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

[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']I'd like to get some opinions here. I'm definitely wanting to get into a new anime series and I've narrowed my decision down to two choices: Bleach and Death Note.

I've done a little research on the two and it seems like the general consensus is that Death Note is absolutely wonderful up until the end (or near the end), while Bleach is steady throughout and has good writing and solid characters.[/QUOTE]

Oh god, that's not even a contest, Death Note runs circles around Bleach. Bleach has actually become physically painful to watch over the years, with incredibly one-dimensional characters and some of the absolute worst writing and forced humor I've ever encountered. Ugh.
 
I would suggest reading Death Note manga over the anime if possible.


Also remember Death note is like 30 episodes while Bleach is over 300
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']I'd like to get some opinions here. I'm definitely wanting to get into a new anime series and I've narrowed my decision down to two choices: Bleach and Death Note.

I've done a little research on the two and it seems like the general consensus is that Death Note is absolutely wonderful up until the end (or near the end), while Bleach is steady throughout and has good writing and solid characters.

I'm not really interested in the "forget those two, watch ____!" responses, but you can put them anyways - I just wanted some help deciding between the two. My history with anime is short but sweet: Pokémon (all the episodes; from 1998 to present), Outlaw Star (about halfway through, need to finish), and Cowboy Bebop (only a few episodes).[/QUOTE]

If you have netflix you should check out their instant queue's anime selection. Its probably right up your alley (and it has trigun)
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']I'd like to get some opinions here. I'm definitely wanting to get into a new anime series and I've narrowed my decision down to two choices: Bleach and Death Note.

I've done a little research on the two and it seems like the general consensus is that Death Note is absolutely wonderful up until the end (or near the end), while Bleach is steady throughout and has good writing and solid characters.

I'm not really interested in the "forget those two, watch ____!" responses, but you can put them anyways - I just wanted some help deciding between the two. My history with anime is short but sweet: Pokémon (all the episodes; from 1998 to present), Outlaw Star (about halfway through, need to finish), and Cowboy Bebop (only a few episodes).[/QUOTE]

I've never really understood these kinds of questions. Why not watch BOTH? It's not like either show is hard to find or anything. You can always drop one if you don't like it.

Seriously, more people need to quit acting like watching anime is like buying a house (I have to pick ONE SHOW and it has to be the right one becuase I'll be stuck with it for ages!). It's more like a buffet- watch one episode of everything, get more of what you like. You'll find better shows that way, and a lot of things you'd never watch otherwise.

(Sorry if it seems like I'm picking on ya, I just see a variant on 'tell me what to watch' somewhere almost every day. I've got to get this out somewhere!)
 
[quote name='DuelLadyS']I've never really understood these kinds of questions. Why not watch BOTH? It's not like either show is hard to find or anything. You can always drop one if you don't like it. [/QUOTE]
One reason for that question may be that anime is expensive. It's more cost effective to buy the first set of a series rather than the first single dvd, so if you're looking to start a new series you can expect to spend at least $30. Starting two series at once is not always within one's budget.

In this case though both Death Note and Bleach are available on Netflix streaming (all 37 episodes of DN and the first 109 episodes of Bleach) so you can watch both at an affordable price. They are completely different types of shows so they make a good pair.

First three seasons of Bleach (E1-67) are great so make sure to at least watch to that point. S4-5 are a horrible filler arc and may turn you off from the series. S6 picks up where S3 left off but doesn't regain the feel of the first seasons.
 
[quote name='ChibiJosh']I started watching Madoka. 3 episodes in, and I'm enjoying it.[/QUOTE]

Aside from the lame final episode, it's a really fun show.
 
[quote name='DuelLadyS']I've never really understood these kinds of questions. Why not watch BOTH? It's not like either show is hard to find or anything. You can always drop one if you don't like it.

Seriously, more people need to quit acting like watching anime is like buying a house (I have to pick ONE SHOW and it has to be the right one becuase I'll be stuck with it for ages!). It's more like a buffet- watch one episode of everything, get more of what you like. You'll find better shows that way, and a lot of things you'd never watch otherwise.

(Sorry if it seems like I'm picking on ya, I just see a variant on 'tell me what to watch' somewhere almost every day. I've got to get this out somewhere!)[/QUOTE]


Keep in mind also that watching Bleach is a huge investment of time compared to most other series.

