked for pretty much the rest of the episode), but she's saved in due time by another woman, a rogue “bandit” named Risty, (who also has huge breasts and a skimpy outfit) and then some angel-cherub girl shows up and briefly explains how this is all part of the Queen's Blade tournament, where 12 women fight it out to become the new Queen. Queen of what? Not sure. Don't care.

So the blonde, Leina, turns out to be the escaped sister of some cruel matriarch who, along with Leina's creepy twin sister, keeps her captive in a castle out in the middle of a lake. They apparently put a bounty on her head, hence why Risty was after her in the first place. They imprison Risty, who of course breaks out, steals some iconic armor from the castle's treasury, and gives it to Leina before that demon girl with the acid-shooting boobs shows up again and pretty much wrecks the place. Leina defeats her by mashing her own breasts into the demon girl's nipples mid-acid-squirt, which I guess isn't something the demon girl has great control over because it forces her to overflow, and she expands like a hot air balloon before exploding all over the place in a gooey, acidic mess.

Oh, and the main character, Leina, graphically pisses herself twice in just this one episode. That seemed worth mentioning.

This is an actual show that is airing on cable TV right now in Japan. [/quote]

Yeah... there ya go.
 
[quote name='crystalklear64']i watched the first 2 episodes and the last episode of gurren lagann. my impressions are as follows:
fanservice
robots
terrible jokes
good animation

so for me at least, i knew the series was going to be bad the instant the characters found a mech and fought another mech with it since i absolutely hate anything remotely close to mecha. it only went downhill from there with an entire character devoted to nothing but fanservice. the ending from what i saw has some characters i hadn't been introduced to yet but seems like your usual disappointing ending.

however, if you like robots and "zany"/sexual humor, it'd probably be enjoyable.[/QUOTE]

This is actually an incredibly accurate assessment of the show. The only thing you overlooked by only watching three episodes is that every confrontation, and I mean *every confrontation*, is solved by lots of screaming. Followed by explosions. I can't stand this show, regardless of its fantastic animation.

[quote name='DuelLadyS']Yeah... there ya go.[/QUOTE]

Yep. I laughed so hard the first time I read that review.
 
[quote name='Indecisive Rattle']haha crystalklear, I know your avatar is inspired by Squirtle, but it almost implies you actually like TTGL.[/QUOTE]

I always got the same impression.

So yeah finally finished Honey and Clover II last night which completes the series satisfactorily. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the show as the preposterous choice of character design of Hagu really unhinges a lot for me.

Mayama and Rika's relations with each other were the high point of the show for me. They seemed to be written with a really mature perspective on how adults can interact.

If you're a sucker for a slice of life show at an art college than this show is probably for you. If don't want love triangles and stuff in your anime than avoid at all costs.

I have no idea what show to watch next. I hear a lot about this Hetalia show but I have no idea if it's for me or not.
 
[quote name='Kirin Lemon']every confrontation, and I mean *every confrontation*, is solved by lots of screaming. Followed by explosions. [/QUOTE]
Obviously the show has it right. I wish every confrontation in the real world would be solved with lots of screaming followed by explosions.
 
[quote name='Kirin Lemon']Yep. I laughed so hard the first time I read that review.[/QUOTE]

I only wish the rating of smilie-shooting-itself-in-the-head (out of 5) copied over too. :lol:

[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']
I have no idea what show to watch next. I hear a lot about this Hetalia show but I have no idea if it's for me or not.[/QUOTE]

If you're not sure you can sit through Ouran, you'll probably have some trouble with Hetalia. It's got its moments of silly semi-racist humor (like the Allies freaking out over too many people at their meeting, becuase they're only half-aware of the ghostly presence of Canada)... but it's still very much fangirl-bait. Also, it's really short episodes- like, 5 minutes each. I know some people don't like that.

My fiance hated it. His sister liked it.
 
[quote name='Kirin Lemon']This is actually an incredibly accurate assessment of the show. The only thing you overlooked by only watching three episodes is that every confrontation, and I mean *every confrontation*, is solved by lots of screaming. Followed by explosions. I can't stand this show, regardless of its fantastic animation.[/QUOTE]

Glad to see I skipped it after 2 episodes.

Checked out a couple anime & manga series while waiting for everything to get setup at my new apartment.

Read DearS, Chobits & Mahoromatic(in that order). How DearS made it past the first few chapters, I'll never know. That series had a weak plot from the very beginning and made no sense in the end. Also read Ai Yori Aoshi, which seems to know to write a good romance story. Although kinda surprised that they devoted nearly two chapters in the final volume to a sex scene.

