Shinmaru

Swine flu will never drown out the power of the high five.

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]I go back the 31st and I wish it was sooner because I am so damn tired of sitting on my butt all day. I want something to DOO and there are no JOBS and frickafrack.[/FONT][/QUOTE] This is pretty much why I miss college. :( (Well, that and it was fun as hell.)

So, Yuichi Nakamura as Greed was pretty awesome a few episodes back. Now that I am caught up on the manga, I started wondering to myself about something ... [spoiler]when Lin becomes the new Greed, will Mamoru Miyano voice both Lin and Greed!Lin, or would Nakamura be brought back to provide the voice when Greed is dominant? Either way is cool with me -- I love Nakamura, and Miyano is great when he is asked to be sinister (see Light Yagami).[/spoiler] I am also dying to hear who will voice [spoiler]Olivier Armstrong.[/spoiler]

[quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]I'm pretty sure the entirety of the internet is raging at KyoAni or whoever decided it would be a good idea to spend five-plus episodes on Endless Eight. Using two episodes on it would've been acceptable; three would've been pushing it; after that, rage. Someone better be getting fired over this.[/color][/QUOTE] For serious. It's bad enough that essentially the same episode has been repeated ad nauseam, but it is also pushing back the point that the series will begin [b]The Vanishment of Haruhi Suzumiya[/b], and that is just unacceptable.

[quote name='Ace'][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][spoiler]The chimera deaths always kind of confused me. You only get to know these people for about two episodes and they don't get much development at all, but dammit if it isn't the saddest thing seeing them all get sliced into jerky. Especially Martel. Ick.[/spoiler][/FONT][/QUOTE] I agree, actually. At first I was confused as to why [spoiler]Al took it so hard (aside from not wanting someone to die on his watch), but somehow, on further reflection, they just don't come across as particularly evil people. Maybe it's because Greed was using them so thoroughly and they still sacrifice themselves for him. You kind of feel sorry for them, haha.[/spoiler]

OK, now that [b]Brotherhood[/b] is firmly into manga-only territory now, rather than retreading ground covered by the first series, I think starting threads each week is more than appropriate now. (By the way, I am one of the, probably, two people watching this series right now who has not read the manga. I mean, like, a single page of it. So, if you throw out manga spoilers, please, PLEASE mark them. There will be hell to pay if I happen upon a future plot twist in here.) Anyway, ****ing awesome episode this week -- the fight between [spoiler]King Bradley/Wrath[/spoiler] and [spoiler]Greed[/spoiler] is spectacular. [spoiler]King Bradley calming walking up to Greed, whipping out his swords and then owning the bejeezus out of Greed is just ... damn. There have been flashes of his power since the beginning, but this is the first real look at Bradley's strength, and that probably is not even breaking a sweat for him. I enjoyed Greed, so I am sad to see him go (especially this means no more Yuichi Nakamura on [b]FMA[/b], outside of in flashbacks), but ****, if he is going to get his *** kicked, it might as well be kicked in glorious style.[/spoiler] And the big reveal ... um, damn. [spoiler]Bradley is an obviously shady figure, and the fact that he is teaming with the Homunculi is no big shock. But the fact that [i]he[/i] is a Homunculus? Ridiculously awesome.[/spoiler] [b]FMA[/b] seems to hit me with a ****ton of twists that I should really see coming but never do because I don't take that extra step of thought needed to really nail it. Oh well. Also, [spoiler]Father[/spoiler] at the end ... [spoiler]facially, he reminds me of Hohenheim, which would be, er, insane, to say the least. Crazy bastard going around creating Homunculi and fathering children and then sacrificing them. Good show, old chap! But even if that is the case, I assume there is something else to it that will make my head explode, so I am looking forward to that![/spoiler] Really sad moment at the end when Ed is all, "Yeah, [spoiler]Hughes[/spoiler] told us about all that ****" and Armstrong is like, "... ah, ****, this is awkward." It is going to be pretty heartbreaking when Ed and Al finally get [i]that[/i] bit of news.

