Media Anime and Manga Thread MK3 - Beware Spoilers

[Diophantine]

Any One Piece fans/experts here? I just started watching it yesterday and there’s obviously... a lot of content to take in. Are the movies/OVAs necessary? Or am I good to just watch the first 130 episodes on Netflix?

I would say read the manga before anything else because it's quicker to read than it is to watch, and you still get all the same story stuff. You can go back and watch your favourite scenes and non-canon stuff whenever you want. I'd say this to anyone starting a long series.

IF YOU PLAN ON DIVING INTO THE WORLD OF THE PROMISED NEVERLAND, DO WATCH S1 ANIMATED AND THEN SWITCH OVER TO THE MANGA.

I took your advice and was not disappointed.

The Promised Neverland was a great series. I give it 8/10 overall, and Emma might be one of my favourite anime/manga main characters.

end of manga spoilers

I wish Norman was more of a villain, as that would really test Emma, Ray, and all the rest of the kids. I felt the series was gearing up to that, but his turnaround only happened after he succeeded in his plan with no backlash. In fact, his plan succeeding helped Emma's plan go much more smoothly. I also felt that Isabella's death was very forced and could have been executed better if it were in the final battle against Ratri. Speaking of which, I thought that the final showdown was kind of underwhelming, although I am not disappointed in it at all. It was not bad, but I expected a lot more from a series that had an opening arc as amazing and deep as it did.

 

[Posho]

no offense but I really don't understand this whole thing about "TPN season 2 had a horrible ending" when the manga ending itself was really bad.

Also I'm not sure if this was just an anime problem since I kinda skimmed the manga but I feel like the whole story arc was kinda approached the wrong way. The whole time it felt like it was trying to up the stakes but in reality there were no consequences whatsoever for all the kids. Nobody died or really came close to dying except for a few of the main 3, but it was always kinda obvious that they wouldn't actually die, so it wasn't really a well written thriller anyway. I really would have loved to see more tactics and strategy but there wasn't really much of that with any stakes.

I think it's a question of quality. Like, I understand the manga didn't end in the most satisfying fashion, but you just need mere common sense, because you'll get the most value and payoff from the story from its original source and not the dumpster fire that was the anime. Ergo, The Promised Talk No Jutsu > The Promised Slideshow if you want to make justice to the masterpiece that is S1.

 

[Rugi]

86 is such an unbelievably dogshit show and seeing it be one of the most popular anime airing this season is insane. Every line of dialogue feels like an attempt to do naturalistic exposition but since it happens so often and the characters constantly talk as if they are explaining something to a third party I can almost see the author sharting out her garbage world building in my face.

This is most obvious in an episode that has an in-universe school lecture about the world that goes on for like 5 minutes.

The show constantly tries to create crappy drama by forcing some unbelievably soppy artificial scene where the characters are enjoying themselves only to make them suffer 3 minutes later and throws in some navel gazing about how shitty war is. This has already happened like 5 times.

What's more amazing is that despite the fact that every episode is essentially 15 minutes of the lamest exposition followed by some random character you don't remember being killed, said exposition isn't enough to actually tell you what the fuck is going on. This isn't an intentionally mysterious show. Rather it's just incompetently directed with constant flashbacks and events happening out of order, and random unexplained fuckery at every turn.

It's so poorly organised that pretty much every scene transition the show actually tells you the in-universe date (in "stellar calendar" no less for some unknown fucking reason) because if it didn't you genuinely wouldn't be able to tell what the fuck it's talking about.

So yeah anyway this anime is probably gonna get like three seasons and the braindead military girl is gonna make millions in figure sales have fun lads

 

[SOMALIA]

Great opening and similar to Kengan Ashura for anyone who is looking for something somewhat similar.

 

[vonFiedler]

Any One Piece fans/experts here? I just started watching it yesterday and there’s obviously... a lot of content to take in. Are the movies/OVAs necessary? Or am I good to just watch the first 130 episodes on Netflix?

OP anime is great for a few hundred episodes, but I'd definitely swap over to the manga by the time you get to the time skip. Grueling <1 chapter per episode pace.

