Anime What are You Watching/Reading Now?

[chibi-master]

Miss Anonymous got me hooked on [b]Heartcatch Precure![/b], so that is my first series I'm watching.

I'm also re-watching [b]Trinity Blood[/b], since it's one of my favorites.

[CaNz]

i am reading the first six short stories of Sherlock Holmes and the novel "a study in scarlet"
i picked it up at a B&N two days ago (very good day... but that's another story and that one doesn't match this thread)

also... watching Gundam 00 again. Why do all seventeen year olds have great racks?

[Nony]

[quote name='CaNz' date='07 August 2010 - 02:06 AM' timestamp='1281171989' post='699013']
also... watching Gundam 00 again. Why do all seventeen year olds have great racks?
[/quote]
Because Japan deems it so.

Anyhoo, I finally finished rewatching [b]Planetes[/b]. It's a really great anime, and it has a fantastic ending, but man oh man. Getting to that ending can be a bit frustrating at times. I was watching it with my sister, who was seeing it for the first time, and she kept yelling at the characters and stuff. Oh well, at least she was pleased in the end.

Also watched [b]Heartcatch Precure![/b] episode 26 earlier! It was the typical fun times from HP, but what I'm [i]really[/i] looking forward to is next week's episode. Hoooo boy, does that one look juicy!

[CaNz]

[quote name='Miss Anonymous' date='10 August 2010 - 12:53 AM' timestamp='1281426816' post='699183']
Because Japan deems it so.
[/quote]
apparently japan has never been to japan.
maybe in the future the flat chested woman goes extinct.

geez... i am already over halfway done with Sherlock Holmes... i need to either slow down or get another book.

[Magus]

I've been on quite the [b]Bleach[/b] run as of late. Going from watching [i]Diamond Dust Rebellion[/i] to [i]Fade to Black[/i] along with [i]Sealing Sword Frenzy[/i]. I started to watch [i]Memories of a Nobody[/i] but I couldn't put up with Senna again. She was really annoying especially when watching the dub version. Diamond Dust Rebellion and Fade to Black had some nice choreo. Like most series I hardly pay attention unless it strikes out at me... (or I understand the language) But I mainly just watched everything for the fights.

I also have [b]One Piece: First Season - Third Voyage[/b] here. Err... Called myself giving the dub another chance and it just sounds bland. I suppose the emotion is there, but the voice actors sound as if they're forcing it, especially Luffy's V/A. Another issue I'm having with the v/a's is that none of them really seem to fit these characters. I'm not the type to compare sub and dub. Not by a long shot. But I really do wish cast directors go with voices that suit the characters instead of trying to go with who sound like the original.

Still reading the typical shonen trio along with [b]Psyren[/b], or rather, waiting for the new chapter, but I suppose this would be a good time to restart the series. Edited August 10, 2010 by Beretta

[chibi-master]

I started re-watching [b]Cowboy Bebop[/b] once again! I just can't get enough of Edward and Ein~!

[Shinmaru]

Recently watched the great/horrible OVAs [b]Mad Bull 34[/b] and [b]Angel Cop[/b], both famous for their hilarious English dubs by Manga Entertainment. Of the two, I prefer [b]Mad Bull[/b], mostly because it would still be entertaining in Japanese due to the world being so thoroughly insane, while [b]Angel Cop[/b] would just be depressing and stupid. But they're both worth watching in English; [b]Angel Cop[/b] in particular has some lines that are infamous in the world of bad dubbing.

EDIT: Also, should you decide to watch either, know that both are chock full of swearing and extreme violence, while [b]Mad Bull 34[/b] has a lot of sex.

And now I'm watching [b]Martian Successor Nadesico[/b], which has surprised me a bit by being more serious than expected. Not that it hasn't been funny, but I expected the scale to tip more in the direction of comedy and parody, and there has been a surprising amount of drama so far. (The end of ep3 is a harsh tearjerker, and the beginning of ep4 is a stomach punch.) Edited August 10, 2010 by Shinmaru

[The Tentacle]

[quote name='Shinmaru' date='10 August 2010 - 12:01 PM' timestamp='1281456065' post='699201']And now I'm watching [b]Martian Successor Nadesico[/b], which has surprised me a bit by being more serious than expected. Not that it hasn't been funny, but I expected the scale to tip more in the direction of comedy and parody, and there has been a surprising amount of drama so far. (The end of ep3 is a harsh tearjerker, and the beginning of ep4 is a stomach punch.)[/quote]In that case you may want to skip the Nadesico movie.  It was far and away more dramatic than the television series and the ending will really throw you for a loop.  

