Re: Anime/Manga Thread

[RealRacer4]

Unfortunately, due to being away for the weekend, I never got to watch the whole movie (I felt lucky that I got to watch at least half of it). I've actually watched it before so it wasn't as upsetting for me as it could've been. For those that haven't seen it before, what did you think of it?
____________________________________________________________________________
 
For this month, we'll be listing anime/manga that you're currently watching/reading. Here's mine:

Anime/Manga I'm currently watching/reading:

 ____________________________________________________________________________
 
Also, gigguk (anime reviewer on YouTube) made a rant on whether or not anime should become mainstream. He brings up a lot of interesting points and I think this is one of his best videos I've seen him make. What are your thoughts about this topic?

 

My thoughts:

[robloker8]

Anybody ever watch those animes with long title that need to be shortened? OreImo, WataMote and Chu-2 to be specific.

[RealRacer4]

I've never watched any of what you listed. Though, I have watched clips of Watamote. Some of them were funny but it doesn't really appeal to me otherwise. I mostly watch anime that involves action being that I grew up watching Toonami, with the exception of Death Note.

[JMac525]

I just started watching Attack on Titan the other day. I must say say, while not without its flaws, this is a very entertaining series as of halfway. It puts a bit grittier spin on the normal shonen tale.

[RealRacer4]

If you think some of the stuff that goes on in the early part of AoT was crazy, just wait until you get into the manga. The early part of the series is like watching Hamtaro compared to what goes on in the later chapters of the manga.

I'm being serious.

[Alta]

So just finished up Future Diary (Mirai Nikki). Probably one of the best series I've watched in years. If it doesn't end up on Toonami (I can understand why...since it's gorey as fuck...but then again Deadman Wonderland) it's a definite anime to find and watch. I think if you liked Elfen Lied and Deadman...You'll like this.

[Ceej]

I should be getting this in about a month:

[RealRacer4]

As for me, I've been caught up in the fantasy/mysterious shows after finishing up Attack on Titan. I've read some of the manga from Berserk and watched the T.V. series last weekend. The ending of that anime left me depressed as hell. I just...couldn't comprehend it.  

I also decided to watch the movies out of curiosity and couldn't get past 3 minutes of watching it because of the excessive use of the computer graphics. The one fight scene I saw was really choppy and never saw any hint of hand-drawn animation. Heck, I've seen anime as far back as even the '80s have more fluid animation than what I saw in the first couple of minutes of the movie.

I plan on reading more of the Berserk manga and if I get bored, well, more like overwhelmed from the story, I'll probably watch/read Claymore to see how that is.

I've always been curious about Future Diary since I first heard about it but haven't got around to watching it yet since there's a bunch of anime/manga I'd like to get into as well. Since it's still somewhat new, I'll wait and see if Toonami ends up airing it or not.

Speaking of Toonami, they're airing the last 2 episodes IGPX tomorrow night and will move to the 4:30 a.m. timeslot next week. FLCL will fill in IGPX's current timeslot and GITS will be replacing Bebop starting next weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing the last 2 episodes of IGPX and see what FLCL is all about.

[Alta]

I've also finished a few others recently.

Finished Elfen Lied, Always wanted to watch but thought the gore was too over the top. But it was pretty good with a nice backstory to it (Kind of same stuff Realracer said). Only issue is i watched the dub of it...Which the voice actors sound quality sounded like it was off of a cd produced by a garage band.

Watched Blue Exorcist, Thought the religious overtones were going to kill it for me (As i'm not really religious) but it wasn't as religious as i thought other then the whole God Vs Satan backstory, Alright series but kind of took a little bit to actually get going (Kind off a villain of the week in the first half of series)

I've seen the first 14 episodes of Sword Art Online, It is bad as everyone says it is? Yeah...kinda.

Spoiler:

[RealRacer4]

I've also finished a few others recently.

Finished Elfen Lied, Always wanted to watch but thought the gore was too over the top. But it was pretty good with a nice backstory to it (Kind same stuff Realracer). Only issue is i watched the dub of it...Which the voice actors sound quality sounded like it was off of a cd produced by a garage band. I think anyone can agree the dub is terrible. I think what makes this anime is the emotional experience. I want to read the manga badly but I want to take it one at a time instead of reading 5 different series at the same time so it's easier for me to remember what happens with whatever manga it is that I'm reading.

