Shinmaru

Just a heads up to fans of the [b]Gundam 00[/b] dub -- [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-05-02/gundam-00-2nd-season-to-debut-on-sci-fi-channel-in-june][b][strike]SciFi[/strike] SyFy is going to start airing the second season of Gundam 00 on June 29[/b][/url]. It will hold the same time slot it occupied during the first season (11 p.m. eastern). I prefer the original, just a tad, but the dub is certainly very good, and I am looking forward to hearing who voices the new characters.

[quote name='EyesOfHaruhi'][i]Clannad: After Story[/i] contains two death scenes which, to this day, still bring tears to my eyes. [spoiler]The first is with Nagisa's death during childbirth due to her unknown illness. But the worst is Ushio's death. Bring tissue, because you're going to need it. While not a "death" per se, I was also moved by Fuko's appearance in [i]Clannad[/i], disturbed by her removal in the credits in [i]After Story[/i], but happy because she wakes up and befriends Ushio. Note about the ending: Um, yeah. YOU figure it out.[/spoiler] ;)[/QUOTE] Ugh, yes. I could see the former coming from a mile away, but that in no way diminishes how painful it is. The latter practically tore my heart to shreds. [spoiler]Ushio swoops in and becomes just about the most wonderful child ever in anime -- just by being a real kid! -- and watching her struggle through the snow is so heartbreaking.[/spoiler] It also made me momentarily terrified that [spoiler]Tomoya[/spoiler] wouldn't get a happy ending. Probably the saddest moment in any anime I can think of is [spoiler]Akemi's death[/spoiler] in [b]Saikano[/b]. What leads up to it is [i]very[/i] contrived, but [spoiler]seeing Akemi laying on the bed, physically ravaged, pouring out all her buried feelings for Shuuji that have been hinted throughout the series and desperately trying to go out with a sense of dignity and closeness to the person she loves.[/spoiler] In a series littered with harsh, sad moments, that got to me the most. I don't know that I could ever watch it again, frankly.

Ep2 is pretty good. We're introduced to the first antagonist of sorts in Kondo, who is planning to [spoiler]kill Akira (presumably) and steal his savings so that he doesn't run out of Juiz-sponsored cash.[/spoiler] Nice guy, that Kondo! And, uh, how about that murder response time by Juiz? Yikes. I've been wondering what exactly this organization does -- like, whether they're all terrorists, or they all fight on the side of the law, or if it depends on the agent. I'm not exactly sure something like Juiz is entirely lawful, haha. I also lol'd at Akira and Saki referencing romance movies, only to end on a scene that could have been ripped straight from one of those movies. An amusing rib. :P BTW, I had a hell of a good time chatting with friends while watching the first episode again. JOHNNIE REFERENCES ABOUND.

[center][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/Shinmaru/Anime%20Screenshots/KatiWTF.jpg[/img][/center]

I celebrated with poker and [b]Iron Man[/b]. Now [i]that[/i] is an Easter Sunday.

[center][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/Shinmaru/zap_resident.jpg[/img][/center] Is it weird that I wish I could get away with dressing like that every day?

If you are reading this thread, and have not yet watched the first episode of [b]Higashi no Eden[/b], then go do that now. Don't worry, I'll wait for you. Watched it yet? Good. You've just seen the best first episode the spring season has to offer. :D A quick plot primer for those who still need convincing: [b]Higashi no Eden[/b] concerns a college-aged Japanese tourist in Washington D.C., Saki Morimi, who happens upon a Japanese man, Akira Takizawa, who literally has nothing on him aside from a gun and a cell phone. (No clothes, and no memories.) Akira helps Saki get out of some trouble she gets into with the police, and they both go on their merry way until they are reunited later in the episode and decide to jet back to Japan together. Oh, and did I mention Akira is a Jason Bourne-style terrorist (?) with hidden weapons caches and a charming personality? :) It would be difficult for me to be more impressed with an opening episode than I am with [b]Higashi no Eden[/b]'s debut. Production I.G. hits the perfect note with everything -- the visuals are outstanding, the OP and ED sequences are excellent, there is some good comedy that immediately gets the viewer attached to Saki and Akira, etc. I'm a sucker for [b]Bourne Identity[/b]-style plots, too, so to say I am eager to press on with the show would be a vast understatement. Next week cannot come soon enough, as far as I am concerned.

