Anime What are You Watching/Reading Now?

[Pleiades Rising]

I'm currently re-watching [i]GitS SAC 2nd Gig[/i], one of my all-time favorite series ever. It's full of intrigue, political treachery, shifting plots, and compelling storytelling. All that, and it doesn't get overburdened! Kinda wish I were watching this with someone, though.

Also on the list is [i]R.O.D. TV[/i]. CaNz reminded me to pick this one up, so I just had to. I can't believe I went this long without watching it, while having seen and loved the 3 episode OVA. I'm only up to ep. 7, but I noticed it's nice and consistent with the OVA so far, especially the animation. (Hey look, they've got one of Chomsky's books!)

Lastly, I'm watching [i]Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino[/i]. Now here's a series that's not consistent, animation wise, with the previous series. It's quite startling to go from reasonably high quality to...something that looks like an American cartoon from the late 80s. But the story seems to be fairly solid, so that's a plus. I like how they focus on the consequences of actions, and how they tend to reverberate through the years. And the ending song "Doll" is fantastic. I'm up to ep. 9, and will hit 10 tonight.

[Magus]

[quote name='Pleiades Rising' timestamp='1293945515' post='703552']
I'm currently re-watching [i]GitS SAC 2nd Gig[/i], one of my all-time favorite series ever. It's full of intrigue, political treachery, shifting plots, and compelling storytelling. All that, and it doesn't get overburdened! Kinda wish I were watching this with someone, though.[/quote]
That's also one of my favorites. In fact it was my #1 until recently. It probably would stilll be my top favorite if I didn't wear myself out on it lol.

Still watching [b]Fairy Tail[/b]. The last episode I left off at is filler. Stopped midway since I'm not one who'll watch filler, but as far as I know the fillers in FT don't go on for so long, so "shrugs"

I've also been re-watching [b]Hellsing[/b]. Alucard is a don. The story may be awkward but Alucard nullifies that awkwardness completely. And then I also have [b]Hellsing: Ultimate Vol's. 3 & 4[/b] in my queue at blockbusters along with [b]Karas[/b], [b]Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust[/b], and [b]Death Note[/b].

[Shinmaru]

Wow, the [b]Gundam 00[/b] movie is absolutely putrid. Terrible.

[Sangome]

[color="#9932CC"][font="Microsoft Sans Serif"]Dang, really, Shin? That's pretty disappointing, but at the same time I'm not really surprised...[/font][/color]

[The Tentacle]

I'm wrapping up my [b]My-HiME / My-Otome[/b] marathon just in time to watch the third installment of [b]Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood[/b].  

I recently finished the [b]Dirty Pair[/b] collection but the dubbing on the DVD version of Project Eden was so lame I had to track down and order a VHS copy that was released by Streamline back in the day.  Seriously, the subs had missing lines and the BGM actually muted out a lot of the sound effects and dialogue in places.  I'd expect that sort of shoddy quality from an amateur fansub but not from ADV Films.

Edited January 4, 2011 by The Tentacle

[Shinmaru]

[quote name='Sangome' timestamp='1294172272' post='703628']
[color="#9932CC"][font="Microsoft Sans Serif"]Dang, really, Shin? That's pretty disappointing, but at the same time I'm not really surprised...[/font][/color]
[/quote]

I'm sure at least part of it was the awful subs I had. I couldn't even understand what the hell anyone was going on about half the time. But there's a bunch of other stuff that's just plain bad, and the ending is unbelievably stupid. It's like I was watching [b]Gundam SEED[/b] all over again except with magical pixie dust. Mike Toole's ANN review said it best: "Sweet Christmas, what a mess!" Edited January 5, 2011 by Shinmaru

[Pleiades Rising]

Finished watching [i]Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino[/i] last night, and I have mixed feelings on it. It wasn't the greatest series I've ever watched, but I hated to see it end. How strange is that? I think I'll have to watch the first series again, but I'll check out the 2 episode OVA before I do that. I'm not sure how that 2 ep. OVA will turn out, but I hear it's for fans only. However, if I go to bed feeling weird and muted after each episode (like both [i]Gunslinger Girl[/i] series usually did to me) then they've done their job!

I'm still watching [i]ROD TV[/i] and [i]GitS SAC 2nd Gig[/i], but I'll soon add [i]Magic Knight Rayearth[/i] to the list. I'm also going to add [i]Yukikaze[/i] to the list whenever I finish the one of the other series. I've been meaning to watch[i] Yukikaze[/i] for some time now, but it's always slipped my mind. It seems like the kind of show that would be right up my alley.