Watched Blue Exorcist, Thought the religious overtones were going to kill it for me (As i'm not really religious) but it wasn't as religious as i thought other then the whole God Vs Satan backstory, Alright series but kind of took a little bit to actually get going (Kind off a villain of the week in the first half of series) Hmm. Interesting. I might have to add that to my list of things to watch.

I've seen the first 14 episodes of Sword Art Online, It is bad as everyone says it is? Yeah...kinda.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

[JMac525]

So just finished up Future Diary (Mirai Nikki). Probably one of the best series I've watched in years. If it doesn't end up on Toonami (I can understand why...since it's gorey as fuck...but then again Deadman Wonderland) it's a definite anime to find and watch. I think if you liked Elfen Lied and Deadman...You'll like this.

One of my favorites as well as I've said in the past. The dark overtone and gorey fight scenes made it really exciting and fun to watch. Yuno goes down as one of my favorite female anime characters. I was disappointed by he ending, but I really enjoyed the show nonetheless. I hope Toonami airs it even if they have to edit it a bit.

And yes, I also agree with you all that SAO was not very good for several reasons.

Last of all, to you all who like the dark, gorey anime I'd try out Higurashi. It has some really cutesy characters doing not so cutesy things, such as chopping each other up. The balance is weird, but I enjoyed the first season of that pretty well.

[Alta]

So just finished up Future Diary (Mirai Nikki). Probably one of the best series I've watched in years. If it doesn't end up on Toonami (I can understand why...since it's gorey as fuck...but then again Deadman Wonderland) it's a definite anime to find and watch. I think if you liked Elfen Lied and Deadman...You'll like this.

One of my favorites as well as I've said in the past. The dark overtone and gorey fight scenes made it really exciting and fun to watch. Yuno goes down as one of my favorite female anime characters. I was disappointed by he ending, but I really enjoyed the show nonetheless. I hope Toonami airs it even if they have to edit it a bit.

They apparently expand on the ending in the OVA. Either way i found it a cool ending.

[JMac525]

So just finished up Future Diary (Mirai Nikki). Probably one of the best series I've watched in years. If it doesn't end up on Toonami (I can understand why...since it's gorey as fuck...but then again Deadman Wonderland) it's a definite anime to find and watch. I think if you liked Elfen Lied and Deadman...You'll like this.

One of my favorites as well as I've said in the past. The dark overtone and gorey fight scenes made it really exciting and fun to watch. Yuno goes down as one of my favorite female anime characters. I was disappointed by he ending, but I really enjoyed the show nonetheless. I hope Toonami airs it even if they have to edit it a bit.

They apparently expand on the ending in the OVA. Either way i found it a cool ending.

I've heard that as well. I plan on watching that pretty soon. I heard it ends more like the manga there. I've met a lot of people who really liked the ending, so I completely understand where you're coming from. I liked some of the ideas in the ending, but I personally felt the execution was off. Just my opinion though.

[GamerAzuzu]

The Fall 2013 Anime season started up, so then out of this small list what is going to be shown.

Based on where you can watch these anime coming out after their Japanese airings, which series would you all be willing to try, so far for me anyways Kill la Kill seems interesting enough, the fact that it's done by some of the people that did Gurren Lagann also helps.

[Alta]

The Fall 2013 Anime season started up, so then out of this small list what is going to be shown.

Based on where you can watch these anime coming out after their Japanese airings, which series would you all be willing to try, so far for me anyways Kill la Kill seems interesting enough, the fact that it's done by some of the people that did Gurren Lagann also helps.

Kill La Kill by far (I also think it has the best shot of getting on TV in the US), Just from what i've seen on 4chan...The series does have that design and appeal that made TTGL absolutely awesome.

[GamerAzuzu]

For anyone that's interested in the Puella Magi Madoka Magica series, the third movie Rebellion will be shown in various areas throughout North America, as shown here.


For those that don't know..think of it as a series that pretty much takes the whole "magical girl" aspect and..literally turns it upside down (evangelion as a magical girl series, sorta speak).

