JazzLady22

Does anyone know what's going on with the episode numbers? Subs for episode 8 were just released, even though episode 7 was not. Even when I was looking for raws earlier this week, I could only find "episode 8." Is this just a mistake? EDIT: It looks like episode 7 is only going to be on the DVD, if Anime News Network is to be trusted. Seeing as there are only 13 episodes in the first place, that's a bit irksome.

Episode 5 just further solidifies Spice and Wolf as my favorite this season! The machinations of the [spoiler]Milone Company[/spoiler] are just too exciting to watch. [spoiler]The entire escape plan had me watching very closely to catch every detail. What a nice change, to see anime characters acting smart and making good plans for once![/spoiler] Also nice to see the dynamic between Lawrence and Horo develop further. [spoiler]The argument was very well-done. Poor Horo will probably feel the need to reassert her dominance for a while. Which will hopefully lead to more bailing-out-Lawrence antics.[/spoiler] And in a move I rather liked, [spoiler]Chloe has become an antagonist! I am rarely so happy to be wrong, but I thought she was doomed to the predictable character arc of 'the girl at home.' But I think this is a good use of her character. I do wonder how Lawrence will deal with her when they inevitably meet.[/spoiler] I grabbed the opening single, which I've been listening to on repeat. So beautiful! You're so right about the instrumental version too, Desbreko. Utterly gorgeous. I didn't go for the ending single - too weird for me, too.

Just watched episode 3, and I love how the pace is picking up! The negotiation scene was so fun to watch - poor Lawrence and his bruised ego! Horo continues to be such a fascinating character. You never know what she's going to say next. I'm so curious about the [spoiler]money scheme Lawrence figured out at the end of the episode.[/spoiler] That's another really great thing about this series, that it's a lot harder to guess the next step because of the subject matter. Really keeps you thinking! This is becoming one of my favorites of the season so far.

My least favorite has to be [I]Law of Ueki[/I]. I'm not at all surprised that I haven't seen it mentioned yet; I only knew of it because a couple of my friends got inexplicably obsessed with it. Anyways. This show basically threw whatever idea came into the writers' heads on the wall to see what stuck. I could never decide if it was a huge parody or was trying to take itself seriously, but I didn't stick around long enough to find out.

Since I've read the first volume (is there any more lying around? I've been searching the raw manga communities, but no dice), I'll address some of your criticisms: - You're so right about the music. Looks like the full version of the OP is being released in early February, and I'll be all over that. - I usually expect some loss of character development in the translation from manga to anime; manga in general is a lot more character-driven, and anime has to aim to crowd please. That said, I thought Horo and Lawrence carried over pretty well, though you're right about some of Horo's emotions being better expressed in the manga. I'll have to see more of Lawrence in both mediums before I decide anything, though. - Though it would be awesome if Lawrence had that low, casual drawl that Ginko perfected, I might never stop comparing the two. XD They just had to give Lawrence white hair! - One change I wasn't too crazy about: the anime sort of sexed things up a bit. I didn't really like the addition of the girl who hits on Lawrence in the first episode, since her entire purpose was to go "Lawreeeence I'm a big girl now *flashes legs*" With the other intriguing characters that have been introduced, she feels a bit weak to me, and I hope too much time won't be spent on her. I agree with you about some of the changes in the first episode, but the second episode is a good deal closer to the manga. So you may enjoy that more!

I noticed there wasn't a thread for this anime yet... actually, I seem to be one of the few people watching this series! Anyone else out there watching Spice and Wolf? I looked into it because the light novel series has gotten great reviews. The series, which takes place in a medieval sort of setting, is about an itinerant merchant, Lawrence, who meets a pagan wolf deity named Horo. Horo has been living in a village for hundreds of years, providing them with a healthy crop of wheat each year, but as fewer of them pray to her, she starts to get nostalgic for her homeland in the north. She asks Lawrence to take her back there. The first two episodes were extremely intriguing to me. The only two significant characters so far are Lawrence and Horo, and I'm excited to learn more about them. They're both intelligent, occasionally sarcastic, and definitely have interesting backstory waiting to be explored. While it is listed as a fantasy series, there are no magic or swordfights to be found. Actually, so far, the plot centers around economics and trade, though there's a definite conflict on the horizon considering the constant presence of the church. There are some funny moments, but a distinct lack of SD and sweatdrops, which I found refreshing, personally. The pace isn't slow, per se, but those of you who like your anime action-packed will probably be fidgeting. S&W is heavy on dialogue and discussions. Also, those of you who are uncomfortable with animated nudity might want to note that Horo prances around naked for most of the first episode. It's nothing worse than you'd see in a magical girl transformation sequence. XD I'll be keeping an eye on this one. I've been lacking an intelligent traveling series since Mushishi ended.