[Katana]

[color=royalblue][size=1]Yaay I can make a legit post this time~

I've been trying hard to get back into anime, which therefore means I've been stalking out other people and see what they're watching/recommending. Etc.

I finished up [b]Allison & Lillia[/b] about a month ago, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It's done in that typical soft-color almost-kaiwaii style, but certainly not moe desu. The format of the story almost reminded me of [i]Higurashi no Koro ni[/i], since each arc is typically 4 episodes in length and somewhat self-contained...except that if something happens, it's bound to show up somewhere else and bite you in the ass. It was a fun watch and got addicting at some points, though there are a few Wall Banger moments...

Working on watching [b]Katanagatari[/b] right now, something I dove head-first into without much research. It's comprised of 12 44-minute episodes, which is a bit tough to slough through when it's only available in subbed form. Also lots of talky bits, especially in the first episode, since the story has to be laid out. Talkytalkytalktalk. Some episodes are easier to get through than others, and I did binge on three in a row one time. GORGEOUS art style, by the way, rather unique. And the music is really good too. And there's fighting! Kinda.

Lastly, my friend is trying to get me into [b]Nerima Daikon Brothers[/b]. I got one episode in before winter break, and I'll be having the sets shoved at me at my return, so that's one to get back to.[/size][/color] Edited January 8, 2011 by Katana

[Pleiades Rising]

Well, the [i]Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino[/i] OVA indeed was a short series for fans only. It kinda felt like the 2 episodes comprising it were leftovers from the main [i]Il Teatrino[/i] story. But at least it was consistent with it, and didn't take any sharp turn into what-the-hell anime (which is kinda good and bad). Overall, I enjoyed the entire [i]Gunslinger Girl[/i] story. That's all I really have to say about it.

I'll wait until I finish [i]GitS [/i]before I start either [i]Yukikaze[/i] or [i]Magic Knight Rayearth[/i], though. I noticed that I kinda dig watching shorter OVA's and 12-14 episode series more than I do 26 ep. series. Maybe [i]Blood+[/i] fouled my taste-buds more than I thought it did.

[Magus]

[b]Street Fighter 2: The Animated Movie[/b]
I remember when I first saw this and being hooked. I look at it now and I'm still impressed with it. The animation quality and artwork is perfect. I think the only thing I can live without is the music. There were 1 or 2 tracks that I liked. The one that sounds peaceful/tranquil sticks out the most though. Other than that I'm no fan of metal (I think that's been established), but at the same time I suppose it fits in a sense, since you don't exactly see fighters fighting to something soft (haha.. I'd actually like to see that). Also, I noticed that this version I'm watching is uncut. I don't remember seeing any blood whatsoever in the fight between Ryu and Sagat.

[size=1]I'll edit when I finish[/size]

[Shinmaru]

[quote name='Katana' timestamp='1294525312' post='703721']
[color=royalblue][size=1]Working on watching [b]Katanagatari[/b] right now, something I dove head-first into without much research. It's comprised of 12 44-minute episodes, which is a bit tough to slough through when it's only available in subbed form. Also lots of talky bits, especially in the first episode, since the story has to be laid out. Talkytalkytalktalk. Some episodes are easier to get through than others, and I did binge on three in a row one time. GORGEOUS art style, by the way, rather unique. And the music is really good too. And there's fighting! Kinda.[/size][/color]
[/quote]

Have you watched the whole thing? There are some episodes of [b]Katanagatari[/b] I didn't like, but overall I enjoyed it. Not totally sure yet how I feel about the ending, though. Some parts are pretty good, and some parts are ... kind of dumb, really. Edited January 10, 2011 by Shinmaru

[Katana]

[quote name='Shinmaru']
Have you watched the whole thing? There are some episodes of [b]Katanagatari[/b] I didn't like, but overall I enjoyed it. Not totally sure yet how I feel about the ending, though. Some parts are pretty good, and some parts are ... kind of dumb, really.
[/quote]
[color=royalblue][size=1]I'm halfway at this point but plan to finish it up before the week is out. Unfortunately, I've had the ending spoiled to me ('cause I'm like that), but just That One Part so I vaguely know what's coming. Ish.

I think so far, episode 4 was the biggest chore out of what I've seen. Like I said, my main issue is how sometimes there's just lots of talktalktalktalktalk, and a lot of it is honestly irrelevant to me. With subtitles, I'm not going to understand everything my first go-through, since it's an issue with trying to simultaneously keep up with what's going on on-screen and comprehend it. It just isn't going to happen, and when I get massive info-dump, the chances of me being able to remember even a smidgen of that is pretty low.