[b]FMA[/b] is definitely the cream of the crop of what I have seen so far. Very good first episode, with great production values, awesome action and good comedy. I am going to like this series a lot! First episode of [b]K-On![/b] is not bad -- it's pretty much what I expected, actually. There are some good laughs, and I smiled pretty much every second of the show, so I feel good about continuing the series. Good lord do Tsumugi's eyebrows ever creep the hell out of me, though. [b]Natsu no Arashi![/b] is all right so far. Apparently SHAFT throws the viewer right into the middle of the series and lets loose. I didn't feel [i]that[/i] confused, but maybe there are some things going over my head, and I do not realize it. The first episode isn't as funny as something I'd expect from SHAFT; however, the plot, involving [spoiler]time travelling escapades to retrieve a dangerous strawberry[/spoiler] is engaging enough. My favorites so far are Kaya (with a funny performance by Kaori Nazuka) and Sayaka (who could become an awesome, snarky character by Hitomi Nabatame). And [b]Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~[/b]'s first episode is good enough for me to have made a thread about it, so I guess that should reveal how much I like it, haha.

As someone who has barely touched [b]FMA[/b] in the past, I think this is a very good first episode. I get a decent sense of the conflicts, the relationships between the characters and there's a hell of a lot of great action and good comedy (not unexpected of BONES, of course). Like Ed and Alphonse quite a bit, love Hughes (how could I not, with my boy Keiji Fujiwara voicing him?), like Mustang (it's kind of funny listening to him when I just got finished hearing Shinichiro Miki use a similar voice for a villain in [b]Rideback[/b]) and Armstrong got a huge laugh out of me at the end. Also, I would officially like to thank [b]FMA[/b] for giving me a quick preview of Evil Kikuko Inoue (aka Lust) at the end. Yes, yes and more yes. Let her be as cruel and evil as possible, and I will be a happy man.

[quote name='Meggido']I'm waiting for a decent sub to come out for this since the comments I've seen regarding the only sub so far have been fairly negative.[/QUOTE] Smart move. The sub I watched is riddled with errors. It's pretty bad.

[quote name='botar15']So what channel or website can I find this "Phantom" anime? It seems intriguing!:box:[/QUOTE] My lawyers advise me to say, "No comment."

[quote name='Dagger']Someone post a thread when [Phantom] gets subbed![/QUOTE] Your wish is my command! :p First episode of [b]Phantom[/b] is out, and I like it so far. It does what any good first episode should do -- plants the seeds for the story and hooks the viewer in. I enjoyed the fight scene between Zwei and Ein that the weird Inferno guy set up to [spoiler]test Zwei's natural survival ability[/spoiler]. Very cool, tense scene, with Zwei dodging Ein's bullets, and the short knife skirmish is fun, too. Although you can tell Ein takes it about as easy as is possible for her, the fight still does a good job of showing Zwei's abilities and instinct. The standard "awesome assassins assassinate in awesome ways" scene at the beginning and end of the episode is good, too. Maid!Ein ftw. Action and production values have left me impressed. I never saw [b]Madlax[/b] and barely remember what I saw of [b]Noir[/b] ([b]Phantom[/b]'s director, Koichi Mashimo, also directed those anime), though I do remember enough of the latter to appreciate the style of the initial episode. If the story holds out (and I think it will), then all the tools are in place for this show to be one of the best this season. Looking forward to seeing how it develops!