I'm heading to the premier event on December 3rd and it's something I'm really anticipating.

[racingfreak1999]

I have so much stuff I want to watch (Attack on Titan being the main one), but don't have the time.

[RealRacer4]

I've heard a lot about Kill la Kill and how similar it is to Gurren Lagann. I probably won't watch it until it's done airing since watching Attack on Titan weekly ruined my enjoyment for watching it, IMO.
 
Speaking of Attack on Titan, Funimation just announced that people can pre-order their Blu-Ray/DVD. I know people have been saying that there hasn't been an announcement made yet about a dub for the anime being made. I'm sure they started dubbing it a while ago.
 
[url=http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=attack on titan]http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=attack%20on%20titan%20funimation&linkCode=ur2&rh=n:2625373011,k:attack%20on%20titan%20funimation&tag=funfacebook-20&url=search-alias%3Dmovies-tv[/url]

[RealRacer4]

Things have just gotten interesting: http://toonami.tumblr.com/post/65032254047/big-honkin-toonami-announcement-hey-everybody
 
TL;DR version:
 
-Toonami will be WORLD PREMIERING (meaning this will be airing on Adult Swim BEFORE/AT THE SAME TIME as Japan airs it) Space Dandy (from the creator of Cowboy Bebop) on January 4th at 11:30 PM, meaning that Toonami will expand to 6 1/2 hours!
-In December, for 3 weeks straight, Toonami will be airing 3 DIFFERENT anime movies to start off each night but there is no announcement yet on which movies will be aired.
-More announcements will be coming soon.
 
This is HUGE. The fact that Toonami's expanding to 6 1/2 hours AND world premiering an anime is a huge step for them. There's a trailer for Space Dandy on YouTube. I just got done watching it and I'm not sure what to think of it. Still, I'll give it a shot and support Toonami. As for the movies, I'm sure one of those 3 movies will be Eva 3.33 since the dub version was recently aired at a convention the other week. Not to mention, there's a chance that the new DBZ movie that came out earlier this year could air in December as well. As for what the other movie(s) could be, it's hard to say what they will be. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Toonami has in store for us.
 
Oh yeah, here's the trailer for Space Dandy! I should also mention that Bones Studios (studio that worked on Soul Eater, FMA, and more) worked on this! 
 

 
EDIT: Now that I think about it, I do wonder what the chances are of a 2nd season of Deadman Wonderland being aired on Toonami with this happening now.

[Alta]

>Appearing in US before Japan.

Oh snap.

[SnakePlissken]

Not anime but looks like a live version of one:

Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl (2009)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1425928/?ref_=tt_rec_tt

Anybody seen it?!

[Cynon]

That just looks like a drive-in movie with anime-ish elements. Kind of like Scott Pilgrim...

[RealRacer4]

Is this really happening on Toonami? I mean...what???

[BBoy]

Just completed Angel Beats in one evening. I was anticipating a lot of emotion, and that's exactly what I got. Between this and Clannad, I personally find Clannad to be sadder on the fact that it just constantly pelts you with sadness.

[RealRacer4]

Well this came out of left field. Toonami just made ANOTHER big announcement today. This time, Naruto: Shippuden will start airing in January.
 
I'm honestly not too crazy with the whole idea of Toonami cutting Naruto short at 50 episodes since there are some out there that haven't seen the entirety of Naruto and air the rest of the series (the canon episodes, anyway). Though, I am glad and surprised that Toonami got a hold of Shippuden this early, considering that Disney used to have the rights for it. As long as this help give better TV ratings, I'm all for it.

[racingfreak1999]

Well this came out of left field. Toonami just made ANOTHER big announcement today. This time, Naruto: Shippuden will start airing in January.
 
I'm honestly not too crazy with the whole idea of Toonami cutting Naruto short at 50 episodes since there are some out there that haven't seen the entirety of Naruto and air the rest of the series (the canon episodes, anyway). Though, I am glad and surprised that Toonami got a hold of Shippuden this early, considering that Disney used to have the rights for it. As long as this help give better TV ratings, I'm all for it.