You might as well get caught up before worrying about movies, but the ones to watch are Strong World (written by Oda and featuring a somewhat important canonical character) and Gold. Maybe Z and Stampede. If you like Mamoru Hosoda, he made the Baron Omatsuri movie, and it's fuckin weird.

 

[kona!]

I would say read the manga before anything else because it's quicker to read than it is to watch, and you still get all the same story stuff. You can go back and watch your favourite scenes and non-canon stuff whenever you want. I'd say this to anyone starting a long series.

I second this. I recently started One Piece as well and got to the intro of Usopp before I gave up because of how drawn out the anime can be at times. About a month ago I started reading the manga from where I stopped and the pacing is MUCH much better. I'll probably switch back over at the time skip and reevaluate (already got spoiled for that lol) .

 

[vonFiedler]

I've been enjoying Re:Zero greatly. It was a major surprise for me, as it's easy to write off when you learn that it's an Isekai. But truthfully it's a lot less like Isekais and a lot more like Fate/Stay Night. I could write a whole post about the similarities and some scenes that are ripped almost exactly from FSN, but that's not why I'm here. Just saying that if Re:Zero was inspired a lot by my favorite thing AND could also establish itself as its own thing, that would be really great.

Unfortunately I just finished Season 2 Part 2 and I'd have to say that things went greatly downhill. Part of this might be the fault of the delay between part 1 and part 2. Part 1 sets up the time loop and shows all the stakes, while Part 2 is dedicated to resolving them. Unfortunately, in practice this means that after months of not watching the show you come back to LOTS of exposition and backstory. Everything gets dumped here and it takes several episodes to do so, and I'd be lying if I said I could pay enough attention (I will need to rewatch from Season 2 start).

As for actual resolution, everything is resolved depressingly easy. Part 1 introduces a bunch of threats in different locations, and they each just get beat up easily by different characters and then teleportation resolves the rest. One good way to compare this to Season 1 is that there, to defeat one of the Great Mawbeasts, Subaru needed to grow as a person, make complex political arrangements, and bring an army to beat the thing. Even then it came at the cost of the best character in the show. The second Great Mawbeast? Dead in 5 minutes of screentime.

Subaru is far too wise now. Much of the charm of the show was how flawed he was as a character, and while it would be frustrating if he never grew, I just don't know where we go from here dramatically. If he can talk his way out of anything without putting his foot in his mouth or suffering, then I dunno, it feels shaky. (let's not even get into his growing army of platonic girlfriends)

But at least in a vacuum his character development is good. I don't know what the FUCK is going on with Emilia, who went from a Saber/Tohsaka hybrid "I don't need no man to put me on a pedestal" in Season 1 to a quivering useless piece of shit in Season 2. And while she's supposed to have gone through an arc to get past that and become a more confident person again, I don't like, get it. Kinda just seems like she needed a man to mack on her until she got over herself, which is a stark contrast to Season 1. But the show really tries to make you think she's gone through the mental journey. Ok, so, everyone she knew died... but she forgot. And then she remembers... and she's suddenly just fine now.

Also, say what you will about "People die when they are killed" out of context (the context being that he's a person who can't die ffs), Emilia thinking that babies come from kissing is the dumbest fucking in an otherwise good show I've seen in a long time. I just can't.

I'd hardly say it's bad, but it's strayed far from the 10/10 show I wanted it to develop into.

 

[Fishin]

86

The thing that stands out most to me is how it had a "fanservice" episode and all the characters are still acting typically prudish even when most of them are probably going to die in the next month or two. It smacks of taking a popular element from other anime and transplanting it into a different setting without any thought put in.

I've been enjoying Re:Zero greatly. It was a major surprise for me, as it's easy to write off when you learn that it's an Isekai. But truthfully it's a lot less like Isekais and a lot more like Fate/Stay Night. I could write a whole post about the similarities and some scenes that are ripped almost exactly from FSN, but that's not why I'm here. Just saying that if Re:Zero was inspired a lot by my favorite thing AND could also establish itself as its own thing, that would be really great.

