Anime What are You Watching/Reading Now?

[2010DigitalBoy]

[quote name='Avenged666fold'][B]The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 0-3[/B]

Excellent. I don't like it as much as I like Kamichu so far but it's really awesome. I got a question for Dues Ex though. Since you were relatively new to anime when you saw episode zero how did you feel about it? Did it confuse you a little bit? It seemed as if it was aimed at the more seasoned anime fan.[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]I thought it was hilarious, though when I rewatched it and really got it, I found it FREAKING HILARIOUS, heh. And saying you don't like it as much as Kamichu... they're two very different genres...[/COLOR]

[seshy311]

:animedepr
im new but right now im reading 'Interview with a vampire', by anne rice.

[Panache]

[quote name='Deus ex Machina'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]I thought it was hilarious, though when I rewatched it and really got it, I found it FREAKING HILARIOUS, heh. And saying you don't like it as much as Kamichu... they're two very different genres...[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Thats true but some guy kept comparing them and now so am I...
Whats really cool about it was how they added a little sci fi to it.(well so far it's a little as it goes on it might add more). Everything in the first episode was so true though. Which is why it was so funny.

[2010DigitalBoy]

[quote name='Avenged666fold']Thats true but some guy kept comparing them and now so am I...
Whats really cool about it was how they added a little sci fi to it.(well so far it's a little as it goes on it might add more). Everything in the first episode was so true though. Which is why it was so funny.[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]If you're watching in broadcast order (you should be) then yes, there are heavy sci-fi and psychological/philosophical elements which are what make it so great for me. [/COLOR]

[Panache]

[quote name='Deus ex Machina'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]If you're watching in broadcast order (you should be) then yes, there are heavy sci-fi and psychological/philosophical elements which are what make it so great for me. [/COLOR][/QUOTE]

I'm just watching it in the order that the dvd has it in. I don't know why I would watch it any other way.

[Starwind]

I'd like to start with thing I'm watching right now. Since my orders to go to Iraq came down I've been spending all the extra money I have to buy more DVDs for the 40 plus hours it's gonna take for me to just get to Kuwait. Seeing this as a problem I went out and bought the rest of the [B]Burst Angel [/B]series. This is an awesome series that always offers up good fan service. Plus, I love myself some bad ***, gunslinging babes.

Going on that theme, I've started re watching [B]Madlax[/B]. This was another fun adrenaline ride with lots of the hot babes and intense fights that I love in anime.

The next would have to be [B]Air[/B]. This a completely different genre then the first two I mentioned, but I can't help it, I just love this one. I can't help but laugh and cry at this one. It was kinda frightening how emotionally involved I became in this one.

I just finished up watching [B]The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya[/B]. This one I liked, not just because it was hysterical, but because I have a friend who reminds me of Haruhi. With the exception of the fact that he's a guy and can't involutarily bend reality (at least to my knowledge), he is almost exactly like her. It's kinda scary really.

I just picked up the complete collectors set of [B]Tenjo Tenge[/B]. Again, for great fight scenes and the always abundant fan service. Like I said, I have a soft spot for bad *** chicks. The show could use more guns though.

Next up is the rising star [B]Hell Girl[/B]. The story is a bit repeatative, but for some reason I can't seem to pull myself away from it. True were only ten episodes in, but I think it has promise.

[B]Witchblade[/B] is another fan service series. I mean come on, scantily clad, demon warrior women duking it out. What else would you call it.

Another series I just started buying is [B]Saikano[/B]. It seemed like it was going to be a bit cheesey at first, but I've come to find myself very emotionally invested in this one. Maybe not to the same degree as [B]Air[/B], but nonetheless, I still feel a deep smpathy for the characters in this story.

Next for some of the manga I'm reading right now in preparation for my time over seas.

I am desperatly waiting for the next volume of [B]Hayate the combat butler[/B]. This is a manga that is still funny even after the thrid time around for me. I just love the total randomness of some of the things that happen in it. As well as the countless references to other anime as well.