What I was hoping Toonami would do is skip the filler arcs, but that would still take too much time (cause remember, a majority of the original series already aired on Toonami years ago.).  My guess is that they didn't want to wait about 4 years to get to Shippuden.  I'm just glad Disney doesn't have it anymore.

[Alta]

Soul Eater's spinoff getting an anime.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-11-13/kadokawa-registers-souleaternot.tv-domain-name

[Syzygy]

Just finished watching Daily Lives of High School Boys with a friend of mine, I totally recommend it.

[RealRacer4]

Soul Eater's spinoff getting an anime.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-11-13/kadokawa-registers-souleaternot.tv-domain-name

Interesting. I've heard someone was translating this manga and then decided to drop it 6 chapters into the series. I'm sure, like others, we were all expecting SE to get a reboot instead of Not! getting an adaptation. Still, I'll check it out when this starts airing.
 
As for what I've been reading and watching, I've watched Outlaw Star almost a month ago. I never got to watch it when Toonami was in its prime so the nostalgia factor wasn't really there when watching Outlaw Star. For sure, it's a pretty entertaining anime with some decent action. I do have one or two issues with this show though. I felt that there was more filler than necessary and could've focused more on the main plot more. As for the ending, it seems as if that they never really covered the stuff that they originally planned on showing for the finale, leaving me with some questions that were never answered. With that said, it traces back to the first issue I had, which is the excessive filler.
 
I also just got started watching Ghost in the Shell: SAC. So far, it really looks like an interesting show. The animation and the setting really makes you feel like you're in the future. Of course, there's a 2nd season for it, the Arise movies, and the original movie series. Depending on how much I enjoy GITS:SAC, I'll definitely check out the other stuff.
 
Finally, I have JUST finished reading all of the Berserk chapters. Sure, some of the arcs are dragged on and is different from what it used to be in the early days of Berserk but the fact can't be denied that it's an incredible masterpiece. I have never seen the storytelling written so beautifully and flow as naturally as Berserk. It amazes me how much better the drawing gets over time, especially around chapter 300. It absolutely blows all of the anime and manga that I've followed over the years of not just being into anime/manga, but the fictional stories in general. It's funny that while reading the manga, it was announced that Berserk will continue its story early next year, so I'll be looking forward to which direction the story will go from here. Hopefully, the chapters will be released on a consistent basis, being that a chapter for Berserk hasn't been released in almost a year now and will continue the story at least until the arc ends.

[Alta]

Ghost in the Shell is pretty good.

Last thing i watched was Panty and Stocking....Was quite fun and pretty hilarious. (Sex Puns that would make even Dan/Navycook rage.)

The opening theme though i absolutely despise.

[navycook75]

Ghost in the Shell is pretty good.

Last thing i watched was Panty and Stocking....Was quite fun and pretty hilarious. (Sex Puns that would make even Dan/Navycook rage.)

The opening theme though i absolutely despise.

Now I need to watch it for that purpose.

[JMac525]

I'm watching some uber nostalgic Yu Yu Hakusho at the moment. I forgot how good of a battle shounen it was. I think I'm going to check out Fate/Zero next. It's been on my plan to watch list for a whole now.

[Mccc457]

I have question about anime/manga in general:

Why do its fans take anime/manga as not being a cartoon?

I mean, it's animated, mostly based on caricatures and has a basic plot and storyline.

[vbooy57]

I have question about anime/manga in general:

Why do its fans take anime/manga as not being a cartoon?

I mean, it's animated, mostly based on caricatures and has a basic plot and storyline.

Most do realize its essentially just cartoons from a different culture, its a small minority of people that obsess far too much for their own good. I personally enjoy anime and given more time I would watch a lot more.

[RealRacer4]

I'm watching some uber nostalgic Yu Yu Hakusho at the moment. I forgot how good of a battle shounen it was. I think I'm going to check out Fate/Zero next. It's been on my plan to watch list for a whole now.

I almost decided to watch Fate/Zero but I decided to watch GITS since I've wanted to watch it pretty much since Toonami was revived.
 

I have question about anime/manga in general:

Why do its fans take anime/manga as not being a cartoon?

I mean, it's animated, mostly based on caricatures and has a basic plot and storyline.