Yep, another season, another anime thread. While the winter season had a number of solid but unspectacular series, the spring season appears to offer some really exciting shows. Don't know if it match the fall in terms of sheer number of watchable shows, but I could see it getting close. For the curious, here are some spring previews [b][URL="http://www.animevice.com/news/2009-spring-anime-preview-30-new-anime/814/"]here[/URL][/b], [b][URL="http://that.animeblogger.net/2009/03/08/that-spring-2009-anime-preview/"]here[/URL][/b] and [b][URL="http://www.joshsanimeblog.com/2009/03/19/spring-2009-anime-preview/"]here[/URL][/b]. [b]Shows I am definitely interested in watching[/b]: -- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10216"]Fullmetal Alchemist[/b][/URL]: Damn right I am watching this. Never saw the original series, nor have I read the manga, so everything in this show will be a fresh experience for me. I'm a big BONES fan, and the vocal cast (including the additions) is absolutely killer, so I could not be more excited about this series. -- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10474"]Higashi no Eden[/URL][/b]: The premise is interesting enough and has the potential to be an excellent story, and the production quality should be wonderful. Also, at 11 episodes, the storytelling will hopefully be lean and quickly paced. I'm actually almost as excited for this as I am for [b]FMA[/b]. Amusing note: The character designs threw me off enough that I had to see if the author of [b]Honey and Clover[/b] also penned this series. (No, she didn't, but she did do the character design for this show.) -- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10541"]Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~[/URL][/b]: Mainly because, even if the story sounds sort of basic, I can be somewhat assured I'll get something different from a series with Nitroplus origins. (Although the [b]Chaos;Head[/b] adaptation ended up being a bit disappointing in the end.) Plus, assassins are a personal weakness of mine. I could really see this show going either way, but for now I am optimistic enough to put it in this category. [b]Shows I am partly interested in watching[/b]: -- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10468"]07-Ghost[/URL][/b]: This is a show that could either be pretty good or fall flat on its face, but the pairing of Mitsuki Saiga and Sho Hayami as the leads has me interested. -- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10562"]K-On![/URL][/b]: It's KyoAni, so that automatically earns it a shot. Not the kind of show I would expect to be a classic, but it could be a fun, light diversion. I'm mainly expecting something funny and entertaining, with the requisite fantastic KyoAni production values. -- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10464"]Natsu no Arashi![/URL][/b]: SHAFT, with Akiyuki Shinbo at the helm, is basically another automatic for me, no matter what the show. The premise doesn't exactly light me on fire, but hey. On the plus side, there is a good assortment of seiyuu I enjoy (Ai Nonaka, Hitomi Nabatame, Yui Horie, Kaori Nazuka). -- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10436"]Pandora Hearts[/URL][/b]: Fantasy normally is not my thing, but I've been giving more series along these lines a shot lately, and my horrible bias is slowly dissipating. The storyline does have a decent bit of potential, so I'll be watching. -- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10271"]Sengoku Basara[/URL][/b]: Just because the story and epic battles could be interesting, and I really need more Norio Wakamoto in my life. (With the added bonus of Mamiko Noto, Sho Hayami, Romi Paku and Takehito Koyasu.) -- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10668"]Souten Kouro[/URL][/b]: More historical anime, but this time with Madhouse + Mamoru Miyano as a Chinese emperor. Sure, why not?

I am still waiting for someone -- [i]anyone[/i] -- to finish subbing this series. The furthest any group has gone is eight episodes. When this is completed, I'll be all over it, because pretty much everything about it is still distinct and clear in my mind, which is just about unheard of for a series I haven't seen in months.

Never heard the original cast myself, so I have no real opinion on the changes, except that I am sad to see Michiko Neya go. I like her a lot. Fumiko Orikasa ain't nothin' to sneeze at, though. Like you, I am glad to see Shinichiro Miki in there, and DAMN I am looking forward to hearing some Evil Kikuko Inoue. Can't wait!

[quote name='Korey'][FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"][COLOR="Indigo"]My personal favorite banner was Shy's. 2 Nifty, 2 Quifty. [/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE] That is my favorite, as well. Whoever made that gets a thumbs up from me. Debresko is also hilarious. All the banners do rock, though, so thanks to everyone who put in their time to make them! It is much more work than I have done the past month or so, that's for sure. Also, only on OB would I be represented by a crossdressing little boy. Hooray!

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Damn it Mike you need to start replying sooner, I've nearly chewed my fingernails away waiting to share the joy of [spoiler]both Wang Liu Mei and Nena dying in the same episode in equally ignoble ways (and more amusingly they had the same pathetic motivation)[/spoiler]. To quote Monty Python, there was much rejoicing.[/size][/quote] Haha, sorry. I am watching a ton of currently airing shows right now, and [b]Gundam 00[/b] is usually at the end of that pile because 1) It's one of the best shows on right now, and I like to save the best for last, and 2) I need something exciting and action-packed after each emotional episode of [b]Clannad ~After Story~[/b]. xD [quote][size=1]Overall the big reveal that [spoiler]Setsuna has become an Innovator is interesting, given he's probably the first true one since Ribbons[/spoiler] it should definitely make for the final five episodes to have a very interesting plot. The fact as well he now knows [spoiler]the location of Veda will probably make that the central point.[/spoiler] One other thing though it brought to mind was when [spoiler]Ribbons said that Ali had gone beyond human [/spoiler] back at the beginning of this season. Certainly makes one wonder.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] For some reason, the whole [spoiler]Veda thing[/spoiler] slipped my mind when I wrote my post. [spoiler]Ribbons would have to be pretty dumb to not know Celestial Being has Veda's location now (and, as much as I hate the guy, he is not dumb). However, I think it's likely that at least Setsuna will get to Veda before Ribbons is able to change its location. [/spoiler] Your point about Ali is interesting. [spoiler]It's probably a mix of something natural within Setsuna, along with all the GN particles he has been exposed to, that have accelerated his innovation. Ali's nationality is unknown, but I don't think it would be a stretch to assume he is also from the Middle East -- there is a lot of interest in that area, so maybe Aeolia Schenberg had his hand in that region when he was alive? There could have been aborted attempts at innovation (along the lines of the super soldiers) that have been passed along through genetic inheritance through the years, which wouldn't make it a stretch that Ali and Setsuna are genetically advanced in some way.[/spoiler] Of course, that is all speculation and BS at the moment, haha.