Does anyone know why they named a series about souls and death after a clothes whitening product?
 
[quote name='GuilewasNK']Does anyone know why they named a series about souls and death after a clothes whitening product?[/QUOTE]

I always figured it had to do with Ichigo's light-colored hair.
 
[quote name='crystalklear64']Watch Death Note over Bleach.

Also your history with anime is pretty typical except I usually see Trigun mentioned as well so look at a synopsis or whatever and see if that'd be interesting to you.[/QUOTE]Thanks, I'll look up Trigun when I get the chance.

[quote name='panzerfaust']First half of Death Note is great, I'd go with that.

Go watch Samurai Champloo instead though, it sounds like it'd be your new favorite show based on what you've already enjoyed.[/QUOTE]Looks like I'll be checking out Samurai Champloo, too. Thanks.

[quote name='Kirin Lemon']Oh god, that's not even a contest, Death Note runs circles around Bleach.[/QUOTE]Noted.

[quote name='Indecisive Rattle']Considering Xecutioner still watches and enjoys Pokemon, maybe Bleach is more on his/her level...[/QUOTE]I hope that wasn't meant to be as backhanded as it sounds :lol:

[quote name='DuelLadyS']I've never really understood these kinds of questions. Why not watch BOTH? It's not like either show is hard to find or anything. You can always drop one if you don't like it.

etc.[/QUOTE]You're reading waaay too much into it. I simply wanted opinions from people who've had more experience with anime to add to the tiny amount of research I've been able to do between finals - to compare the two together and see if I should 1) Watch before the other, or 2) Completely ditch one (or both). I'm definitely not going to apologize for asking a simple question about people's thoughts on two popular shows ;)

[quote name='lilman']They are completely different types of shows so they make a good pair.

First three seasons of Bleach (E1-67) are great so make sure to at least watch to that point. S4-5 are a horrible filler arc and may turn you off from the series. S6 picks up where S3 left off but doesn't regain the feel of the first seasons.[/QUOTE]Thanks. I had a feeling I'd end up watching both, and it seems like Death Note is the more preferred place to start.

--------

Thanks a lot for the input :cool:
 
[quote name='GuilewasNK']Keep in mind also that watching Bleach is a huge investment of time compared to most other series.

Does anyone know why they named a series about souls and death after a clothes whitening product?[/QUOTE]

I've heard three reasons.

The hair.

Supposedly there is a metaphor in there between killing a hollow and bleaching it's soul.

Tite Kubo is a fan of Nirvana.

Anyways, I've been wanting to watch Baccano for the longest time and now that it's on Netflix, I'm about to take the plunge into it and back into anime in general. Netflix has really stepped up in that department and has added all kinds of stuff I've been meaning to see.
 
I am just starting to watch Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and the first 6 episodes (save for the first) are just flying by. I think if I didn't already know what happened, I would be kind of lost because they are just cramming stories into the episodes. Around when do the series diverge? And do they actually focus more on story then and flesh out the plot?
 
Watched all of Eden of the East and the first movie...man cliffhanger much? Apparently you need the series and two movies to actually finish the story, so just be advised if you're going to watch it.

I really dug the show for what it was and can't wait to see the end.
 
[quote name='Predator21281']I am just starting to watch Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and the first 6 episodes (save for the first) are just flying by. I think if I didn't already know what happened, I would be kind of lost because they are just cramming stories into the episodes. Around when do the series diverge? And do they actually focus more on story then and flesh out the plot?[/QUOTE]

Episode 12-ish is where things start to diverge from the first series, and yes, the pacing greatly improves by then.
 
[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']Watched all of Eden of the East and the first movie...man cliffhanger much? Apparently you need the series and two movies to actually finish the story, so just be advised if you're going to watch it.

I really dug the show for what it was and can't wait to see the end.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, this kinda turned me off of the series. I watched it when it was airing in Japan and then the series finished with no resolution. Someday I hope to rewatch it and the movies though.

I did finish Madoka though. And yeah, the last episode was mostly lame. I really enjoyed it otherwise.
 
[quote name='Kirin Lemon']Aside from the lame final episode, it's a really fun show.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='ChibiJosh']I did finish Madoka though. And yeah, the last episode was mostly lame. I really enjoyed it otherwise.[/QUOTE]

I'm curious: why do you guys think the last episode is lame?
 