Technically, anime falls under the same category of cartoons while manga falling under the same category of comics, at least that's the way I look at it. A better way to put it is that anime and manga is a different culture from what we're accustomed to with the western cartoon and comic shows. Both western and Japanese cartoons have a different style in how the shows are produced, story-written, the style of character designs, settings, animation, etc.
 
My outlook on anime is that there's more to it than what people that live in the western world think of it as just a cartoon show for kids. Anime is usually targeted towards a more mature audience, and can leave some important life lessons and how some shows can be relatable to the real world. It can leave a bigger impact as far as how good anime or manga can be than most people would realize.
 
I hope this answers your question.

[RealRacer4]

Sorry for the double post, but Toonami have finally made their big announcements for their movie month. They won't be airing 3, but 4 movies next month.

I'm honestly a little disappointed with the movie line-up. I was hoping for the new DBZ movie and EVA 3.0 but I'm guessing Toonami can't really afford it to air either one of them.

-Akira: I'm most certainly looking forward to seeing the movie being that it's epic from what I've heard.
-Summer Wars: Heard about it. Jason DeMarco (employee of Adult Swim) has given a lot of praise for this movie so I'm hoping it's as good as he says.
-FMA: Conquerer of Shamballa: An odd choice. I would've thought they'd air The Sacred Star of Milos. Either way, I'll check it out. To those that have seen the original FMA though, does it matter whether I watch the original series or not before this movie airs?
-Trigun: Badland Rumble: Never seen the anime before. Anyone knows if this is a sequal/prequel of the T.V. series?

[JMac525]

Sorry for the double post, but Toonami have finally made their big announcements for their movie month. They won't be airing 3, but 4 movies next month.

I'm honestly a little disappointed with the movie line-up. I was hoping for the new DBZ movie and EVA 3.0 but I'm guessing Toonami can't really afford it to air either one of them.

-Akira: I'm most certainly looking forward to seeing the movie being that it's epic from what I've heard.
-Summer Wars: Heard about it. Jason DeMarco (employee of Adult Swim) has given a lot of praise for this movie so I'm hoping it's as good as he says.
-FMA: Conquerer of Shamballa: An odd choice. I would've thought they'd air The Sacred Star of Milos. Either way, I'll check it out. To those that have seen the original FMA though, does it matter whether I watch the original series or not before this movie airs?
-Trigun: Badland Rumble: Never seen the anime before. Anyone knows if this is a sequal/prequel of the T.V. series?

I haven't seen this one in good quality, so I'm really excited to watch this one.

[RealRacer4]

I guess this is what will be replacing SAO in March. It's already looking promising.

[Alta]

I guess this is what will be replacing SAO in March. It's already looking promising.

I just watched this a month ago damn it. > : |

Like i said earlier in the thread, It's alright from what i saw Nothing mindblowing but nothing that's bad either...however that's my own opinion.

[RealRacer4]

And we have still yet to hear the announcements for Soul Eater's and FLCL's replacements.

I was going to watch Fate/Zero once I finish up watching FMA and GITS but I'm thinking it would be best to hold off on it and watch some of the other anime that are less likely to air on Toonami.

[Alta]

Thinking that Future Diary might get one of the spots. People loved DW and that's not to far off of it and the fact the dub came out not to long ago.

[RealRacer4]

The promo for Akira that will be airing next Saturday:

 
And the promo for Space Dandy:

[RealRacer4]

Bumps for a couple of announcements:

An announcement has been made about the English voice cast for Space Dandy:

Dandy - Ian Sinclair

QT - Alison Viktorin

Meow - Joel McDonald

Dr. Gel - J. Michael Tatum

Bea - Micah Solusod

Perry - Kent Williams

Honey - Alexis Tipton

Scarlet - Colleen Clinkenbeard

Narrator - R. Bruce Elliott

And yes, it has been confirmed that the English dub will air on Toonami BEFORE the Japanese dub will in Japan.