Speaking of stomach punches I finally got around to watching the first half of [b]Hell Girl[/b] this week.  This series is really screwing with my head for some reason.  Ai has that haunted doll creepiness going on but at least she's prettier to look at the Pinhead was.  Still, the idea that someone can have you sent to Hell just for ticking them off is really unsettling. Edited August 11, 2010 by The Tentacle

[xaos]

[quote name='The Tentacle' date='11 August 2010 - 07:51 PM' timestamp='1281570681' post='699263']
In that case you may want to skip the Nadesico movie.  It was far and away more dramatic than the television series and the ending will really throw you for a loop.  
[/quote]
Ain't that the truth, I remember seeing the movie and just going "O_o boy, this is dramatic". That was years ago and I don't remember much else about it but I remember that much.

Let's see I've been watching Glass Fleet and Gad Guard recently. Kind of liking Glass Fleet.

[Nony]

So I decided I haven't tortured myself enough lately, and I started rewatching [b].hack//Legend of the Twilight[/b].

Ugh...

Being such a big .hack nerd and liking most everything else in the franchise, this anime makes me nerd rage. It's not that it's completely terrible, but it's not that good either. It's very different from the manga too, in a bad way. See, a lot of my complaining may come from my comparisons to the LotT manga (which is actually [i]good[/i]) but that's not to say I'm against anime adaptations taking a different road from their manga counterparts. Just look at FMA (the first one).
But man, LotT... oy. So mind-numbingly average. At least I only have four episodes left until I'm done with it. -3- Edited August 13, 2010 by Miss Anonymous

[Magus]

Finally finished [b]Hakuoki: Shinsengumi Kitan[/b], and I have to say it's pretty good. It's not the best thing ever, but it's a breath of fresh air when it comes to trying to find some samurai action. Speaking of action, it starts off fairly slow, but it really picks up closer to the end (episode 8). There are only 12 episodes so I do feel a little cheated when it comes to action, but hey, better late than never. Like I said once before, I started out fairly skeptical because this is Studio DEEN and I hated the animation in Samurai Deeper Kyo, but as soon as the fighting started in episode 8 it beefed up closer to Trust and Betrayal, although that's exaggerating a bit. It's a lot closer to either Peacemaker or Samurai 7.

Hakuoki is character driven much like Peacemaker, and is chock full of pretty boys. I usually steer clear of these bishonen stuff since I have a tendency to think it's nothing but guys kissing guys, and well, that's not my thing. Fortunately there's none of that here. I have to say this once more. I can't stand damsels, and there's definately a damsel in this series, and she pushes my buttons a lot, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to really dislike her like most damsels in other series. I did want to kick her in the face a couple of times since she gets in the way quite a bit.

Anyway, I'll be waiting for season/part 2 this fall. I hope Funimation license part 1. They have quite a few people I can see voicing these characters.

[Endrance]

[color="#4169E1"]At the moment im reading air gear... though ive been finding it tough to actually find any new age anime to get into so ive been repeating my old favourites. ( any suggestions would be nice ).

If you havent read/ watched air gear, I cant blame you for maybe passing it off as rubbish at first sight. But I swear, if you give it a chance you will be hooked after the first episode/volume. Because of it i formed a new hobby in inline skating![/color]

[Magus]

[b]Watching[/b]
[u]Yu Yu Hakusho[/u] - I'm suppose you can say I've officially seen every fight in this series now. I mainly watched all the fights on Youtube since I missed out on the Dark Tournament when YYH was on Toonami. While it does cheat at times with repeated footage it is still great. This is definately the best shonen anime IMO. While I can't stand Kuwabara or Keiko, even they bring extra oomph to the series as well. I know a lot of people have problems with the Three Kings arc/saga, but I enjoyed it. Had the best fight in that arc IMO with Yusuke vs Yomi.