Unfortunately I just finished Season 2 Part 2 and I'd have to say that things went greatly downhill. Part of this might be the fault of the delay between part 1 and part 2. Part 1 sets up the time loop and shows all the stakes, while Part 2 is dedicated to resolving them. Unfortunately, in practice this means that after months of not watching the show you come back to LOTS of exposition and backstory. Everything gets dumped here and it takes several episodes to do so, and I'd be lying if I said I could pay enough attention (I will need to rewatch from Season 2 start).

As for actual resolution, everything is resolved depressingly easy. Part 1 introduces a bunch of threats in different locations, and they each just get beat up easily by different characters and then teleportation resolves the rest. One good way to compare this to Season 1 is that there, to defeat one of the Great Mawbeasts, Subaru needed to grow as a person, make complex political arrangements, and bring an army to beat the thing. Even then it came at the cost of the best character in the show. The second Great Mawbeast? Dead in 5 minutes of screentime.

Subaru is far too wise now. Much of the charm of the show was how flawed he was as a character, and while it would be frustrating if he never grew, I just don't know where we go from here dramatically. If he can talk his way out of anything without putting his foot in his mouth or suffering, then I dunno, it feels shaky. (let's not even get into his growing army of platonic girlfriends)

But at least in a vacuum his character development is good. I don't know what the FUCK is going on with Emilia, who went from a Saber/Tohsaka hybrid "I don't need no man to put me on a pedestal" in Season 1 to a quivering useless piece of shit in Season 2. And while she's supposed to have gone through an arc to get past that and become a more confident person again, I don't like, get it. Kinda just seems like she needed a man to mack on her until she got over herself, which is a stark contrast to Season 1. But the show really tries to make you think she's gone through the mental journey. Ok, so, everyone she knew died... but she forgot. And then she remembers... and she's suddenly just fine now.

Also, say what you will about "People die when they are killed" out of context (the context being that he's a person who can't die ffs), Emilia thinking that babies come from kissing is the dumbest fucking in an otherwise good show I've seen in a long time. I just can't.

I'd hardly say it's bad, but it's strayed far from the 10/10 show I wanted it to develop into.

I have complicated feelings on the direction Re:Zero went after the first season. Some of the issues are just simple writing flaws (ie the pacing and more problems/mysteries being introduced than solved), but I feel like it's kind of lost the unique identity that it had. The first season was defined by being a unique take on isekai where Subaru was useless instead of overpowered and an unaware asshole who had trouble seeing past his own wants instead of a generally nice guy. Both of those things seem like they're going by the wayside to an extent.

Emilia's "development" in s2 is weird since it comes after a scene with Subaru being particularly toxic and basically browbeating her into accepting his affections when she's already in an emotionally vulnerable state. I was expecting there to be some negative repercussions for this but...nothing really happened and everyone in the show seems to be treating what Subaru did as totally okay and cool and it legitimately helped Emilia, apparently. It would be one thing if he was growing into a better person, but him staying a shitty person and the show just going along with it is even worse. Maybe this will be expanded on later, but I'm not confident.

Also yeah, several of the major threats in the second season went down much more easily than I was expecting them to and it ended up feeling generally anticlimactic even though it was all one big arc instead of several smaller ones like the first season.

 

[Mr.E]

Emilia thinking that babies come from kissing is the dumbest fucking in an otherwise good show I've seen in a long time. I just can't.

Don't be ridiculous, it takes less than that.

 

[Fishin]

Also in the interest of not being entirely negative about stuff, I'll say that this season is pretty weak for the most part but Odd Taxi is great. It's one of those rare shows that has dialogue good enough to carry the entire thing even before the plot starts to kick in. There's something very human and grounded about the writing that's kind of uncommon in anime.

 

[Rugi]

snip

Other than second seasons oddtaxi is p much the only show Ive been watching the moment new eps come out and it blows my mind everytime. The writing is very reminiscent of Japanese radio shows and even though the anime is obviously super well planned and scripted any given scene feels like an an ad lib with two great comedians that happens to just take place in a crime drama anime about talking animals.