I'd been pretty lax keeping up with Bleach, since I read the entire Soul Society arc in the manga, but I watched the last few episodes. And am rather glad I did. ^_^ I'm very pleased with how they handled Aizen's [spoiler]complete character 180. I guess they took that into account when they hired Shou Hayami, who also played Muraki in Yami no Matsuei (another uber-villain.)[/spoiler] One thing did strike me as kind of odd, though... [spoiler]it already did seem weird that Aizen could kick everyone's *** without so much as lifting a finger, but... the anime added some kind of Sailor Moon-esque transformation to go along with it? XD[/spoiler] Also, to what Dagger said: [spoiler]I don't think they'd make Urahara into an outright villain, that would just... make him so uncomplicated. I agree that as of now, he's a morally ambiguous character; he's basically someone who works for his own gain, and if Ichigo and co. benefit from it, great! And if not, too bad. And he better stay that way, too... he's a refreshingly different character from the shounen mold.[/spoiler]

[quote name='Sea Of Chaos666]Yeah I pretty sure your right. [spoiler]Hijikata was the one who killed his parents.[/spoiler'] That's why he is supprised in the anime when he heard the name Ichimura. Right?[/quote] [i]Well[/i], there was a bit of controversy over that a while back, actually, but the man thought to have killed Tetsu's parents is [spoiler]Yoshida, Suzu's master[/spoiler]. Haven't made it onto the boards in a while. :animestun My bad! Although PMK still remains one of my favorite animes. I bought the second and third DVD when they came out and I think ADV is actually doing a pretty decent job with them, even if I still prefer the original seiyuus by far. I love the extras, though!

I agree with QuincyArcher... this episode was portrayed very differently than it's corresponding chapter. *MANGA SPOILER* [spoiler]I mean, the whole thing with this Shinigami guy risking his life for Karin... that DOES sort of contradict everything else we learn about the Shinigami as a whole in the Soul Society arc. That's why it was such a big deal that Rukia risked her life to protect Ichigo in the first episode.[/spoiler] Also, I liked it better when [spoiler]Ichigo managed the "victory" against Grand Fisher on his own, without the appearance of his mother.[/spoiler] However. I think the scene between [spoiler]Ichigo and his father[/spoiler] was handled absolutely beautifully. [spoiler]The, "Live life to the fullest, Ichigo" speech gets me everytime... it's just a really nice moment.[/spoiler] The anime is definitely taking liberties with the material, but I don't think the anime will stray too far from the main plotline. After all, we're getting the [spoiler]Don Kanonoji[/spoiler] arc is next! Which, in my opinion, is the most hilarious arc in the series.

Oh wow, I took my sweet time posting in this thread. *Laughs* Anyways, I've been a Bleach fan for a few months now, and I've read up until about chapter 142 now (including a few raws)... oh, I love this series to death. I love the way they're doing things so far! And I'm thrilled that [spoiler]Urahara (the shop-owner) and Kon (the mod-soul) have shown up already![/spoiler] I've noticed that they made some changes so far, including [spoiler] the aforementioned Karin/Yuzu switch in the first episode, the way in which Orihime's brother became a hollow, and Kon's personality, to an extent - he wasn't quite so violent in the manga! I did love the scene with Ichigo fighting him, though... heh.[/spoiler] Said changes don't really bother me, though, seeing as most of them were probably sanctioned by Kubo Tite (the mangaka) himself; he's actually voicing one of the characters! Six was my personal favorite episode so far (mostly due to Urahara, since he's a favorite of mine... but the preview with Chad was pretty classic, too) but I think all the episodes have done a fabulous job thus far! Quick question for everyone: Do any of you know how many episodes Bleach is slotted for?