Damn, this week's [b]Gundam 00[/b] did a pretty good job of erasing my fears! [spoiler]With Setsuna discovering that he is on the path to innovation (which is an interesting development), that sets up a strong conflict among him, Ribbons and Regenne. They all seem to be following Aeolia's plan but in different ways. Well, actually, Ribbons' method is the only one we know so far. I gather Setsuna's path will be a bit more peaceful. Regenne is the wild card. I am interested to know what he is planning, what his motivation is, etc. Hopefully this will be the strong central conflict the show needs to drive it toward an exciting finale.[/spoiler] In other fantastic news, [spoiler]NENA TRINITY AND WANG LIU MEI ARE DEAD, WOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Poor Hong Long had to be sacrificed for it, of course, but surprisingly enough I am not angry in the slightest. Could he [i]really[/i] have done anything that would have wielded more awesome results than setting the stage for Nena and Wang Liu Mei to die? I think not. Wang Liu Mei is ultimately a selfish, petty loser, so it's nice that she dies by the hand of another selfish, petty loser. Evil Ribbons Haro is friggin' great. Best thing Ribbons has done ever. The second best thing he's done is setting up the poetic justice with Louise slaughtering the crap out of Nena. Sad end to that, though, with Louise retreating further into madness and not really achieving anything personally with her revenge. Also, Andrei is still dumb.[/spoiler] I enjoyed the [spoiler]Setsuna/Graham fight in this episode. Good to see ol' Bushido finally get a good, lengthy scene this season. I liked the throwbacks to their fight in the first season finale. Graham has become only more twisted and obsessed since then. I think cases like Graham's are something Setsuna will take into account when he formulates his plan (because, as Setsuna admitted, it is the existence of Gundams that twisted Graham), so hopefully he won't kill my boy off in the next episode. Aside from the fight, I find it interesting that Graham knows of the Innovators' existence. I wonder who else in the upper echelons of the A-Laws knows about them?[/spoiler] The only part I am not that big on is [spoiler]the bit about Marina's song bringing peace. That seems a bit forced, and I rolled my eyes at it.[/spoiler]

You know, it took a while, but [b]Maria Holic[/b] has slowly become my favorite anime of the winter season. (Not that it really has much strong competition, although I am watching more shows this season than I thought I would.) It's not quite as good as [b]Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei[/b], because there are more and stronger loonies in that show; however, it at least inherited the focus [b]Zetsubou Sensei[/b] has. Everything is essentially filtered through Kanako, which is part of what makes the show so strange, because she is such a weird pervert, haha. Her delusion this week about the different angels that would make up the Virgin Mary Festival is great, haha. Mariya is definitely a jerk, but I think he has become a bit less overbearing because the show has gone out of its way to show him in many different situations in recent weeks. He's not just bullying Kanako -- he also has to keep up his appearance. I like that he is shown to be at least semi-serious about religion, although that does lead to him snapping at Kanako a bit more. xD My favorite of the girls used to be Ishima, but now it's Nanami. She's an oddball, but she is pretty cute when she makes friends with everyone.

Des is [i]far[/i] from undercover, haha.

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"] Has it been confirmed the second season is the final one ? Given they're already at 20 the idea they can wrap up the entire plot in the last six episodes seems a bit of a stretch to me. Although that said there's not exactly been a strong plot running through the second season (as least compared to Code Geass, and note I said strong, not good) so I suppose we could get some sort of plausible ending, although it would seem to favour the bad guys winning.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] That is an interesting point, actually. A friend of mine said to me that he hoped [b]Gundam 00[/b] wouldn't "pull a [b]Gundam SEED[/b]" (i.e. produce another 50 episodes out of nowhere). Five episodes [i]might[/i] be enough to reasonably wrap up the story, but if it does not take major steps forward in the next episode, then I will be a bit concerned. (Although I have no real problems with the quality of this batch of episodes, because it has been quite good -- I'd say only [b]Clannad ~After Story~[/b] and maybe [b]Toradora![/b] have been better since the fall season began.)