Spoiler for episode 1-2

Kabasawa's twitter account is real and has been posting for nearly a year. You can find it here
https://twitter.com/kbsw_t

 

[vonFiedler]

Finally "got" to see the last Gintama movie today while on a plane and sick with mono.

 

[Martin]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1404903172116815878

We finally gonna get a good Junji Ito adaptation?

 

[Rugi]

Season Review Extravaganza:

Good series (watch this one):
Odd taxi

Okay series:
Shadows house
Shakunetsu Kabaddi

Everything else was mediocre shit. Bonus points to Nagatoro for being the exact same show as Takagi but being so far gone and so blatant with its vanilla ass bullying SnM eat fresh fanservice that it wrapped around and became funny.
Also if u liked 86 ur a bad a person and I'm not sorry for you.

Didn't watch Fumetsu cause I've already read the manga and thats not the kinda thing u can go through twice but if the anime is even half as good it is worth a watch

It's still airing but the hidden good show of the season is "Maiko sanchi no omakanai" which is just about a bunch of cute geishas-in-training talking about cooking food and geisha culture which is honestly what half of my real conversations are like so yeah maybe this one just appeals to me but watch it anyway because Kiyo is a very good chef and she is my child and she does a very good job!!

I am excited for absolutely nothing next season and I want boku no hero to end already

This one looks pretty good though

 

[Paino]

Summer 2021 is meh. Only good show I like is slime anime S2P2 and dragon maid S2. Maybe one of the new shows are really good but im sleeping on it

 

[Fishin]

To Your Eternity/Fumetsu no Anate he was one of the other good shows. Parts of it are a bit overly sappy but overall I'm enjoying it and the concept is pretty weird and unique.

I also kind of liked Back Arrow, it wasn't great or anything but it manages to be some good dumb fun for most of the runtime and original 2-cour anime that don't completely suck are rare these days.

 

[Martin]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1413165983485681670

 

[Rugi]

This season has had a whole load of surprises

DRAGON MAID S2: I didn't like the first one and I don't like this one. All the spectacular animation in the world can't save a show where every character is the same two jokes repeated and big tits=funny. This really, really badly wants to be nichijou, but sadly the core concept and characters are just kinda shit. Loads of porn of them on Twitter though.

KANOJO MO KANOJO: Comedy romance where the main protag forms a poly relationship with two chicks. Top notch opening and is a master of treading the line between being a dumbshit romance and a genius comedy. Excellent drunkwatch.

BOKUTACHI NO REMAKE: Frankly came across as a really shitty wish fulfilment harem disguised as a soppy melodrama at first. I dropped it for several weeks and then came back and was very pleasantly surprised at the hilariously out-of-left-field direction of the past couple of episodes. If this kind of show isn't your cup of tea you still shouldn't watch it, but if you even slightly want to fuck one of the main love interests this show doubles both as fanservice and your wake-up call. Give it a try.

GENJITSU SHUGI YUUSHA SOMETHING SOMETHING: Fun trash isekai concept hampered by awful writing and the occasional bizarre art direction. If you want to watch fantasy economics with a romance developing in the background just watch spice and wolf.

JAHY SAMA: I don't get it. This show was fucking everywhere on social media even before airing. It's not bad per-say rather I just feel like it's what would pop out if you told an A.I to make a comedy slice of life based on recent trends. The plain potato chip of anime in the sense that I'm only consuming it because it's there.

SHINIGAMI BOCCHAN TO KURO MAID: Cute love story between a rich noble who is cursed to kill anything he touches and his sole and loyal maid. The 3D animation is a little bit off-putting but I got used to it pretty quick. Breaks ground by having the main couple love each other very openly from the get-go and the plot instead being about how they live with his curse and the social challenges of a cursed noble and his maid. A bit low quality but I recommend anyway.

SHIRO SUNA TO AQUATOPE: Speaking of soppy melodramas can very cute but tragic main character girl save her beloved aquarium from closing down? And in said aquarium people occasionally meet important deceased from their life! Unbearably cheesy stupid show that r/anime will probably deem AOTY once the big sad thing happens. I think the show could be significantly improved by removing all the extremely lame supernatural elements as it is already wanking itself off enough without them.