What's interesting about drama is that it is sometimes very difficult to discern what is "good" drama and what is "bad" drama. What creators can get away with in one series is different from what they can get away with in another series. For me, it all comes down to how well developed the characters are, and thus, how much I care about the situations they are in. If I like the characters enough, I am willing to stretch the limits of what is logically acceptable in a plot, at least to a certain extent. Romance is a biggie in that area. Some shows are great at it because they actually make you care about the characters instead of letting the romance make up for flat characters ([b]Honey and Clover[/b], [b]Toradora![/b]) and others just flat out suck at it (like 90 percent of anything, I guess). Anyway, off that random train, haha. Bad drama: Pretty much anything romantic in [b]Escaflowne[/b] from what I have seen (through ep12). Van x Hitomi is terrible. I like 'em well enough on their own, but any hint of romantic interaction is just ... really bad lol. Hitomi x Allen is a thousand times worse than that, somehow. At least Hitomi doesn't turn into a friggin' dope around Van (most of the time). Allen x Millerna is probably the worst of all, because Millerna is a million times better when she isn't pining for Allen. With Allen, she is kind of a *****; without Allen, she kicks ***. Drop him, you. Also, Allen, just stay away from women. You turn them all into morons. Good drama: I'll probably rewatch [b]Eureka Seven[/b] soon, so let's go with that. It's long enough that it has plenty of time to build nearly all the characters properly, slowly letting the plot take shape until ep26, which is when the series becomes super epic and the plot just explodes with awesome. There is so much drama (the Ray and Charles arc, [spoiler]Eureka's sickness/Renton running away, the journey to save the Coralians,[/spoiler] etc.), but it doesn't feel forced because of the way the characters grow and interact with each other. The Ray and Charles arc, in particular, is just amazing storytelling all around. Everything from the beginning, where [spoiler]Renton finally believes he has found true parental figures in his life[/spoiler] to [spoiler]Ray's last stand against Gekkostate[/spoiler] ... damn, I can barely think about it without getting a little twist in my heart. That is the point in [b]Eureka Seven[/b] where it makes the leap from very good to something truly special.

Of all the times to choose to watch [b]Robin Hood: Men in Tights[/b] ... :(

1) Luke Skywalker 2) Han Solo

[quote name='Dagger']I'll probably end up watching some other stuff as well, but the only series that really matters in my head is [b]Aoi Hana[/b]. I'm still baffled at the fact that two of my favorite yuri manga--first Aoi Hana, and later Sasameki Koto--are being made into honest-to-goodness anime. Oh well; I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially not when it's getting directed by the Honey & Clover guy, and may even have an OP sequence done by Kunihiko Ikuhara (who directed Utena!! :animenose). ~Dagger~[/QUOTE] Oh snap. That's the OP he was working on? Well, now I [i]have[/i] to give it a shot, haha.

This is my kind of topic. 1) Yoda 2) Darth Maul

lol, I chose the right time to randomly wander onto OB to check Anime Central. 1) David Carradine 2) Adam West

Damn, these seasons sure go by in a hurry, don't they? It seems like just a short time ago that I posted the spring thread. Yeesh. Anyway, summer is known as one of the weaker parts of the year for anime, but there are several shows this season that show some good promise, I think. I hope all of them are as good as I hope they will be. Also, I'll try to keep this thread afloat longer than the other two, haha. I've been way too lazy about posting here ... [URL="http://that.animeblogger.net/2009/06/06/that-summer-2009-anime-preview/"][b]Here's a preview in case people want to look over all the series themselves.[/b][/URL] [b]Series I am definitely interested in:[/b] -- [URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10805"][b]Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei[/b][/URL]: SZS is by far and away the best comedy series to come from SHAFT/Shinbo. The first season is good, and the second season + the OVA are both great. If it continues on that path, then the third season shall be epic; if not, I am sure it will still be friggin' hilarious. ZETSUBOUSHITA -- [URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10269"][b]Spice and Wolf II[/b][/URL]: The first season of [b]Spice and Wolf[/b] is not only very good but also different from the usual fare. Its focus on economics is really interesting, and the interplay between Lawrence and Horo is always entertaining. Especially on Horo's end. She is such a great character, with a good amount of depth and many sides to her. The recently released OVA also explores an issue (Lawrence's mortality) that could lead to some awesome stories this season. -- [URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10704"][b]Tokyo Magnitude 8.0[/b][/URL]: One of my favorite writers, Haruki Murakami, wrote a book called [b]after the quake[/b] that uses short stories to explore the lives of people after the [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_earthquake"][b]Kobe earthquake[/b][/URL]. I could see this series being similar to that, which could be potentially awesome. Stories that tie together disparate groups of people based on a single influence are great when done correctly. In the hands of BONES, I think this will be done correctly. -- [URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10196"][b]Bakemonogatari[/b][/URL]: Another pairing of SHAFT + Shinbo? Check. Supposedly excellent, hilarious source material? Check. Hiroshi Kamiya as the lead, and Chiwa Saito, Yui Horie and Takahiro Sakurai along for the ride? Quadruple check. This could be an epic as hell season for SHAFT with this and [b]Zan[/b]. -- [URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10179"][b]Axis Powers Hetalia second season[/b][/URL]: Been watching and enjoying the series up to this point, so I see no reason to abandon it now. [b]Series I am somewhat interested in watching[/b]: -- [URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10168"][b]Umineko no Naku Koro ni[/b][/URL]: Down here really only because I like [b]Higurashi[/b] but am not totally in love with it or anything. I can't see myself dropping this, however, especially with the promise that 1) It will definitely be different, and 2) The cast is filled to the brim with heavy hitters, with my boy Daisuke Ono leading the show. Hell yes. -- [URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10644"][b]Kanamemo[/b][/URL]: I don't expect especially great things from this series, but it could be cute and funny, and that is really enough for me. -- [URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10672"][b]Aoi Hana[/b][/URL]: The romance might be worth it. We'll see. -- [URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10270"][b]Canaan[/b][/URL]: Hm, this could be like a poor man's [b]Mnemosyne[/b] (except not as graphic, obviously, haha), and that is enough to capture my interest. Plus, Maaya Sakamoto is playing a badass lead. Count me in. What is everyone else looking forward to?