[B]Welcome to the NHK[/B] is spectacular. I don't have any words for this. All I'll say is that I recommend this one to just about any anime and manga fan out there. This is one that we can all laugh at.

I've been reading [B]School Rumble [/B]for awhile now and I'm kind of upset to learn that the next volume won't come out til after I leave for Iraq. I've already put my friends and family on notice to grab it for me and send it on over. This story had a plot at one point, but we've long since forgotten what it was.

I recently picked up [B]Hoshin Engi [/B]and I must say I like what I've seen of it, but I'm still too green to the series to give a good opinion on it. But first impressions are good, I will say that.

[2010DigitalBoy]

[quote name='Avenged666fold']I'm just watching it in the order that the dvd has it in. I don't know why I would watch it any other way.[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Congrats, you're being robbed XD then again, you get robbed every time you watch a dub anyway, so whatever.

Starwind, I'm so glad you like NHK, it's one of the most unique and awesome series around. I highly suggest you read the (now translated by tokyopop) novel it's based on because it's much better, though far far less silly. [/COLOR]

[Starwind]

Your recommendation is noted and I will be looking into it. I wasn't even aware there was an NHK novel out there, but it definitly sounds like something I'll want to pick up.

Also, Avenged, deus is right, you are being robbed. Just so you know he's not the only one who thinks so. Though I don't agree that you always lose out with a dub. I still stand by alot of anime dubs, since most of them are actually pretty good.

[Panache]

[QUOTE]Congrats, you're being robbed XD then again, you get robbed every time you watch a dub anyway, so whatever. [/QUOTE]What are you talking about?

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]Haruhi episodes were aired in a very different order from the order on the DVDs and thus there is both broadcast order and DVD order for watching them. The DVDs show episodes chronologically, with the exception of episode 00 still being shown first, whereas broadcast order skips around in time to give you different bits and pieces of information and finally puts everything together with a proper ending. Personally, I prefer broadcast order and most people I've talked to do as well.

ANN's [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6430&page=25][u]episode list[/u][/url] for the series lists the episodes in broadcast order and also has notes to show chronological order.[/color]

[Panache]

Well it doesn't make a difference to me but since I started in chronological order I am gonna keep going in chronological order. I am gonna see all the episodes anyway. Arguing over which one is "better" seems dumb to me.

[2010DigitalBoy]

[quote name='Avenged666fold']Well it doesn't make a difference to me but since I started in chronological order I am gonna keep going in chronological order. I am gonna see all the episodes anyway. Arguing over which one is "better" seems dumb to me.[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]See, chronologically, the first 6 eps or so are all linear and plot-drven. The rest is all episodic. When they are mixed up, it's like you get glimpses of the plot mixed in with the other zany fun stuff. however, the most important thing is the ending. Chronologically, episode 14 is the most boring episode and is supposed to be a calm way to easy out the story, sort of. However, in broadcast order, the final episode is epic, moving, and beautiful (there's one part where oth in the original AND in the dub I got chills from the awesomeness). But in the dub, that's episode 6. My bro, who's watching it dubbed the first time, even said "wow, I really wished I'd watcehd it the original way because that was amazing."

So yah. Boadcast order FTW. And I stand by the theory that dubs suck. Haruhi dub is one of the better dubs out there for sure, but the original vocal cast is LEGENDARY. no matter how good they are, the japanese Kyon and Haruhi are PERFECT. . [/COLOR]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]I don't really care whether or not people think broadcast order is better, but that's the way the series was originally meant to be viewed. And I find that its presentation and pacing is smoother in broadcast order, with the exception of an episode being stuck between the two Remote Island Syndrome episodes. (And even that builds curiosity to make you want to know what happens next.) Someday in the Rain also makes for a very anticlimactic ending.