[quote name='Razzuel']I'm curious: why do you guys think the last episode is lame?[/QUOTE]

I don't have access to a computer with Internet at the moment (hopefully tomorrow!) and I don't feel like typing out spoiler tags on my phone so I'll just say this: it didn't really make sense.
 
[quote name='Razzuel']I'm curious: why do you guys think the last episode is lame?[/QUOTE]

I finished it too, and thought it was a decent ending. If the ending was on par with ep 10, Madoka would have been one hell of a series. Sadly, it wasn't super amazing but I still enjoyed it. Not sure what doesn't make sense to some. My only minor gripe was
the fact that she could wish for basically anything and still made a wish that didn't completely resolve everything. Can't complain too much though because she was pretty naive.
 
[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']Watched all of Eden of the East and the first movie...man cliffhanger much? Apparently you need the series and two movies to actually finish the story, so just be advised if you're going to watch it.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, the end of King of Eden came out of nowhere for me. Not in a good way though, I was definitely thinking, wait... that's it? It has that middle content syndrome where it just kinda exists. It sets up a couple more things, but answers almost nothing, and then it just kinda ends.
 
[quote name='ChibiJosh']I don't have access to a computer with Internet at the moment (hopefully tomorrow!) and I don't feel like typing out spoiler tags on my phone so I'll just say this: it didn't really make sense.[/QUOTE]

Well, there's that, but it most of all, it was a total cop-out. We built up to this potentially awesome battle, and then we got... that. Yawn.
 
I've gotten through 14 episodes of Baccano. I'm in OVA territory now, right?

The series has been pretty great so far although being damn confusing in the first couple of episodes. I think it took me till the eighth when I finally got the timeline down. I still love what it does chronology through and I've always like stories that could jump around like that but still hold sense and worth. Here's hoping that these last two episodes can be just as good as the stuff before it.
 
i haven't seen the oav's but baccano the series told a pretty complete story by my estimation. it was awesome and brutal and i loved it.
 
Baccano was a excellent show.I felt the oav's were a little unnecessary but there good to watch if you want more show.
 
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[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']
You're reading waaay too much into it. I simply wanted opinions from people who've had more experience with anime to add to the tiny amount of research I've been able to do between finals - to compare the two together and see if I should 1) Watch before the other, or 2) Completely ditch one (or both). I'm definitely not going to apologize for asking a simple question about people's thoughts on two popular shows ;)[/QUOTE]

I know, and I am sorry- it's more of a 'breaking point' thing after seeing that question (or a variant thereof) every single day for months on end. I just had to get it out.

In any case- Bleach is streaming on Crunchyroll.com if you want to sample it. The first seasons are only available to premium (read: paid) members, but you can set up a 2-week free trial easily enough... or jump in partway through, the newer episodes are free to all.
 
[quote name='themaster20000']Baccano was a excellent show.I felt the oav's were a little unnecessary but there good to watch if you want more show.[/QUOTE]
I agree, it was different but great. I haven't seen the OVA's though.

I have to give props to funimation through for putting tons of stuff on instant. I have a least a good year of new shit to watch and that is if I regulary watched it (I would love to watch more but gaming eats up my free time :lol:).
 
Finished the first half of D.Gray-Man. It was good but not great. Solid art, cool characters, and classic shounen action. Anyone know if Funimation is going to license the rest of the series?

Finished Flame of Recca anime and it sucked. Unbelievably poor character and relationship development, uneven art, not so great dub, rushed story, negative depiction of women (was there a time when Yanagi wasn't crying, or Fuko wasn't *cold*), etc. Even for a mindless shounen action series this failed.

For replacements I started Hunter x Hunter anime, still need to pick another series to replace Flame of Recca time slot.

On the fifth volume of Love&Collage (Ai Kora, from the creator of Midori Days). Really funny series. I almost dropped it in the first few chapters since the main character wasn't appealing (he just seemed like a pervert), but by the end of v1 he develops into a likeable guy (still a perv, but with redeeming qualities).
 
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The Ushio and Tora manga has finally been fully scanslated! Rejoice! If you're looking for something that is probably in the top 3 shonen manga ever, I'd suggest reading it.