Also, Toonami has announced their schedule starting January 4th:

11:30p – Space Dandy
12:00a – Bleach
12:30a – Naruto: Shippuden
1:00a – One Piece
1:30a – Soul Eater
2:00a – Sword Art Online
2:30a – FLCL 
3:00a – Uncut Naruto - Starting over at ep 1!
3:30a – Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
4:00a – Ghost in the Shell: SAC
4:30a – IGPX
5:00a – Star Wars Clone Wars
5:30a - Inuyasha

It surprises me the first part of Naruto will be re-airing again, but in a later slot. According to Jason DeMarco's twitter account, Toonami still has the rights for the early episodes of Naruto, which is why they're airing them again. Other than that, I'm really excited about this month and 2014.

In other news, manga artist Takeshi Obata from Death Note is adapting a novel "All You Need Is Kill" into a manga and the mangaka of Gantz will start making a new manga series in January.

[RealRacer4]

Well...Akira just finished up on Toonami...and I don't think I'll be going to sleep tonight. I mean...wut??

[Alta]

Latest update on what i've been watching lately.

Steins;Gate: (Where my avatar came from) Start a bit slow in the first 6 or so episodes but does pick up from there and becomes very interesting. They managed to pull of the time travel storyline rather well which led to a very interesting series overall. Also dat opening.

Angel Beats: Decided to give this a try after a recent Facebook discussion and hearing it hyped as the saddest series ever...and i don't agree at all (Sorry BBoy :[). Pretty average till mid-series with a few interesting/emotional moments...but nothing that struck me as tear-jerking. Although in fairness it's suffers from being a 13 episode series ala Deadman Wonderland

Stuff i'm considering watching:

Guilty Crown: I've previewed a small portion of the soundtrack and i actually like what i hear plus i've seen it come up a few times on a couple websites as of late....So might as well?

Madoka Magica: I'm not sure if it's the hype of the recent movie that's came out or conversations I've had with Azuzu...But from what I'm getting is this is a series that underneath it's girlish appearance is a dark dark story. Still on the fence about it though

[GamerAzuzu]

Winter 2013/2014 is upon us with some interesting series going around.

This is the season where Space Dandy will debut (as it turns out US first), a second Season of Setokai Yakudomo (aka MORE Sex Puns: The Anime) Nitro+ mascot Super Sonico in her own series, and Chuunibyou has its second season..yeah usually this tends to be one of the somewhat weaker seasons in most cases...

The leftovers from fall season that are ending around this time also are airing, Movies are a bit interesting since it includes a Lupin the 3rd and Detective Conan (Case Closed in the US) crossover, and the new Sailor Moon Anime project commemorating the 20th anniversary of the series [man time sure flies by] will be a OVA.

[RealRacer4]

I am really excited about seeing Space Dandy premiere in the U.S. before Japan.

Toonami just recently came out with yet another announcement that Samurai Jack will be returning to Toonami after FLCL finishes its 2nd run in a couple of months. I'm really pumped about getting to watch it again as I've been a fan of it when it aired a while back although I've only watched the first season.

In other news, Crunchyroll posted an article that when Akira aired on Toonami last weekend, it gave Adult Swim the best TV ratings it ever had in 12 years, which was when Adult Swim was just starting up! I think, that alone, says how much of an impact Toonami has made in the last year and a half.

As for me, I haven't really been watching anything in the last couple of weeks because of college except for the movie nights on Toonami. I really haven't made much progress on the GITS:SAC series. I finished watching the original FMA series the other week and for an original ending, I thought it was pretty good. The only reason I watched it was so I won't feel lost when CoS airs on Toonami in over a week. It also gave me a good excuse to watch it so I can compare it to Brotherhood, which I'm in the middle of re-watching.

I haven't read any manga since Berserk but the next manga I plan on reading is Akira. Ever since the movie aired on Toonami last weekend, I've been dying to read it and maybe re-watch the movie once I finish the manga.

[JMac525]

Just recently started an older anime called Monster. It is absolutely brilliant so far twenty-five episodes in. It may be slow for some people, but I think the pace is perfect for this type of show.

[RealRacer4]

I have marathoned the original FMA series in a week, only to be disappointed by the terrible movie that is Conqueror of Shamballa. I really didn't mind most of the movie, but that ending really killed it for me. I was going to start recommending people to watch both anime series, but now, I'm not so sure.

[Alta]

8 episodes into Darker Than Black and i just can't bring myself to finish it. Any suggestions?

[Sponsored content]