Talktalktalktalktalk...

But see, I've realized that a lot of this stuff, I don't HAVE to really understand for me to enjoy the show. In this scenario, I can take it as it is and not be bothered that I don't totally "get" it. So long as I know who Togame and Shichika are, I'm pretty cool. XP[/size][/color]

[Shinmaru]

I enjoyed ep4 because it was such an enormous troll, haha. Especially the end where Shichika is like, "Oh man, that battle was crazy! I almost lost it there!" It was a pretty nice twist, too, although it probably had a bit more impact for those who watched the series by the month.

And, yeah, the original author of [b]Katanagatari[/b], Nisio Isin, is well known for his dialogue-heavy stories. ([b]Bakemonogatari[/b], adapted from another light novel series he wrote, is also pretty talky, to say the least.) Edited January 10, 2011 by Shinmaru

[Katana]

[color=royalblue][size=1]Oh, don't get me wrong, that twist was pretty awesome. XD I thought it was funny, because yeah, it was basically like a big troll that must've suuuuucked for people watching it month by month. For me? Hilarrrrious~

Buuuut it was a drag because of what got filled in. Talktalktalk. I shouldn't be whining about how talky the show is, and it wouldn't bother me if it was dispersed a bit differently, but it's like aghhhh 20 minutes of taaaalkiiiiiing...yeah. I'll stop complaining now.[/size][/color]

[Shinmaru]

Nah, I can see where you're coming from. I remember enjoying the talking in ep1 but being somewhat bored during ep2. Again, I like the series overall, but not all the episodes are great, and likewise, not all the talking is i nteresting.

[CaNz]

I have seen Batman Under the Red Hood Six times now!

[Magus]

Under the Red Hood is pure win.

Finished watching the rest of [b]Street Fighter 2[/b]. Honestly, I don't see why they released an edited version to begin with. Sure, there's blood but it's not exactly as bloody as Ninja Scroll or something of that nature and then there's the infamous Chun Li shower scene, but other than that I don't the reason for that edited version back in the day. Anyway, still some good stuff.

[b]Hellsing Ultimate Vol 3[/b]
Speaking of bloody, wow. There's tons of blood in this one volume. Seras was a bit on the annoying side when it came to the [spoiler]slaughter against the swat team[/spoiler] but perhaps that's just my inner cruelty at work there. I just wanted to say shutup and fight. Action and animation is nicely done but I prefer the original when it comes to the artwork (I think I've said that before). It's going to be a while before I see volume 5, mainly because it's a "very long wait" according to Blockbuster.. I don't think I like them anymore lol. [b]EDIT[/b]: My mistake it was volume 3 that I watched. Edited January 12, 2011 by Magus

[Katana]

[size=1][color=royalblue]Welll, finishing up [b]Katanagatari[/b] totally didn't happen, so that'll be something for me to tackle slowly throughout the upcoming weeks. Starting school isn't so bad but when it comes to trying to watch an anime that is subtitles only and is also 49 minutes long per episode, it starts to look a little bad.

But I did get to divulge in my guilty pleasure manga, [b]Otomen[/b], since I found volume 8 at the store on my last trip. I seriously don't know wtf is up with this series and why I continue to read it as far as I have because it's so...uh...You know, it's one of those things that points out all the cliches of the average shoujo manga but it in and of itself ends up becoming a cliche in its own way. It is very self-aware of what it is, though, so I can't really fault it for that. It probably [i]is[/i] one of the better shoujo series to get into, especially if you're tired of the ever-continuing "blush" and "more blush" and "angst angst angst" that turns into "wangst" that is all just "drama". It's a comedy that hoenstly [i]is[/i] a comedy and rarely goes into angst-land that is serious-angst; usually its comedic-angst.

And I've still got [b]Nerima Daikon Brothers[/b] on the slate, which I also just learned is a 12-episode series, so wooh on it being short. XD[/color][/size]

[Sangome]

[color="#9932CC"][font="Microsoft Sans Serif"]As much as I hate myself for it, I've been catching up a bit on [b]Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt[/b]. The good thing about this series is that, since it works like a western cartoon, you can skip some minisodes and not really miss a whole lot. It's especially good for this series since some episodes, quite frankly, are a bit much for me.