I'm well aware of Hunter x Hunter and I do like it quite a bit, but I still wish there were more shonen series out there like YYH. However, I wish there were more shonen with a protagonist like Kenshin (no more underdoggy kiddies)

I think during my break from school I'll be watching [i]Samurai Champloo[/i] and [i]Basilisk[/i] on Funimations website.

[b]Reading[/b]
I'm currently re-reading [i]Psyren[/i] and [i]Bleach[/i]. I still consider Psyren a breath of fresh air when it comes to shonen. I need some new stuff to check out though and it's too bad that most sites went down considering how I wanted to read Samurai Deeper Kyo again.

[Pleiades Rising]

I'm watching [i]Gunslinger Girl[/i], and it's holding up nicely so far. I've watched up to ep.7, and it's gotten most of the character introductions out of the way, so I'm waiting to see how they'll handle the storyline set out so far. Of course, it's not all explosions and gunfire (thankfully); it's a series that's not afraid to dwell longingly on a certain subject or theme. I also have to mention the [i]absolutely fantastic[/i] song it uses for the OP: "The Light Before We Land" by The Delgados. Your heart will ache after the OP.

I have no idea why I'm re-watching [i]Death Note[/i], but I am - [i]sigh[/i]. It may be a complete mess, especially towards the end, but it's one [i]entertaining[/i] mess! As a fellow who enjoys good reasoning, this series makes me want to pull out my hair and punch a hole through the wall ([spoiler]You gotta be kidding me?! If things couldn't be even more implausible, you go and [i]launch an effin' missile!!![/i][/spoiler]). Haha, but it's a ride that worth taking once more, I think.

[Zanate]

Sigh... I'm watching second season of Naruto right now, Shippuuden I mean. However I think first season was way better. I'm gonna catch up with last episodes soon, so I'll need something nice and short to watch I'm planning to watch Code Geass R2, because I saw first season already - what do you think about it? Also, maybe a little rewatch of Black Lagoon... That's worth of it ^^

Also about reading Air Gear I can say, that's good choice - this manga is definitely not boring

[The Tentacle]

[b]Code Geass[/b] is definitely worth your time to rewatch.  I need to sit through that series and [b]Soul Eater[/b] a second time when I get around to it.  [b]Black Lagoon[/b] can be pretty heavy-handed but it's a good series for more mature viewers.

As for me I just finished [b]Casshern: Sin[/b] and started [b]FMA: Brotherhood Vol. 2[/b] today.  [b]Baccano[/b] is also on the stack and a lot of new stuff will be coming out soon so those rewatches may have to wait for a while. 

For manga I finally got the [b]Air Gear[/b] omnibus (vol. 15-17) that I've been waiting on since Christmas.  I really love this series for its awesome storyline and characters.  I just wish they'd do a second season of the anime.  

[Pleiades Rising]

I was thinking of re-watching some episodes from [i]Black Lagoon,[/i] or maybe some choosing some of my favorite story-lines from it (the one with Roberta, or the Hansel and Gretel story-line from "The Second Barrage"). It reminds me that I really need to watch the OVA, since I still haven't seen it! I'll get around to watching it someday, but my list is keeping me occupied for the moment. I think I've got [i]Burst Angel [/i]lined-up next, so once I finish [i]Gunslinger Girl[/i] I'll start [i]Burst Angel[/i]. I've been meaning to watch that one for quite some time now.

[Shinmaru]

Finished [b]Nadesico[/b] a while ago and enjoyed it; still haven't watched the movie yet, however, although I have it on hand. Anyway, I loved all the satire in [b]Nadesico[/b] (the Jovians [spoiler]basing their whole society and moral values on [b]Gekigangar[/b] had me rolling[/spoiler]), and all the serious parts are generally good. All the story elements the show pulls out of its ass later are a lot of fun as well.