I've also started watching Brain Powerd. It has the weirdest opening of any anime ever, it's just every female character in the show floating around naked. It also has an awkwardly long eyecatch.

[quote name='Kirin Lemon']Well, there's that, but it most of all, it was a total cop-out. We built up to this potentially awesome battle, and then we got... that. Yawn.[/QUOTE]
That wouldn't have worked at all.
If Madoka did fight, Homura would have had to go back in time again to start over.

[quote name='ChibiJosh']I don't have access to a computer with Internet at the moment (hopefully tomorrow!) and I don't feel like typing out spoiler tags on my phone so I'll just say this: it didn't really make sense.[/QUOTE]
Here's why it didn't make sense to me.
Maybe this was just a problem with the translation of the fansub, but Madoka's wish was basically translated as "I wish magic never existed". And then she flew all around collecting the evil-ness that had built up in all the magical girls' soul gems. The first one she did this to disappeared though. I didn't quite understand what happened there. Also, were Sayaka and Mami resurrected? I wasn't sure on that.
Then at the end, Homura is still a magical girl fighting new enemies that aren't former magical girls (apparently). And Kyuubei who was part of an alien race that designed the whole magical girl system didn't really explain anything. Is he still granting wishes? Does this new system still provide energy to the universe?

[quote name='lilman']
Finished Flame of Recca anime and it sucked. Unbelievably poor character and relationship development, uneven art, not so great dub, rushed story, negative depiction of women (was there a time when Yanagi wasn't crying, or Fuko wasn't *cold*), etc. Even for a mindless shounen action series this failed.
[/QUOTE]
No one ever trust this person's taste again.

Although, the manga is actually better.As an example, Yanagi is a much stronger character in the manga, she's not such a crybaby and actually offers herself up as the prize in the tournament. Plus the manga actually finishes the story, the anime stops at not even the half-way point.
 
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[quote name='ChibiJosh']Although, the manga is actually better.As an example, Yanagi is a much stronger character in the manga, she's not such a crybaby and actually offers herself up as the prize in the tournament. Plus the manga actually finishes the story, the anime stops at not even the half-way point.[/QUOTE]
I'm fine with the anime not covering the complete story, that's not uncommon in manga adaptations. But the anime should stand be able to stand by itself and in this case it doesn't. Like in the beginning, how Recca and Yanagi originally get close, Recca had some weird vision of her and from that point on calls her "princess"... wtf. I would have been freaked out if I were Yanagi, probably get a restraining order.

For most of the series when the camera pans to Yanagi it's only to show her collapsing to the floor crying "oh Recca". I think the devs felt Fuko was becoming too tomboyish to maintain appeal so they started drawing her more sexy and put her in some provocative situations. Domon couldn't be more two-dimensional. Tokiya didn't get to resolve much, they were building up his story and then let it go. Kaoru and that little girl weren't important but they sure got a lot of face time.

They did an ok job with Recca's and Kurei's characters, that's about it. All the other characters and their own mini-plots go nowhere. So yeah, at least as far as the anime goes, that sucked.

[quote name='ChibiJosh']No one ever trust this person's taste again.[/QUOTE]
Spice and Wolf is awesome, I just made you a liar :p
 
[quote name='lilman'] Tokiya didn't get to resolve much, they were building up his story and then let it go. [/QUOTE]
Well, Tokiya is an example of the manga going a lot father than the anime. Tokiya's past doesn't get resolved until near the end of the manga storyline, way past the end of the anime.

And the change in the artwork may be because the manga's artwork changed drastically from the beginning to the end. Flame of Recca was practically Nokuyuki Anzai's first work (he had a really short work before it). He was clearly still finding his own style.

I think Kaoru is fairly important, but you're right, the little girl (Ganko, I think) wasn't important. She actually disappears in the manga except for the odd chapter or two.
 
I don't know how I've missed the awesomeness that is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure for so long. I remember playing the fighting game years ago but it never occurred to me to watch the anime. Man I miss this kind of anime :/
 
I'm pretty sure part of Lilman's problem with Flame of Recca was that he watched it in English. I usually watch anime in English, and I couldn't take that dub, it was terrible.
 