If you ever re-watch the series, I'd recommend trying broadcast order to see the differences in presentation. I went the other way around—broadcast first, then DVD order—and it was interesting.[/color]

[Panache]

[QUOTE]And I stand by the theory that dubs suck. Haruhi dub is one of the better dubs out there for sure, but the original vocal cast is LEGENDARY. no matter how good they are, the japanese Kyon and Haruhi are PERFECT. . [/QUOTE]I hate subs...not only do I hate the way the japanese language sounds(for the most part) but reading what is happening not only annoys me but it takes away certain important elemnts. So I don't do subs. I don't care if it's "how it was originally meant to be" that doesn't really matter when I see the bad parts of it. Anyway if Haruhi is good enough in this order I might watch it in the other order.

[KinchoKitty]

Right now im keeping up with the fruits basket manga:animesmil
but i just started reading a shojo beat manga called Beauty pop.:p lol Both are funny and cool.
Fruits basket is getting very intense

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Comedy - 10 of the best minutes of anime I have ever seen in my life. Irish folktales for the ****ing win. God I love gothic style.

Edit: Watched Hituji no Uta which was pretty cool, nice dark, brooding atmosphere till the end, and an ending that leaves you wondering. Good ol tradgedy. Continuing my marathon of gothic themes, I'm hoping to find something with oldschool goth style. With castles and ****. I guess I still haven't seen the first Vampie Hunter D movie though I heard it's not very good (and I've read the book anyway).[/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

At the moment I'm watching The Vision of Escaflowne, for the simple reason that there are episodes of it in the on demand section of my cable service. I'm not sure what I think of it yet since I only just finished the first episode. Well other than the dubbing already has me wishing I just had the disk so I could switch to subtitles instead. Beyond that it looks like it will be an interesting show.

[Magus]

[COLOR="Navy"][font=comic sans ms]Currently watching [b]Fullmetal Alchemist.[/b] (for the 2nd or 3rd time.. I think) I don't hate it, but it's not a favorite, if you know what I mean. Still a good anime though. Explaining what the series is about is a complete waste of time since everyone has scene it (ok, almost everyone) and besides, I suck at synopsis's lol.

The more I watch this, the more I [strike]hate[/strike] dislike Ed and Al. If Ed can't get what he wants, he's gonna become all bratty until he has whatever... I hate that. I'd rather see someone just throw a shovel at his dome and call it a day. Al just whines alot, and well, that's something that'll never grow onto me. (Kids, teens, yeah, I get all that, but "shrugs")

I do skip episodes here and there to avoid anger issues lol. (Which I'd rather not get into right now :)) For comic relief, my favorite episode is the one where [spoiler]there was suppose to be a haunted (I think) warehouse.[/spoiler] I just crack up at Mustang in that episode for some reason. Action perspective... Hard to say, probably the episode when [spoiler]Scar blew off Ed's arm[/spoiler]. If you couldn't tell, Mustang is my favorite character in this anime btw :)

I've also been getting into [b]Death Note[/b]. For what it's worth, I like the english voices so far. Granted that I've never seen the subs. Nothing seems dull or boring. Everything just sounds real good. I missed a few episodes. Hopefully nothing major. Although, I am wondering where did Ryuk's [spoiler]obsession of apples come from[/spoiler]?

Madhouse is my favorite animation studio lol. (Guess I don't need to say anything about the animation/artwork now :)) I just wish they would do a samurai anime.

The best thing so far, for me, is Light and L trying to out smart each other, and sadly, that's where it ends. It's kind of hard to imagine this series going on the way it is because at this very moment, it just seems like something that'll get repetitive really quick. [spoiler]Light kills random person without being spotted , L catches on, Light and L go on a battle of wits... repeat[/spoiler].{spoilers just to be safe} ( pure speculation lol, and no doubt that I'm wrong.) Yeah, that just seems like it'll grow old real fast. Especially without this having any action in it whatsoever. I'll stick with it though, that is if the series isn't that long. (?)

Another thing I find interesting is that L is the one that "supposedly" dresses wacky/crazy, while Light dresses in a professional manner, but yet, Light is the one who seems [spoiler]to have snapped[/spoiler]. Atleast in this past episode, that is.

[strike]Oh yeah, I'm also watching [b]House of Mouse[/strike][/b] :D.