After that I watched [b]Beck[/b], which I also liked a lot. Definitely a lot of fun for anyone who likes rock, although I wish there had been a bit more variety with the songs the titular band plays throughout the series. Also didn't like the OVER 9000 still shots in each episode with characters talking over them, but I guess Madhouse blew the budget on the music, haha. Pretty good coming-of-age story for the most part, though, and the story took a direction near the end that I never expected . . . it probably could have been tied up better in the end, but I think the manga was still going by the time the anime finished, so hey.

For a while now I've been on a Universal Century [b]Gundam[/b] kick -- watched the [b]Mobile Suit Gundam[/b] compilation movie trilogy (pretty good, and I'm told it's the ideal way to take in the original series), rewatched [b]Gundam: 08th MS Team[/b] (still really good, and the [b]Gundam[/b] that is probably closest to an American war flick), [b]Gundam 0080[/b] (LOVED it, although it's depressing as hell) and I'm currently watching [b]Gundam 0083[/b] (OK so far) before rewatching [b]Zeta Gundam[/b] (yes, I watched [b]Zeta[/b] before seeing the original; I'm not always known for my brains).

[Magus]

I just started watching [b]Twelve Kingdoms[/b] which had a nice 1st episode. I think I'd like to see this dubbed. The girl comes off as annoying with all the questions, but I have to remember the situation that she's in lol. I have to treat her a little differently than the way I treat the guys because with my expectations I just want people to kick ### and take names. Ask questions later... I have a messed up philosophy lol. But for an older looking series I have to admit that it looks really good. Animation is nice and crisp. Can't say I expected to see that much blood in this series though, considering how I'm in the mindset of Moribito (there's no blood in Moribito as far as I can remember). Still, it's off to a pretty strong start.

I'm also watching [b]Darker Than Black[/b]. Flashy colors and smooth animation, but then again I expect nothing less from BONES. I'm watching this one at FUNi's site so I get to see it dubbed . The voices sound great. The last time I saw this I watched up to the 5th episode, I think and stopped following for some reason. But hopefully I'll be able to continue with it. (Same with Baccano)

I got some other stuff in my sig, but I haven't started with the ones not mentioned yet. (outside of YYH)

[Nony]

[quote name='Phenom' date='31 August 2010 - 06:37 AM' timestamp='1283261834' post='700069']
I just started watching [b]Twelve Kingdoms[/b] which had a nice 1st episode.[/quote]
Ahh yes, I like that show. lol The main girl is kind of annoying at first, but like you said you gotta understand her circumstances. I don't want to spoil anything, just... trust me, it's worth it to stick with the show. :3

So recently I roped Shinmaru into watching [b]Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro[/b] with me. Dear lord, this is the goofiest detective show I've ever seen. So we have a demon (Nougami Neuro) who's already fed on all the mysteries in hell, therefore he comes to the human world to feed on juicy mysteries there. Then we have a girl named Yako who Neuro is making into this famous school girl detective so he can get a chance at better mysteries. Next we have a yakuza type named Godai. AND THEN later on they acquire a braid of hair named Akane, who is completely sentient of course.
Although the goofiest thing of all are the villains. They transform (for some reason) into various animals or whatnot whenever their murderous mystery gets found out. It... is the most bizarre thing and it comes out of nowhere.

But even with all the goofiness it's still fairly enjoyable. The only problem is that most of the mysteries are rather predictable or the audience is completely left out until they've already pretty much solved the darn thing. So ehh.

[Magus]

[quote name='Miss Anonymous' date='03 September 2010 - 04:29 AM' timestamp='1283502577' post='700199']
Ahh yes, I like that show. lol The main girl is kind of annoying at first, but like you said you gotta understand her circumstances. I don't want to spoil anything, just... trust me, it's worth it to stick with the show. :3
[/quote]

Yeah, I'm sticking with it but it's too bad I won't be watching it for a while until I either buy or rent it since the place I was watching it at is only showing like 15 minutes of the episodes now.. (stupid site)

I'm also trying to get into [b]Ergo Proxy[/b] and while I try not to judge by the first episodes anymore, I can't help but feel like this rather boring. The dialogue/conversations didn't even sound interesting to me. The only part that really struck an interest was the way the first episode ended. I'll give it till about episode 5 till I make a final decision though.