[quote name='ChibiJosh']Well, Tokiya is an example of the manga going a lot father than the anime. Tokiya's past doesn't get resolved until near the end of the manga storyline, way past the end of the anime.

And the change in the artwork may be because the manga's artwork changed drastically from the beginning to the end. Flame of Recca was practically Nokuyuki Anzai's first work (he had a really short work before it). He was clearly still finding his own style.

I think Kaoru is fairly important, but you're right, the little girl (Ganko, I think) wasn't important. She actually disappears in the manga except for the odd chapter or two.[/QUOTE]
Tokiya's story was interesting, I wish they had explored it more in the anime. I think you're right, her name was Ganko. She stuck around like someone had adopted her. I guess they didn't know how to politely remove her from the anime story. They should have found a lost relative for her to live with or taken her to an orphanage. Anything would have been better than bringing a little girl to watch a death tournament :p

The change in artwork reminded me of the original Naruto series when (possible spoiler)
Naruto has the big fight with Sasuke so that he will come back to the village (the one at the waterfall)
. The change in artwork for Naruto was awesome, they didn't do nearly as good a job with Recca. Maybe Recca is what inspired Naruto to try the more realistic art style for a few episodes.

[quote name='Gden']I'm pretty sure part of Lilman's problem with Flame of Recca was that he watched it in English. I usually watch anime in English, and I couldn't take that dub, it was terrible.[/QUOTE]
Yes I watched it in English. It's not the worst dub I've heard (that award goes to Karin), but it was pretty bad. Yanagi and Fuko were especially grating. Even if the dub was better I wouldn't have liked the anime. The manga is probably the way to go for Flame of Recca, then watch the anime.
 
[quote name='lilman']Tokiya's story was interesting, I wish they had explored it more in the anime. I think you're right, her name was Ganko. She stuck around like someone had adopted her. I guess they didn't know how to politely remove her from the anime story. They should have found a lost relative for her to live with or taken her to an orphanage. Anything would have been better than bringing a little girl to watch a death tournament :p

Yes I watched it in English. It's not the worst dub I've heard (that award goes to Karin), but it was pretty bad. Yanagi and Fuko were especially grating. Even if the dub was better I wouldn't have liked the anime. The manga is probably the way to go for Flame of Recca, then watch the anime.[/QUOTE]

Well, Fuko did adopt Ganko in the manga, but Ganko stayed home during the tournament arc, so you only saw her when the group was back at their homes.

I watched the anime first and then read the manga. In fact Flame of Recca was one of the first anime I saw back in like 2001 on fansub tapes.
 
Long time no see :)

I haven't watched anime in awhile (partly due to the fact that almost no good simulcasts have aired in almost a year), but this season had a lot of good shows so I started watching a few (all on Crunchyroll). A few thoughts here, if anyone else is watching simulcasts right now I'd be curious what you think of them.

Deadman Wonderland right now is by far my favorite of this season. Maybe it's because I haven't watched anime in a little while, but it feels refreshing. Really solid and unique story, I'm liking a lot of the characters, and the overall setting is something that I haven't seen before. It's also only 12 episodes, and therefore moving very quickly (almost too fast), which keeps it from getting boring ever. Highly recommended.

Steins;Gate is weird for weird's sake, and while it's not like I don't understand a decent portion of what's going on, none of it really seems to be important. There's a lot of extended dialog where nothing gets accomplished, and it reminds me a little of the rambling of Haruhi Suzumiya, except the dialog and characters aren't all that interesting. I'm going to keep watching it, but can't say I recommend it just yet.

Blue Exorcist had a decent pilot that, at the end, started to seem like it would be a generic Bleach-time show. After the fourth episode, it looks like that won't be the case, and while not nearly as good as Deadman Wonderland, it has a solid plot and characters even thought it hasn't come very far just yet. Still have high hopes

I watched the first episode (and little bit of 2) of C [Control], but couldn't get into it and dropped it for now. Just didn't seem like it was going anywhere, and the whole plot was beyond ridiculous.

The final show I'm watching may be the biggest surprise, Hanasaku Iroha. It's a show about a girl all alone who goes to an inn to work there, and has just about the most generic premise. However, the show manages to avoid a lot of anime cliches, and I actually really like Ohana (the protagonist). It's a hard show to describe without sounding like any other anime out there, but for some reason it feels unique and I definitely recommend this one too.