[quote name='Dagger']Kikuchiyo is the best character by far in the live-action film. It's not like his personality is that different... the actor in Seven Samurai is really expressive & funny, though (he appears in practically every Kurosawa movie, in a wide range of roles). It might be partly because they made him a big hulking cyborg, but I agree that Kikuchiyo is just plain abrasive in the anime.[/quote]
Ah, perhaps I should check out that movie one of these days. If I can ever get into the black & white films... Or is it in color? My real dispute with Kikuchyio is that he's too [strike]idiotic[/strike] abrasive like you said. To be more precise, he's a mechanical version of Kuwabara (sp?) in Yu Yu Hakusho. Both knows something about honor, but are really stupid. Once I see the last episode, I'll give my full opinion about the series as a whole.[/COLOR][/font]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]I've picked up yet another show this season. It's kind of late, since there are only three episodes left in this season, but whatever. Right now I'm going through back episodes of [b]Minami-ke[/b] and have seen through ep5 of the 10 currently released.

It's a weird little slice of life comedy. As the opening of each episode says, "This is just a plain depiction of the days of the lives of the three Minami sisters. Please don't expect too much." And really, that's about it, but simply watching the three sisters' personalities bounce off each other is amusing. I think watching Chiaki (the youngest sister) screwing with Kana's (the middle sister) head is my favorite part. Though, of course, Kana gets back in her own ways—like [url=http://img122.imageshack.us/my.php?image=minamike1ba7.jpg][u]rolling Chiaki in a sheet and hanging her from a pole[/u][/url] to make her act as a teruterubouzu (a charm to make rain stop). It's weird but also fairly believable, which only makes it more funny.

I've also been watching [b]Death Note[/b] in between new releases. So far I've seen through ep9 but because the show is pretty much entirely dialogue based, at least so far, it seems like a lot more than that. Maybe it's because I haven't watched anything that's actually made me think in a while, but it almost seems tiring to watch more than two or three episodes in a row. It's been very interesting though; I like it.

I'm also wondering how it's going to last through all 37 episodes. Things have seemed to progress very quickly in just the nine that I've seen.[/color]

[ImmortalGuru]

Hmm, right now I am DEEP into Naruto Shippuden. Its like every friggen week I wait for another ep to be put online so I can check that thing. This saga that they have going on right now is just soooo friggen amazing. [spoiler]With Kabuto being the spy that Sasori was talking about, and then Orochimaru coming back...its just getting much better. And if the preview is any indication, Naruto is about to truly show how badass he REALLY is when he unleashes that demon fox cloak.[/spoiler] Definetly cant wait til Thursday night...well, more than likely Friday afternoon to watch that thing. Especially with it being an hour long episode.

Reading, I just recently got back into reading manga now that I found a spot where I can check em out at(recent mangas. Dont want that old stuff.). I'm startin to get back into reading InuYasha. I'm at the point where [spoiler]Naraku is into yet another new form, and that ish is NASTY. I love it.[/spoiler]. Gonna try to read up a bit more on it and see whats gonna go down.

I'm also watchin Gundam 00 and Shakugan No Shana II. Not too deep into those yet, but I like to watch em alot whenever I get the chance.

And Pumpkin Scissors is pretty cool too. Just bought the first DVD the other day. Gonna see how the rest of it pans out afterwards. Hopefully I'm able to find a way to get some more money by then. These damn bills are killin me. :(

[Panache]

[B]Haruhi 6-9[/B]
Man Haruhi is like one of the most amazing characters ever. This might be one of my favorite sci fi's ever...

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]So. What would happen if you took the artistic beauty of, say, Mushishi or Kino's Journey, mixed it with the offbeat fun of Revolutionary Girl Utena, gave it the most nonsensical, WTF plot of all time and aired it backwards? You'd get Touka gettan, the simultaneously best and worst show that ever existed. Gotta say, I've never had mixed feelings toward something like I do to this. I'll say now, the director, Yuji Yamaguchi, might be my least favorite person in existence and the subject of many recent angry rants on my blog. However, it wouldn't be far off to say that while not a single ounce of it ought to be considered redeemable, Touka Gettan is amazing. Watching it is like taking your own mind and crumpling it into a ball, eating it, and finding it the best thing you've ever tasted.