[Shinmaru]

I wasn't huge into [b]Ergo Proxy[/b] myself. Too often it lets itself be consumed by its ideas and what it wants to say, and the actual plot is pushed into the background. Sometimes the ideas are interesting enough for this to work, but most of the time I just found it to be obnoxious.

[Pleiades Rising]

I'll admit that I'm still a fan of DBZ, and as such I decided to watch [i]Dragonball Z: Super Android 13.[/i] I've not seen it until now, so I decided that I'll give it a try. Of course, it doesn't stray at all from the usual trappings of DBZ - e.g. comic interludes, boastful dialogues, power-ups, etc. - but I don't expect it to. It's watchable; it's the sort of anime you put on when you want sustained thought to take a backseat, to put the mind on autopilot, as it were.

One thing that bothers me about the DBZ movies is that they nicely wrap up a story in roughly 50 minutes, no matter how insanely powerful the villain is. In this one, the ultimate android is almost unstoppable, yet it gets defeated in the end (no spoiler tags required there, to no one's surprise!). In the anime it usually takes a dozen or more episodes for the heroes to defeat the villain(s). Still, I won't complain too much, since DBZ isn't exactly meant to be the anime version of [i]War and Peace[/i]. I wanted ridiculous action and I got it! Much obliged, DBZ!

I also finished [i]Gunslinger Girl[/i], and I'm fairly happy with it. It's like watching some French film full of espionage, intrigue, and sorrow as played out in anime form. It could have easily been a formulaic anime about dangerous little girls with guns, but it had enough substance to bring the premise to life, I think. It's one thing to show a kid holding a gun, but it's another thing to show her proficiently assembling a gun, even when she's not tall enough that her feet touch the ground when sitting in a chair. That shot brings to mind a child sitting in a swing-set, letting her feet dangle care-freely. Little dissonant things like that made the series for me.

[Magus]

[quote name='Pleiades Rising' date='05 September 2010 - 11:14 PM' timestamp='1283742889' post='700264']
I'll admit that I'm still a fan of DBZ, and as such I decided to watch [i]Dragonball Z: Super Android 13.[/i] I've not seen it until now, so I decided that I'll give it a try. Of course, it doesn't stray at all from the usual trappings of DBZ - e.g. comic interludes, boastful dialogues, power-ups, etc. - but I don't expect it to. It's watchable; it's the sort of anime you put on when you want sustained thought to take a backseat, to put the mind on autopilot, as it were.

One thing that bothers me about the DBZ movies is that they nicely wrap up a story in roughly 50 minutes, no matter how insanely powerful the villain is. In this one, the ultimate android is almost unstoppable, yet it gets defeated in the end (no spoiler tags required there, to no one's surprise!). In the anime it usually takes a dozen or more episodes for the heroes to defeat the villain(s). Still, I won't complain too much, since DBZ isn't exactly meant to be the anime version of [i]War and Peace[/i]. I wanted ridiculous action and I got it! Much obliged, DBZ!
[/quote]
I hated that movie. Then again I think I hated every movie after the 2nd Cooler movie. That power up + one shot really gets on my nerves... (I really hated movie 8 for that)

[Pleiades Rising]

I just watched Movie 8, [i]Broly The Legendary Super Saiyan,[/i] and it too remains faithful to the usual DBZ bag of tricks, haha. Good Lord, just when it looks like all hope is lost - [i]everyone can believe in Goku![/i] So, yeah, I can see why it gets a tad frustrating to watch, movie after movie. Also suspect in almost all of the DBZ films I've watched so far is when [spoiler]Piccolo keeps suddenly popping up like whack-a-mole to suddenly save Gohan from certain death.[/spoiler] Again, that spoiler is about as necessary as lighting a candle for more light in the middle of a sunny afternoon, but what the hey. In any event, I just know I'll watch the rest of the movies I've never watched.

On another note, [i]Burst Angel [/i]is not bad, but I've only watched the first episode. However, pushover boy (I don't even know his name) didn't impress me. I sure hope he grows a spine in the course of this series, or it'll be a long watch. Edited September 7, 2010 by Pleiades Rising