But I have such an odd relationship with this show; normally I despise shows that rely on such blatant grossout humor [90s cartoons notwithstanding], and I've complained in the past that PASWG just tries WAY too dang hard in that regard. And, quite frankly, it does. But there are also some episodes that are just plain good. [i]The Diet Syndrome[/i] was one of the first episodes I really enjoyed. [i]Les Diaboliques[/i], the one full-length episode, was...okay. But I couldn't sit through it. Not cause it was particularly randy, it was just kinda...eh. Though that may be because I'm honestly not a big Scanty and Kneesocks fan. Their designs are nice, but as characters, they just kinda bore me [and yes, I realize I'm in the minority on that]. I also really enjoyed [i]Vomiting Point[/i], mainly because of how friggin' different it was [and really bittersweet, too]. It also reminded me quite a bit of the late Satoshi Kon's work a bit, or at least what I've seen of it.

My favorite episode so far, though, is [i]Ghost: The Phantom of Daten City[/i]. Stocking falls in love, and it's one of the times that it's shown how Panty truly does care for her sister. And the end! [spoiler]Garter saying how the ghost she fell in love with was made of all the regrets of men, and how it couldn't pass until he truly fell in love...and he did. AUUUUUGH MAN GAINAX. ;____________;[/spoiler]

Oh, one thing that's consistently good about this series is its soundtrack. It's got some kickin' tunes. ...except of course half the songs' titles sound like they got yanked out of a porno. [Funnily enough, my two favorite songs have fairly normal, non-dirty titles -- Fallen Angel and Chocolat]. Also Stocking is adorable and it makes me wish the whole series was just about her.

But yeah. I may continue watching...I might not. We'll see.

tl;dr No. Go read it. :[i][/i]|[/font][/color] Edited January 17, 2011 by Sangome

[Shinmaru]

Just so you know, [b]Panty & Stocking[/b] has a Gainax Ending that rivals their best ... though, of course, that means different things to different people. :p Personally, I loved the ending.

[Sangome]

[color="#9932CC"][font="Microsoft Sans Serif"]Ohh, I know. I spoiled that little tidbit for myself because I was curious, and didn't know if I'd actually bother to finish the show or not.

But yes! I finished it last night! And I felt horribly bankrupt afterwords! But at least I can say I did it! I didn't rage as much at the ending as some people did [though that's prolly cause, as I said, I spoiled myself], but after actually seeing it in action...I'm fairly convinced that it was a self-parody. I mean...seriously. They know they're Gainax, and they know they're a bunch of crazy trolls.

As for my thoughts on the show overall, it hasn't really wavered from my initial post. What was good was REALLY good, and what was trash was...well, trash. Admittedly, it tried a little less hard to shock after the first four episodes or so, but still. It's a very weird relationship that I have with this show.[/font][/color] Edited January 18, 2011 by Sangome

[Shinmaru]

Yeah, I didn't really think the show was funny often (with a few notable exceptions), but I did enjoy the energy and visual creativity throughout. Surprisingly enough, I actually enjoyed when the show got semi-serious and had a plot at the end, too. And at least [b]Panty & Stocking[/b] is something [i]different[/i] instead of generic harem series No. 9,001.

[Intru]

Some late night Toradora! finishing the series of before passing out.

*Edit... and some SoreMachi and some [color=#FFFFFF][font=Verdana, Arial][size=2][/size][/font][/color][font=Verdana, Arial][size=2] Welcome to the NHK after :P[/size][/font] Edited January 21, 2011 by Intru

[Magus]

I finished [b]Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan/Hekketsu-roku(sp?)[/b] recently. Awesome show even though it took about 6 episodes for it to get exciting, but once it picked up it got good. I think I said it once before that Hakuouki is character driven and I really liked the interactions between the characters, although I must admit that I was very skeptical at first considering there were only 1 or 2 (maybe 3) females throughout the series. I thought I would end up dropping it due to boy/boy stuff (that's just not my thing), especially because they're pretty boys too, and I've always had the impression that anything with pretty boys or targeting the female crowd there would always be some type of boy boy stuff going on, but much to my surprise there was none in it and I am glad. Anyway, Hakuouki ain't the best series out there and it's probably not for everyone, but if you're into samurai's do give it a whirl.

I'm also watching [b]Trigun[/b] again. Comcast finally put something good on demand for to watch and it's been forever since I've seen this series. I wish adult swim would re-run this as much as they're rerunning Cowboy Bebop and Inuyasha. Heck, it even seem like Big O's 2nd season airs more than Trigun.

And then I'm getting ready to shipped Hellsing Ultimate back to Blockbuster so [b]Basilisk[/b] would come next.

[The Tentacle]

I just started [b]Sacred Blacksmith[/b] this morning and I'll probably be marathoning that today.  I've also got [b]Black Butler[/b] and [b]Phantom[/b] on the pile to keep me occupied for the time being.