I'm 10 episodes in and still wondering if my review will be giving it a '4' or a '9'. If you can make it past the last few episodes (and by that, I do mean the first few episodes) it's probably worth checking out. You know, if you want something to twist your min in more knots than Lain, Eva, and Perfect Blue combined. [/COLOR]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="77656"]Today i started watching episode 1 of Claymore, even though I didn't see all of it, because of time, I managed to get the jist of the first eisode. I also started to watch episode 1 of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann... sadly it was subbed in Spanish. >_>

But I WILL TRY AGAIN![/COLOR]

[Magus]

[COLOR="Navy"][font=comic sans ms][i]Reading[/i]

I think I might kick Bleach and Naruto to the side for a while since I'm not getting much out of them lately. (Perhaps it's time for me to give them a break anyway.) I just read chapter 1.. excuse me, chapter 000 of [b]Black Lagoon[/b]. I don't know much about it, but it was very entertaining. I've been needing something entertaining, funny, and action packed lately, and this (judging by the 1st chapter) definately made me satisfied. [spoiler]Anytime the 1st page starts off with a fist to someones face, you know it's gonna be good.[/spoiler]XD

Isn't the anime suppose to be on Starz Edge, or did I miss it already? Because right now Desert Punk comes on that channel.[/font][/COLOR]

[Fasteriskhead]

Okay, I guess I'll weigh in on the Utakata discussion from, uh... three or four pages back? (I'm not sure if this post has spoilers or not; everything is kept vague, but skip it anyways if you're that worried)

I'm basically in agreement with Dagger on this. Utakata's not what you would call a [i]good[/i] show, but if nothing else I have to admire its audacity. You go in expecting another run-of-the-mill mahou shoujo show for preteen girls and pedophiles - in other words, you expect transforming sequences, cute and colorful outfits, the standard set of school friends' adventures (beach trips, etc.), ridiculous plotting behind the scenes by the villains and other secondary characters, and a new peg that shows up to get hammered down every week. And Utakata's got all of that, to be sure. No problem, right?

Except then things start to go very, very wrong. [i]Holy... did Ichika just get one of her friends back together with the creep who assaulted her? Did she just zap out power citywide to solve a dilemma? Did she just SUMMON A TSUNAMI to destroy Japan?[/i] By the norms of the genre you're expecting glowing optimism and, at worst, minor crises that get resolved before the closing credits, and Utakata very quickly rips away this assumption and slaps you in the face. The series just gets darker and darker as it progresses: girls stealing boyfriends from their friends and being used for sex, traumatic recollections of childhood rape, and attempts to murder hospital patients out of petty revenge await the (impressionable twelve-year-old) viewer. Halfway through Ichika genuinely becomes a monster, complete with sickly red eyes - and she hates herself for it. It's one of a very few "coming of age" stories in anime to emphasize, in very vivid fashion, the human capacity to act in radically evil ways. It's the [i]only[/i] magical girl show that does it, so far as I'm aware.

As a whole I don't think it really works. The series is just too ambitious, and as often as not it fails the balancing act - especially in the disappointing final episode, which tries to put a happy face on things with disastrous results. On the other hand, it still succeeds better than, say, Mai Hime, and crappy endings are by no means uncommon in anime (seriously, Japan: why can't you find good endings for your cartoon shows? you drag things out unnecessarily, you cram three episodes' worth of conclusion into one, you throw us a sudden shift in tone out of nowhere, and only one time in a thousand do you give us a Fall Out or a Sleeping In Light; what gives?). So in the end, I guess I appreciate it as a really interesting experiment with the genre more than anything else. It's no classic, but I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of its like.

(Addendum: as a hint at why I usually don't post in this thread, I note that the book I'm enjoying the most as of late is Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. I tried it a couple of years ago, but now I'm actually making some sense of it - and by the standards of my impoverished reading habits, it's really good! It's also completely incomprehensible to anyone with their head on straight!)