Oh dear. I am very late with this. *Laughs* Blame it on sickness and laziness. Anyways, I bought the first PMK DVD and manga about two weeks ago. I have to agree that the packaging is simply [i]gorgeous[/i]! The DVD didn't really have much in the ways of extras, which was rather disappointing, but maybe in later volumes, ne? And here's my opinion on the dub... keep in mind that I am a "bloody purist" when it comes to these sorts of things, so feel free to disregard. It wasn't so much the acting... I thought most of the American VAs did well with the delivery. I particularly liked Heisuke's bit at the beginning of episode four; he manages to deliver the lines with the same energy and insanity as the original seiyuu. However, a lot of the voices just didn't click for me at all, Hijikata and Okita, in particular. This could be me being a total Jouji Nakata and Mitsuki Saiga fangirl, but they just didn't sound right to me. Hijikata lacks the menacing voice he had in the original; heck, he didn't even sound that annoyed to me. Souji, as well, sounded pretty off; I don't really feel the change between happy-Souji and oni-Souji in his voice. He sounds pretty awkward in the role, IMHO. Luci Christian did decently as Tetsu, though! She got more energetic as the disc went on, really... but I would like it if she'd take it down a notch during Tetsu's more serious parts. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the insertion of accents... more specifically, Susumu and Ayumu's kansai-ben becoming Texan, and Akesato's Kyou-ben in the manga is written out into some kind of Southern dialect. Not only that, but she doesn't speak as intelligently as she does in direct translations... (Her line, "It don't hafta be that way," has to bother me the most.) I can't wait until volume two! *Dances*

...I've seen the Saiyuki dub. I can see why Goku might be picked for Shinpachi, them both being short and rather excitable. But I can't help but think it's a little childish for Shinpachi... then again, I'm hearing the Goku-voice in my head, and the VA will be doing something different. And wow! I'm actually not minding the choice for Souji's VA too much. Hakkai has a very mild voice, and I'm sure with the right tone, it'd fit. Although I would have been happier if they'd cast a girl with a lower voice... As for the rest, I haven't seen the dubs. But maybe I should look into it, I'm curious as to what they sound like (especially Suzu, since I loved the way his original seiyuu underplayed his scene in ep. 23...) And yes, Dan Rugh, no more 'Kurogane.' It's just Peace Maker now... that's really too bad.

Great thread idea! ^__^ [B]Naruto[/B]- Possibly my favorite character in Naruto is Hyuuga Hinata. She doesn't exactly fit the archetype of a "strong woman," per se, as for most of the beginning of the anime, she's potrayed as a shy, somewhat weak character who is mostly defined by her crush on Naruto. But [spoiler]during the Chuunin Exams, the episodes where she fights her cousin, Neji, showed her as a very strong, detirmined character. She did get the crap beaten out of her, and eventually lose, but during the fight, you really found yourself cheering for her. I always thought she was cute, but she proved herself to be a good fighter, and strong individual, as well.[/spoiler] Thus, cementing my love for the show. (I'm not fond of Sakura or Ino...) [B]Peacemaker Kurogane[/B]- I agree with Dagger. I love Ayumu and Akesato! Although I'm afraid neither of them get a lot of screentime; Akesato gets less than almost any other major character, but that's redeemed later in the manga, when she gets a more serious and tragic story. The point being, both of these ladies are, arguably, the most unpredictable characters in the anime. Won't say anything else, because Dagger covered it nicely. [B]Fullmetal Alchemist[/B] While this anime has quite a few likable female characters (like Riza Hawkeye and Maria Ross) I'm extremely partial to Izumi, who is Ed and Al's former teacher. Some of the angst surrounding her story arc could be tough to take (then again, this is FMA we're talking about), but simply put, the woman is awesome. [spoiler]She could even hold her own against Greed for a bit, and still, it was her condition that got in the way.[/spoiler] And as I mentioned before, Riza Hawkeye and Maria Ross are very likable, and hold their own in the otherwise male-dominted military. [B]Read or Die, The OVA[/B] Yomiko and Nancy. They're [I]complete[/I] opposites, Yomiko being utterly adorable and Nancy being classy, but both of them are, for lack of a better word, totally badass. [spoiler]The dollar-bill swordfight was possibly the coolest, and most original, thing I'd ever seen.[/spoiler] And that's enough from me for today.