So, yeah, more evidence that Ribbons is a total bastard. Also more evidence that he has a serious beef with emotions of any sort. [spoiler]Anew was all ready to go, "Eh, screw the Innovators" and throw herself into Lyle's arms before Ribbons went, "lolno" and decided to become the Puppetmaster. He throws out his spiel about how the Absolutes despise being treated like humans, but deep down I think he also knows human emotion is a threat to his plan. He can manipulate it, but he cannot completely control it. However, he [i]can[/i] use it to damage his enemies, which he did by pitting Anew against Lockon. Ribbons didn't expect Setsuna to kick some *** (wonder what happened to the other Innovators?), but that skirmish is at least partly a Ribbons victory for now, considering how much it affected Lockon.[/spoiler] [spoiler]But this episode does not bode particularly well for the eventual Louise/Saji showdown -- I'm still holding out for a happy ending on that front, but it will be considerably more difficult now since Louise is morphing into an Innovator. Speaking of Innovator morphing, I like that Anew's attitude toward Soma hinted that the Super Soldiers are like failed Innovator experiments. Perhaps they were the first step to the Innovators learning how to completely change humans into Innovators.[/spoiler] EDIT: Also, I cannot believe we're entering the stretch run of the show. It just doesn't [i]feel[/i] as if it's going to end, you know?

Like Japan, I never watched the anime, nor have I read the manga, so I am quite excited about this. I get to be the n00b reacting to every plot twist, while the veterans sit off to the side, shake their heads and wish they could experience this for the first time again. This is awesome.

It looks funnier as one word. That gets my vote. (Do you know how happy I am to voice my opinion on something like this? I am weird.)

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE=1][spoiler]Saji grew balls! Yes my favourite character in the second season (Lyle just hasn't got Neil's awesomeness for me yet) apparently is willing to fight for Celestial Being now. Sure he said he's only willing to fight his own battles (i.e. continue Operation Get-Back-Louise) but that's a big step up from where he's been in just looking for her, and I get the feeling he's going to be open about agreeing with CB's intentions before too long as well.[/spoiler][/SIZE][/quote] Yes, FINALLY. I've disliked him since the beginning, but maybe now he can be someone I can get behind. As long as it leads to a happy ending for Louise, then I'm good. [quote][SIZE=1]Ribbons [spoiler]screws the CB's plans up again. You'd think they'd know better than to try to interrogate and capture one alone knowing their all linked (although perhaps they don't know this, Tieria always seemed a bit thick).[/spoiler][/SIZE][/quote] ARGH, I was [i]really[/i] hoping [spoiler]Anew wouldn't go into Innovator mode[/spoiler], but I guess that is too much to hope for. Damn it. (Although it is ambiguous whether [spoiler]Anew is acting of her own free will right now.[/spoiler]) It appeared as if everything was falling apart, but I guess my extreme hatred of Ribbons wouldn't let me see that he actually has things under control. (For now.) [quote][SIZE=1]Finally, and most importantly [spoiler]Wang Liu Mei is finally dead (Horray!!) but so is her kick-*** brother Hong Long (Not nearly enough development for the silent kick-*** bodyguard, I demand Orenji-fication of him) both killed by Ribbons through Nina Trinity (Why, oh why is this ***** not killed ? Seriously she's as nuts as Ali and not nearly as cool. Jihad-sama will hopefully finish the job off later.)[/spoiler][/SIZE][/QUOTE] Agreed about [spoiler]Hong Long. I'll be so pissed if he's dead. Guy gets to kick *** with Lockon "Neil" Stratos one time and that's it. WTF. Wang Liu Mei ... I'm intrigued about the mystery behind her, but as for the woman herself, I'm not exactly fond of her. Nena Trinity I friggin' hate more though. Ugh. Watching her fly around and spread her GN particles like in last season just bugged the hell out of me. DIE PLZ.[/spoiler] Funniest moment of the episode: Andrei getting swatted away when Setsuna launched into Trans-Am mode. Fantastic.