1) Ozzy Osbourne 2) Not sure yet, but I have to jump in and get the obvious one. :p

... Haha, of course. Owned @ us. Overlooking the obvious is my strong suit, apparently. Anyway. 1) David Ortiz 2) L EDIT: Just a bit slow! *shakes fist*

[quote name='Ikillion'][FONT="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="1"][COLOR=#35160f] You deserve this [CENTER] [IMG]http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/5731/fb9d.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER] L.A Bros 4 life.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] Internet high five accepted and reciprocated. Can't wait for the parade in an hour!

**** it, I'll throw something out. 1) The only answering popping in my head is Samus Aran. She mainly flies a dark yellow/orange-ish ship, but on occasion she flies a ship that could be sort of pink-ish ... 2) This one is clearly Alex Trebek.

[quote name='Korey'][FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"]My life is filled with misery and woe..... The Lakers won the NBA championship and the St. Louis Cardinals lost in the same night. /wrists[/FONT][/QUOTE] Haha, owned. I, on the other hand, watched my favorite team win the NBA championship and the Dodgers get a win. Life is good in the L.A. sports world.

Hell yes I am interested in this. Sign me up, good sir.

I watched [b]Up[/b] a couple of days ago -- definitely recommend that. I'd have to rewatch some Pixar movies I haven't seen in a while to really back this up, but I think [b]Up[/b] is one of Pixar's funniest movies. I laughed pretty much the entire time, aside from the first 10-15 minutes, or so, which would probably make up a rather brilliant animated short if it weren't a part of the movie.

So, I guess this is the generic favorite OP/EDs thread? Haha, glad I did a search beforehand. There are a ton of OP/ED songs I enjoy, so I think I'll stick to ones where I love both the song and the animation ... [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvQyJKBfLro"][b]Eureka Seven -- "Days" by FLOW[/b][/URL]: Duh. "Days" is probably my favorite OP as a standalone song, and the accompanying animation is pretty cool. The opening shot with Renton makes me want to jump into the sky and fly around forever. And when Eureka gives Renton that loving look ... god, I am such a sap; I fall for it every time. Jeez. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBGg9yZKGxE"][b]Honey and Clover -- "Dramatic" by YUKI[/b][/URL]: This song is up there with "Days," in that it makes me want to run outside immediately and fall in love, although the song is bittersweet, much like [b]Honey and Clover[/b] itself. There's just so much spirit to the way YUKI sings. The second OP animation for [b]Honey and Clover[/b] is much more conventional, but this is the one that sticks in my mind most. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mR0C-E4XUI"][b]Kare Kano -- "Tenshi no Yubikiri" by Mai Fukuda[/b][/URL]: Can't bring up great OPs without mentioning [b]Kare Kano[/b]. In terms of combination of great song and great animation, this might be my all time favorite OP. Gainax went all out on this one; it's just so visually interesting! [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt2oKgo5m-Q"][b]ef - a tale of melodies -- "Euphoric Field" by ELISA[/b][/URL]: Similar to the [b]Kare Kano[/b] OP, SHAFT just went all out on the visual style on this one. Bold images, bold colors ... it's just all around awesome. Love the song, too.

Just want to randomly point out that Kikuko Inoue is love. :love: More of her being deliciously evil plz.

I should probably start using this thread more often. Aside from the spring anime I'm watching, I'm also catching [b]Hayate no Gotoku![/b] in random spurts with Des. Pretty decent show. The story is just all right (and it's slipping into just random stuff as of where I'm at), but the comedy is consistent, and there are a ton of good characters. It's somewhat lengthy (first season is 52 episodes, and the second season is currently airing at 9 episodes), so I don't know if I would recommend it unless you [i]really[/i] love anime comedy, but I am enjoying it. Also watching [b]Hare+Guu Final[/b], which I have been putting off forever for some reason.

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WHYwq0JVIQ][b][i]Gundam 00[/i] x [i]Lucky Star[/i] OP[/b][/url] Why can't I stop watching this?!?!?!

Ah, definitely a good episode and wonderful to see [b]Haruhi Suzumiya[/b] back! (Too bad more new episodes won't pop up for, like, another month or so, haha.) "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody" is probably the most important short story in all of [b]Haruhi Suzumiya[/b], although you might not guess it from the episode. Much as I love it, I certainly did not think of it as much more than a [spoiler]fun time travel story[/spoiler] the first time I read it. There is a ton of stuff that ends up being important later in the series, as everyone will find out once the anime gets to that point. :) But enough of that -- it's just awesome to see Haruhi be a jerk, Kyon be uber sarcastic and have his face in "WTF" mode for half the episode, Mikuru be cute, Itsuki be an airhead and Yuki be fantastically stoic.