URAMICHI ONIISAN: A comedy intended for mid 20s-30s Japanese people. Decently funny and a SoL based on the depressing lives of a bunch of actors working in a kids show is a genius concept. Unfortunately many of the episodes are fairly same-y and a lot of the humour doesn't translate well. If you've gotten a kick out of other anime work comedies this one might be worth a shot.

KAGEKI SHOUJO: Finally an idol show that puts all the main characters through the hell they deserve. Very fun drama and despite not being a comedy anime has easily the funniest jokes of anything in this season. If you're even slightly interested in theatre you will love this and even as a character drama it's a very strong show. Sarasa is also best girl of the season. A must-watch.


Everything else I either dropped or didn't watch

 

[Oya/Semort]

Someone hyped by the part VI of Lupin the third airing soon?

 

[mertyville]

I got into Kinnikuman last month and I love it. It started of as a stupid parody of Ultraman but later became its own thing: A wrestling based fighting "shonen" anime. Sadly only 94 Episodes of 137 are translated. It also has no dub because certain shit that is no longer tolerable in the modern era. And there are only 29 Episodes translated of its sequel Scramble for the Throne which is my favorite arc so far introducing me to my favorite character: Kinnikuman Soldier.

The show has some generic tropes you see in several media (well, it is a 90th anime/manga) but its execution is what I love. There is friendship power, but it is not used like deus ex machina. It can be used by the opponents and can be a double edged sword in the way how people inteprete friendship putting stuff like individuality at risk.
There is not a single show where I have that many characters I like and they were all submitted by readers. There are a bunch of stupid designs, but the author does a lot to make them work in the series.
I don't think there is any character that I don't like (minus the design) and the manga is still ongoing making previously useless characters useful.

Also regarding power balance, non of the fights feel much like filler like in shows such as Dragon Ball. "Henchmen" are capable to deal with their boss and even if the MC beats a final badguy, the other characters contributed in some way to make it worthwhile such as helping him learn a new technique, expose a weakness of an opponent or motivate him.

There is also a sequel called Kinnikuman Nisei also known as Ultimate Muscle which was translated by 4Kids. Didn't watch that.

I also watched some other retro anime lately such as YYH and You're Under Arrest. Really enjoyed them too.
YYH I don't think I need to say much.

You're under arrest has some really enjoyable chase scenes and character interactions. I only didn't like the romance based episodes since that didn't really go anywhere and I am not a fan of romance.
The sequels kinda ruined a character I liked which was transgender. She keeps moaning suddenly for some reason in awkward situations. I don't think there is any character I hate.
I think certain story arcs could have made a series worth dedicated to them. They had an interesting premise but lasted just for a few episodes to solve them. Then it went back to filler until the badass finale of each anime arc.

I intend to watch Saint Seiya next, once I am done. Nothing about seasonal anime interest me currently. I watch accassionally A certain Magical Index and its spin offs when they appear. Railgun is my favorite.

 

[Morkal]

Anyone up to date with Boruto? The anime is so damn good, ever since Kawaki got introduced I've been hooked. The manga is even better too

 

[Dorron]

I just got up to date with BNHA and I need to say it anywhere... Do any of you find Shigaraki similar to Barbaracle?

 

[Morkal]

I just got up to date with BNHA and I need to say it anywhere... Do any of you find Shigaraki similar to Barbaracle?

 

[mertyville]

Anyone up to date with Boruto? The anime is so damn good, ever since Kawaki got introduced I've been hooked. The manga is even better too

I checked out the latest episode because of Naruto's new form. Damn, using a disadvantage to your advantage. It feels like I am actually watching a good shonen anime for once.
Now next episode will reveal if that whole thing paid off.

 

[Morkal]

I checked out the latest episode because of Naruto's new form. Damn, using a disadvantage to your advantage. It feels like I am actually watching a good shonen anime for once.
Now next episode will reveal if that whole thing paid off.

God, the Boruto episode that came out this morning was absolutely CLEAN.

Naruto takin' Isshiki to the Village Hidden in these hands