Adora: ^__^ Thank you for the compliments! *Hugs back* Oh, when I said Evil Souji, I meant [spoiler]his "evil twin" that shows up in episodes 16 and 17. The hitokiri boyslut one. *Sncker*[/spoiler] I think what you're talking about is how he acts in battle, with the creepy, pupil-shrunken-ness. Dagger: ...ugh. That summary makes me want to cough up blood, quite frankly. It makes it sound like the second coming of Naruto! Village? Army? Demonic powers, even? It's understandable that people wouldn't know about the Shinsengumi over here, and that they're just trying to make it sound appealing to American audiences. But really, give me a break. And if I'm not mistaken, they took 'Kurogane' out of the title, didn't they? Or did they just shorten it for the press release? Ah, who cares, really? As long as they don't make up subtitles, I'm happy.

[QUOTE=Adora] Hey, do you read Kyuuri High too? [/QUOTE] Actually, Adora, I RP Akesato in Kyuuri High! ^__^ *Still cannot believe that people read it... squeal* [QUOTE=Adora] ...but I'm wondering for anyone who's watched the anime, is it really holding that close to the historical narrative, or does it take lots of lovely liberties (apart from the character designs and humour)? [/QUOTE] The anime is really not that much different from the manga, other than [spoiler]putting in Saitou and Ryouma before Ikeda-ya, rather than afterward, the anime begins with a few clips from Ikeda-ya, rather than the extremely depressing part with Tetsu delivering...something[/spoiler], and adding a few extra things (like Maro, large-croaky-ninja-man, and Evil!Okita) There's really not much deviation otherwise. [spoiler]Souji still has tuberculosis, Yamanami's still hung up over Serizawa Kamo's assasination, and everyone is STILL going to die.[/spoiler] But one thing I'm wondering is, how does SI Peace Maker end? Is it just like the incredibly fluffy and bittersweet episode 24 (complete with the wonderful hanabi sequence), or does it end on a darker note, maybe? Has anyone read that volume?

You beat me to the punch again, Dagger ^__^ Indeed, Peacemaker has been liscensed by ADV. While I'm a bit apprehensive (I've had mixed feelings about the way they've handled some other good animes; their dubs haven't always been up to par, but some of them are quite good) I'm absolutely thrilled that it's been liscensed. I cannot wait to buy my lovely, shiny box set. If I'm not mistaken, ADV is the one with the great art boxes? *Twitches with joy* By the way, Adora, Itou is a nasty, nasty man. [spoiler]He seems to like his Hijikata submissive, which rather disturbes me. The dog collar fantasy will give me nightmares for a long, long time. Fan... *twitch*[/spoiler] And r2vq, we are the old school fans. Nobody can outdo us ^__^ And I've got my Sakamoto Ryouma biography to back me up on this one (although I'm two steps behind you guys in reading it -_-)

[quote name='Dagger IX1']Don't get your hopes up...[/quote] *Hopes skyrocket* YES! Ever since ADV liscenced the manga, I thought they might go for the anime as well. Although that news was a little vague, it has made my day ^__^ I will now proceed to scour the internet for more on this. If I find anything of interest, I'll edit this post.

Perhaps I should post when I'm not a melted puddle of fangirl ^__^ But I just have to ramble about this great show! This could have been an incredibly cliched show. Just add corny music, gratuitous flashback scenes of Yuzuyu's mother, and lots of characters unexpectedly bursting into tears. But it was not cliched at all. Hallelujah! It's possibly one of the cutest shows I've ever seen, with a whole lot of character development in just this episode! I was surprised at how much Kippei matured in just that episode, and in a believable way, too! The last part where Yuzuyu climbed into bed with him was absolutely adorable. Well, the second and third episodes are in the process of downloading. When I'm on the same page as you, and when I've materialized again, I'd be happy to discuss it with you!