I also watched Eden of the East last month (finally). LOVED it. Western-influenced, maybe, but I loved everything about it, and just got the movie in a few days ago. Looking forward to watching that, and the eventual (hopefully) localization of the second movie. Haven't seen a show this good since Durarara!! (which is still one of my favoirte shows ever, but $40/9 episodes = I'll wait for a price drop).

Until next time.

TL;DR
 
[quote name='lilman']Finished the first half of D.Gray-Man. It was good but not great. Solid art, cool characters, and classic shounen action. Anyone know if Funimation is going to license the rest of the series?


For replacements I started Hunter x Hunter anime, still need to pick another series to replace Flame of Recca time slot.

[/QUOTE]

Problem with HxH is that the manga goes on hiatus for months and barely makes any progress. Same with D.Gray-Man. It is just going to be a situation they are not moving at all with no closure in sight.
 
[quote name='62t']Problem with HxH is that the manga goes on hiatus for months and barely makes any progress. Same with D.Gray-Man. It is just going to be a situation they are not moving at all with no closure in sight.[/QUOTE]
At the moment I'm only concerned with the anime. Both of these anime series are complete. D.Gray-Man is 103 episodes and has finished airing in Japan, but only the first half has been licensed and released in the US by Funimation. Hunter x Hunter is 62 episodes and fully released in the US by Viz. I have all the (currently available) D.Gray-Man and HxH dvd's, I'm hoping Funimation dubs the rest of D.Gray-Man.

I watched the first few episodes of HxH and it is great so far. It has a Legend of Zelda adventure feel, more focus on story than action.
 
[quote name='lilman']At the moment I'm only concerned with the anime. Both of these anime series are complete. [/QUOTE]
Just because they stopped airing doesn't mean they're complete, really.

For Hunter x Hunter, there are 30 OAV episodes on top of the 62 TV episodes that weren't released in the US. These pick up right where the TV ended.
 
[quote name='ChibiJosh']Just because they stopped airing doesn't mean they're complete, really.

For Hunter x Hunter, there are 30 OAV episodes on top of the 62 TV episodes that weren't released in the US. These pick up right where the TV ended.[/QUOTE]
I never assume the anime tells the complete story, I was just referring to the main tv series being complete.

I heard there are ova's for HxH but I didn't know there are 30... I think Viz only licensed the 62 episode tv series so far, I'll be content with that. For D.Gray-Man I would like to finish the 103 episode story if Funimation decides to license it.
 
Watched Rebuild of Evangelion 1.11 (finally) and 2.22. I'm glad I waited for 2 before watching 1. When the credits started rolling for 1 I thought I had accidentally hit the skip button on the remote, but no it ends rather abruptly. There weren't too many differences between 1 and the original series, but 2 really switched things up. The art is amazing! I usually don't care blu-ray vs dvd for anime, but in this case I think hd makes a difference. The music was pretty good, it will be hard for them to top Komm Susser Tod from End of Evangelion that so unexpectedly fit the climax. So far I think this is a great rebirth of the series. 2 covered so much ground, it will be interesting what content they have for 3 and 4. I don't think they even have a theater date for 3 in Japan yet, this will take forever to come to the US...
 
[quote name='crystalklear64']I don't know how I've missed the awesomeness that is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure for so long. I remember playing the fighting game years ago but it never occurred to me to watch the anime. Man I miss this kind of anime :/[/QUOTE]

So you finally know what Za Warudo means. Yay!

I liked Flame of Recca subbed back in 1999 or whenever I watched it. I somehow doubt it would hold up to scrutiny today.

HXH ends on a cliffhanger that will never be resolved. It was fun but the ending leaves you a bit bitter. Also Greed Island feels super-unnecessary.

D. Gray-man really needs an R2 or something to continue the story because I really dug the show for what it was.

I just got all caught up on Shippuden again. Man so much major shit goes down in the show and so many taboos about what happens to major characters are broken. It's a shame Naruto drove off so many people with really subpar stuff earlier because they're really doing good shonen work now and many anime fans have no clue.
 
[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']So you finally know what Za Warudo means. Yay!

I liked Flame of Recca subbed back in 1999 or whenever I watched it. I somehow doubt it would hold up to scrutiny today.