Also checked out the Ah My Goddess tv series & OVAs. Didn't really know until I started watching the tv series that they rehashed and stretched out parts of the OVA. The series had quite a few filler episodes that really were not necessary, especially in the second season. I'm guessing since the manga still ongoing(after 20 years?), that's why it didn't get a proper ending.
 
went back and finished up Saikano and Paranoia agent...now i'm bummed out.

maybe i'll look at this Kurau show Raz goes on endlessly about...
 
[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']maybe i'll look at this Kurau show Raz goes on endlessly about...[/QUOTE]

That's always a fantastic idea.
 
I started Hetalia with the wife. Actually it was kinda amusing and before we knew it 20 eps had breezed by. Man this show is insulting as shit to nearly every nationality...
 
[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']I started Hetalia with the wife. Actually it was kinda amusing and before we knew it 20 eps had breezed by. Man this show is insulting as shit to nearly every nationality...[/QUOTE]

Fun fact: The reason Hetalia went to the web instead of TV like planned was becuase Korea complained about how they were protrayed in the series... which is kinda impressive, considering Korea isn't in the anime at all.

I skimmed some of the manga online. I find it ironic the first strip I found with Korea in it, he was complaining about how the other guys were treating him. :lol:
 
Holy fuck. Episode 11 of Occult Academy was fucking incredible. My mouth was agape for basically the whole episode. This show is definitely setting itself up to go out with a most spectacular bang; I'm still in awe of what I just watched, and I can't wait for the next episode — I'll probably watch episode 11 again in the mean time, since it was so fantastic.
 
Finished NieA Under 7. I liked it, but it's probably not a series that I would rewatch. I agree with Raz's assessment that it is in the slice-of-life genre, but I didn't find the comedy all that funny (especially any of the alien comedy). So I mostly just liked the sol aspect of it.

Next up is, um, not sure yet, will have to check the backlog. Maybe the second season of Genshiken.
 
Netflix had some new anime streamable, so I checked a few things out. There were 4 episodes of one called Queen's blade.. which was devoid of pretty much everything I think makes anime interesting - just boobies and lame, lame action.

I'm AOK with adult content and fanservice, but geebus.. that anime is just seems completely empty. I gave all 4 episodes a watch because I thought it might get interesting in the later episodes... the end of the 4th episode looked like plot was starting to develop, so maybe it isn't all that bad..?

Somehow, I expect the series continues to be about strategic clothing removal and close-ups of bottoms and bussoms.
 
[quote name='lilman']Finished NieA Under 7. I liked it, but it's probably not a series that I would rewatch. I agree with Raz's assessment that it is in the slice-of-life genre, but I didn't find the comedy all that funny (especially any of the alien comedy). So I mostly just liked the sol aspect of it.

Next up is, um, not sure yet, will have to check the backlog. Maybe the second season of Genshiken.[/QUOTE]

Used Canti on the new B&N Nook today. Nice job. Wish it had a UI like Calibre, though.

Also, I think I warned you about Niea Under 7. It's a miserable pile.

Genshiken, however, is a show I couldn't find myself disliking even if it kinda BS in a lot of ways.


So, I need manga recommendations. I tend not to enjoy uber shonen or fighting manga since I want to see animated fights. Things like Homunculus and Monster are great, though I could read XXXHolic or something similar. Things with a "mature" slant (seinen manga?) always interest me but I'd also like to hear personal faves.

Thanks!
 
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[quote name='xeno']20th century boy is a great read and done by urasawa , the same artist who did monster.[/QUOTE]

Pluto, too. Everything Naoki Urasawa touches turns to gold.

Also, ANN just did a write-up on The Drifting Classroom, which reminded me how awesome that series is. Check it out if you haven't already done so.
 
[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']
So, I need manga recommendations. I tend not to enjoy uber shonen or fighting manga since I want to see animated fights. Things like Homunculus and Monster are great, though I could read XXXHolic or something similar. Things with a "mature" slant (seinen manga?) always interest me but I'd also like to hear personal faves.

Thanks![/QUOTE]

I think GTO is a great manga (much better than the anime), and I think there's enough of a mature slant hidden in the light heartedness.
Other than that, all I really read are shonen and shojo series.
Bokurano might be a good one. It's a mecha series, so there's fighting, but it's not really the focus. It's more psychological thriller, in a way.
 
Just saw on ANN that there will be a bonus anime dvd with the next volume of ah my goddess in japan, and its going to be celebrating its 22nd anniversary. would've made more sense on the 20th or 25th. I've known that its been running since 1989, but that's still amazing.
 
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