I've just watched the first episode of Kyou Kara Maou! I can't get the second one, as my computer has trouble with the distro. I'll have to wait for A-One's version! A~nyways, I'm very excited about this series. The first episode was just [I]wonderful[/I], and it sucked me right in from the start. Mostly because the start was different from anything I've ever seen. EVER. Once I got over the initial shock, it's a rather innovative concept, ne? And of course, I have to mention this. Bishounen. They're absolutely everywhere in this series. You can't go through one scene without thinking, "Gosh he's pretty, in a manly sort of way." But even though Yuuri is no Fornchrist, or Okita's-seiyuu-blonde-kid (haven't had too much contact with him yet, but I already like him ^_^), he's pretty cute, and he's got a great personality. He could so easily fall into the stereotype of some kind of alienated, apathetic teen who's forced into a situation that's over his head, and he's selfish about the situation... you get the picture. The plot is quite reminiscent of Demon Diary! And hopefully, since it's so similar, we can have some similar shounen-ai vibes? Pretty pretty please? EDIT: Oh dear Lord, [spoiler]Conrad is a Red Sox fan.[/spoiler] I love this series!

*Dies laughing* A-Keep, I love you! I think 13 was a great choice to parody. I loved the whole "Kenshin" exchange between Yamanami and Heisuke! Bwahahaha! I wish they'd do 22 or 23... So, Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker hasn't been liscensed by ADV? I hope they realize it's not going to make sense to people who haven't seen the anime! People who are just buying the manga on impulse (as I'm sure we've all done a few times o__O), even if they do figure out what's going on, won't really get the full emotional impact from, say, Suzu's situation. It's a very bad decision on ADV's part. And yes, although SIPM and PMK are by the same mangaka, they were published by different companies Either way, I'm happy that the manga was liscensed. I'm still getting my PMK-goodness. EDIT: Speaking of mangas- if you guys haven't looked at the first few pages of SIPM recently, I suggest you do so. You'll understand much better now. But prepare to be depressed out of your mind. [spoiler]The scene implies Hijikata's death at Hokkaido, while Tetsu says some rather heart-wrenching lines about the Shinsengumi. Very poignant... they really should have began the series that way. *Wipes away tears*[/spoiler]

Well, since the PMK anime is fairly popular here, so ADV could changed SIPM to Peace Maker Kurogane so as not to confuse some of the fans and increase their sales. If that's the case, I wonder if they have access to both parts on the manga, or just SIPM. If they only own the rights to PMK, it's going to confuse quite a lot of people, heh heh. On the other hand, I'll be pretty excited! It would have taken forever for them to get to that particular part in the manga, plus I've already read most of the first 3 volumes. It'll be great to have one of my own! What kind of errors were in Azumanga Daioh, Dagger? I've never read it myself, so I wouldn't know... but there's plenty of room for mistakes in PMK. I'll just have to cross my fingers.

I just read scanlations of the first four chapters of PMK, plus some scans from later on. It appears that [spoiler]all the cats, plus the dressed-up little kid, are drawn to uber-evil Suzu in some way. Although it's not yet translated, so...[/spoiler] I was also surprised to see that characters like Saitou and Ryouma didn't actually show up until PMK. That makes me even more anxious to read the rest of Shinsengumi Imon Peace Maker to see the differences. Speaking of, either SIPM or PMK was just liscened. Which means that they probably plan on liscensing the anime sooner or later. While I would love that to happen, there's a few things I'm wondering what they'll do on. First of all, certain things won't have as much of an effect in English, like Ryouma, for example. So they'll have to take all that out in the dubs. Bye bye, Engrish. Also, the "Peace Maker" thing had such an effect because Tetsu didn't even know what it meant until later. Not to mention the mispronunciations. If anyone's seen the Rurouni Kenshin OVA, you know that they put the emphasis on the wrong syllable for Okita. I also hope that the English VA's will try to match the quality of the original ones. Some of the ones you listed were great, Dagger. But I keep going back to that scene with Suzu in episode 23, [spoiler]where he's talking to Yoshida, even though he's already dead.[/spoiler] That scene could have just been corny, if done overdramatically. But the original was very downplayed and innocent-sounding. And the waver in his voice gets me everytime. *Sniffles*