HXH ends on a cliffhanger that will never be resolved. It was fun but the ending leaves you a bit bitter. Also Greed Island feels super-unnecessary.

D. Gray-man really needs an R2 or something to continue the story because I really dug the show for what it was.

I just got all caught up on Shippuden again. Man so much major shit goes down in the show and so many taboos about what happens to major characters are broken. It's a shame Naruto drove off so many people with really subpar stuff earlier because they're really doing good shonen work now and many anime fans have no clue.[/QUOTE]

Well that's really the problem with shounen's.They pull you in with a good arc in the beginning and then they usually just drag on after that and then they start adding a ton of unnecessary and underdeveloped characters to the story which really helps its drag down even more.So it should be easy to understand why people wouldn't want to bother with the show at this point.
 
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[quote name='ChibiJosh']That wouldn't have worked at all [in reference to Madoka Magica].
If Madoka did fight, Homura would have had to go back in time again to start over.
[/QUOTE]

Huh, but there was a fight at the end?
After Madoka made her wish, she destroyed every witch that ever existed, including the past and the future. Did you guys miss the scene where she shoots like a million arrows at the Walpurgis Night witch, disintegrating her?

[quote name='ChibiJosh']Here's why it didn't make sense to me [in reference to Madoka Magica].
Maybe this was just a problem with the translation of the fansub, but Madoka's wish was basically translated as "I wish magic never existed". And then she flew all around collecting the evil-ness that had built up in all the magical girls' soul gems. The first one she did this to disappeared though. I didn't quite understand what happened there. Also, were Sayaka and Mami resurrected? I wasn't sure on that.
Then at the end, Homura is still a magical girl fighting new enemies that aren't former magical girls (apparently). And Kyuubei who was part of an alien race that designed the whole magical girl system didn't really explain anything. Is he still granting wishes? Does this new system still provide energy to the universe?
[/QUOTE]

Major ending spoilers for Madoka Magica:
I don't know what fansubs you watched, but I watched gg's fansubs, and I didn't have a problem with the translation.

Madoka wished that witches never existed. She traveled into the past and the future to destroy every witch that ever existed or will exist. The magical girls that were disappearing were disappearing because they're already dead; they lived in the past many, many years ago and their soul gems were corrupted, like Cleopatra and Joan of Arc. Madoka erased the source of witches and brought peace to each of the girls' souls. Kyouko and Mami were resurrected because they never died, since witches don't exist anymore. They were killed by witches, remember? Sayaka, on the other hand, remains dead, since she doesn't want her wish to be revoked.

About the end: the rules didn't entirely change. Madoka's wish only removed the existence of witches from the universe. Magical girls still exist; demons plague the world instead of witches; and magical girls' soul gems still get cursed, however, instead of turning into a witch, the girls go to heaven where Madoka resides, I believe. I don't remember if they ever mention wishes still being granted, so I'm not sure. Yes, they are still collecting energy, but as Kyuubey mentions its more inefficient than the idea of witches.

[quote name='the_punisher']What are everyone's thoughts on the new season of shows?[/QUOTE]

These aren't spoilers; I am just using spoiler tags to reduce how much text appears in my post. Sorry it's so long, haha.

  • A-Channel:
    On second thought, it's not like Azumanga at all. I should have said it's like K-On because that's a more apt comparison. Anyway, it's an enjoyable slice-of-life show with some really likable characters.
  • Ano Hana:
    I don't care at all for the characters or what's happening to them. It looks amazing, but it's missing that special magic that brings everything together and captivates me.
  • Aria the Scarlet Ammo:
    This was rather trite. At first I hated the show, but it's moved up from hate to indifference after watching episode three. Ugh, it's basically just Toradora with Guns, but not good.
  • Astarotte's Toy:
    Ugh, this show is not good. It tries to be a heartwarming tale, but the base premise, fan service, and suspect situations really creep me out.
  • Blue Exorcist:
    Blue Exorcist is pretty exciting. It's looks amazing, the characters are great, and the action is bad ass.
  • C:
    So far C is interesting; it's another Faustian tale like Madoka Magica, but C's story is contemporary. It has the potential to be great.
  • Deadman Wonderland:
    Despite some moments during the first episode where I couldn't suspend my disbelief, Deadman Wonderland has impressed with every episode. It has yet to slow down; it's a brutal show with a fast pace that keeps everything exciting.
  • Denpa Onna:
    Uh, this show is pretty boring; I guess it's supposed to be a comedy, but I haven't been laughing.
  • Dororon Enma-kun:
    Now this is the kind of fan service I can get behind, haha. Enma-kun's old school look and feel, the fan service, and the comedy makes for quite an enjoyable experience.
  • Hanasaku Iroha:
    I had high hopes for this show even before it aired, and it delivers. It's one of the best shows this season. It might sound boring, since it's a slice of life show, but all of the characters and the drama really make it something special.
  • Hen Zemi:
    Disgusting, haha. Hen Zemi is off the wall, and I think I'm watching it like someone would be interested in watching a train crash.
  • Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi:
    Another one of these, huh? Hoshizora is entirely cliche, and it brings nothing new to the visual-novel-adaption-harem-genre shows.
  • Nichijou:
    Kyoto Animation does not disappoint with some of their jokes; it's kind of crazy a show like this has such high levels of animation. I love it when it clicks, but not all of the jokes click, since I'm not a part of Japanese culture.
  • Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai:
    Garbage. Absolute fucking garbage. There are like a million characters (most of which are unremarkable), the fan service is misogynistic, there's no plot, and it's incredibly boring.
  • Sekaiichi Hatsukoi:
    I really like the inside look of the manga industry; it's very interesting. I don't care for the homosexual stuff, but hey, the characters are good and the manga industry stuff is really cool, so it's fine, haha.
  • Sengoku Otome:
    I thought I was going to hate this show, but I actually, really, really like it, haha. It's not offensive, it's funny, the action is great, and the characters are awesome.
  • Sket Dance:
    With each episode, I am enjoying the show more and more. I think it's original and it's quite funny.
  • Steins;Gate:
    Another one of the best shows this season. The pacing is absolutely perfect; the veil of the mystery pulls back just enough with each episode. The characters are amazing (I love Mayushii's "Do do doo") and I love the focus are science and technology.
  • Tiger & Bunny:
    The first episode blew me away, and it continues to impress. It's one of the most original shows this season; I love the idea of a reality show based on super heroes fighting crimes.
  • The World God Only Knows 2:
    Boring, boring, boring. Keima never develops as a character; he never even developed during the first season! Also, this is exactly the same as the first season so far. Keima finds a girl that has a loose soul, Keima gets close to the girl, they kiss, the loose soul is ejected, the loose soul is captured, and then everyone forgets everything ever happened and goes back on with their lives, basically.
  • Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san:
    Azazel is the funniest show this season; it's incredibly crass —and kind of disgusting, haha— but it's so damn funny. Also, one of the main characters reminds me of Rail Tracer from Baccano, in that he's an unstoppable force, which is just a blast to watch.
I haven't checked out Toriko or Moshidora yet, but I am planning on it; I've just been extremely busy — oh, and I'm already watching like a million shows that are already airing. What the hell am I thinking?!

[quote name='ChibiJosh']Best anime in years? I think so.[/QUOTE]

Eh, Ano Hana isn't doing anything for me; it's just not that special or captivating.
 
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[quote name='Razzuel']

Eh, Ano Hana isn't doing anything for me; it's just not that special or captivating.[/QUOTE]
Clearly you didn't have a group of close friends as a child, or maybe you just never drifted apart from them.... Or you just have bad taste. ;)
 
[quote name='themaster20000']Well that's really the problem with shounen's.They pull you in with a good arc in the beginning and then they usually just drag on after that and then they start adding a ton of unnecessary and underdeveloped characters to the story which really helps its drag down even more.So it should be easy to understand why people wouldn't want to bother with the show at this point.[/QUOTE]

i actually think naruto's high point is the chunin exam with all the "underdeveloped" characters. rock lee vs. gaara made instant dedicated fans out of a lot of people. it was the filler arcs and weak writing (pre-shippuden) that really killed the show for a lot of people.

shippuden has really been pretty surprising in what they're willing to do as far as shaking things up in a big established IP/merchandising monster. shippuden has also really marginalized all the extra characters as now they are basically never in the show. this kind of saddens me because a few of them i liked seeing every now and again.
 
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