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1]Yeah, PMK definitely ended on a good note. ^_^ I also loved the part when Hey Jimmy started and [spoiler]I saw that they weren't going to play the normal ED animation.[/spoiler] [/QUOTE] I loved that part! [spoiler]It was great, how they showed every character watching the fireworks. Except for Tatsu! Come on, we care about him too![/spoiler] Well, the "magic" arc is widely thought of as the weakest mini-arc in PMK, as it seems to have nothing to do with anything. But I thought, random as it was, it was a nifty little way to work some mythology into the show. Like, for instance, the reappearing black cat (malevolent Kuroneko... I love you, Dagger.) According to a popular myth, just before his death, Okita was trying to kill a black cat. I don't know much more about the myth, but I do know that one time, the cat shows up when [spoiler]Okita seems sick.[/spoiler] Not only that, but he shows up at several other parts in the show, all of them rather dark situations [spoiler](that last scene with Suzu, anyone?)[/spoiler] But random tangents aside, I enjoyed the arc. It was entertaining, even though the villains, I have to admit, were a bit lame. [spoiler]It was pretty enjoyable to see them go up in flames, though. Wheee![/spoiler]

*Squeals, laughs, and sobs hysterically at the same time* I can't believe it's over! But what an ending! *Sighs* The scene between Tetsu and Saya actually made me cry, and I can't even explain why! [spoiler]Haha, Dagger, I believe I have sufficient evidence to prove that Tetsu IS Kenshin! Hehe, no I don't, but it's a funny thought...[/spoiler] And I loved the part where [spoiler]Tatsu and Susumu reconciled. It was, like you put it earlier, Dagger, a combination of humor and surprising poignance.[/spoiler] I loved how every character had an ending of their own, so to speak. Even Ryouma! I just had to hear him sing it one more time... *sniffle* [spoiler]And, of course, I loved the scene with Okita, Toshi, and Kondou on the roof of the barracks.[/spoiler] I don't think they neglected anyone, and even if the character was only briefly touched on, I felt satisfied about it. ...But not completely satistfied! Give me more, more I say! *Chants* Second season! Second season! So, now that we have the complete package, we can really get down to discussing the show. Where do we start?

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1] Yet Sakamoto [spoiler]died before the end of the bakufu. Guess who killed him? That's right.... members of the Shinsengumi.[/spoiler] [/QUOTE] *Gasps* Wow! What you said was absolutely right, Dagger. This all did seem so straightforward at first, but once you ask a seemingly simple question about, say, the characters motives, this much discussion springs up! (I'm almost sorry I brought up the topic at hand, though; it's harder to be in denial when you're discussing something... hehe kidding) I'd love to give a historically accurate arguement like you two... unfortunately, I do not know half as much as either of you :confused: Either way, there's a question I have. If Ryouma was so dilligently opposed to any foreigners, why does he spout random English like a fountain in PMK? Just lack of research on the creators' part, or they needed comic relief? [QUOTE=DaggerIX1] I've noticed that the show has attracted a wide range of admirers as well as detractors. Many people criticize it for being largely composed of filler (which I think is a pretty ridiculous assertion); others watch it only for its violence or humor. [/QUOTE] I've noticed that PMK usually does two things to a viewer. They can either: A) Rabidly love it, and become a big fan, or B) Dislike it, whine endlessly about the fillers and "historical innacuracy." Surprisingly enough, I found a whole group of people who's main annoyance about the show was either that Souji was too girlish or they "totally screwed up Saitou." Yes, most of the haters are actually die-hard Rurouni Kensihn fans. What I find funny is, most of the people who count this show as a favorite are Kenshin fans too! Anime does crazy things to people. But let's find a way to swing this back around to the topic at hand. After all we've discussed, [spoiler] who do you think more likely killed Tetsu's parents: Yoshida and the Choushuu or Hijikata and the Shinsengumi? I hate to say it, but the evidence overwhemingly points to Hijikata, while there isn't much evidence to say that Yoshida could have done it. But there's still so much that doesn't fit with that... plus I refuse to believe it, of course.[/spoiler]