Just getting back into anime after giving it a break for a few months. I did manage to watch Yuri On Ice in full at the end of last year though and loved it!

 

I really need to sit down and watch Steins;Gate properly one day. I've dropped it twice; the first time I got to episode 3 and second time to episode 5. I just wasn't feeling it and felt it too much of an effort to watch.

 

I think I'm going to start by watching Ajin season 2. Loved the first season so can't wait to see how the story continues in season 2.

 

Occult;Nine seems quite good too.

 

Plus I have so many older anime series on my list to watch still. One day I will get through them all! :lol:

 

 

I really need to sit down and watch Steins;Gate properly one day. I've dropped it twice; the first time I got to episode 3 and second time to episode 5. I just wasn't feeling it and felt it too much of an effort to watch.

 

Plus I have so many older anime series on my list to watch still. One day I will get through them all! :lol:

 

I was having that feeling with Steins;Gate, slow start, only kind of feeling it, and then around episode 7 everything started kicking up a notch and I watched 3 episodes straight through no stopping last night - which I haven't done with any TV series for quite a while. Definitely a series that gets better as it goes along.

 

I know the feeling, I still have tons of old and new series to watch, it seems like there's so much (and I'm sort of trying to have at least some non-anime shows in my TV-watching life as well) - which is good, means I probably won't run out of good things to watch any time soon.

 

I have just started Tales Of Zestiria and for only the second time I may have found a perfect English dub :wub: :wub: :wub:

I've just started Death Note and omfg I'm SO gripped.

Yes! I only completed it for the first time myself a couple of months ago and I was hooked on finding out what happened right to the end.

 

I've been hearing things about a new Netflix film which could be a fun adaptation to see what they do with it.

There's a bit of fuss over the Netflix adaptation as they've "whitewashed", but I don't see the problem as it's I think going to sort of frame the same story as a dark teen film set in a place more relatable to Western audiences, which I don't have a problem with. If it gets some viewers back to the anime that way it'd be great :D

I got a bit funny about Ghost In The Shell (even though I haven't seen the original and I'm determined to find the time somewhere now so I can be more informed about my gut feelings here) on that topic but that's more because I get the impression that this new one is not being too faithful to the source material's intentions in favour of an action movie and the whitewashing is just the icing on the cake.

 

But like Death Note's hardly Japanese-locked as far as the story goes, the story can pretty much be reproduced in any country and they've already DONE a ton of Japanese live-action adaptations of Death Note. So yeah, no whitewashing concerns from me either. And the anime's been so popular I don't even have any concerns about it being overshadowed, it's more likely, as you say, to just draw more people back to it.

Death Note is a series that I've never actually seen, even though it's seen as a classic and crossed over to Western audiences more than other anime series. I guess I never got my head around the basic premise (ie a journal that kills anyone whose name you write in it), and how that could make an interesting series. It is on Netflix as you say, so I might try a few episodes at some point just to see if I was wrong in my preconceptions.

 

Also, I've started watching Gabriel Dropout after Iz mentioned it, 2 episodes in and it's gag to minute ratio is one of the highest I've come across in an anime series. Wonderful stuff.

Death Note is a series that I've never actually seen, even though it's seen as a classic and crossed over to Western audiences more than other anime series. I guess I never got my head around the basic premise (ie a journal that kills anyone whose name you write in it), and how that could make an interesting series. It is on Netflix as you say, so I might try a few episodes at some point just to see if I was wrong in my preconceptions.

 

Also, I've started watching Gabriel Dropout after Iz mentioned it, 2 episodes in and it's gag to minute ratio is one of the highest I've come across in an anime series. Wonderful stuff.

 

It's quite psychological and hooks you in. Definitely give it a go.

 

I had an anime binge recently:

 

The following 3 have the same sort of vibe/premise - highschool misfits (all female) who grow to be able to function in life.

 

ReLife, my favourite of the 3 - about an unemployed 27 year old re-living highschool to help him become a functional member of society. He notices a girl who doesn't talk or socialise much and their relationship blossoms throughout as she becomes more socialble. It has an interesting but lovely twist (if you can call it a twist).

 

Kimi ni Todoke (seasons 1 & 2)- about a girl who looks like the girl from the ring. Rumours are spread about her, no one talks to her and she keeps herself to herself - until the most popular guy in school takes an interest in her. The series got me hooked right away and it's quite humerous at times (as well as romantic/heartwarming). It gets bit frustrating halfway through though (at least for me). The first few episodes of the anime are one of my favourite opening episodes to an anime, perhaps because I can relate so much to it. :lol:

 

Sukitte Ii na yo - a girl gets "betrayed" by her friends when she was young and decides she doesn't need them anymore. Until a popular student takes an interest in her and makes her open up again. It's a nice anime, but nothing special.

 

Sakamichi no Apollon/Kids On the Slope - a deliquent and nerd from two completely different backgrounds are able to create a lasting bond through music. The anime is beautiful. I loved it.

 

Gravitation - a Shounen-Ai (gay romance without explicit sexual content) about an upcoming band. The lead singer falls in love with a writer who has a dark past. It's kinda cute/silly with a serious undertone at times. Nothing special, but not bad.

 

Bungou Stray Dogs (seasons 1 & 2) - an anime about people with supernatural powers. It focuses on an orphan who ends up joining a detective agency and the journey he and his friends go through in fighting a mafia organisation and an organisation called The Guild. The first season is ok, but the second season is a lot better. So stick with it if you're having second thoughts on the first season.

Attack On Titan Season 2 has started!

 

I can hardly believe it's here but yay! And it's not disappointed, the episode that just got released has been the first episode of anime for a long time

where I've actually felt fear, and I thought I was numb to what AoT had to offer too

.

 

Yeah, the last few minutes of that episode really disturbed me in a way I haven't felt in a long time. I was worried that the delay between the two series of 4 years (during which AoT became an undeniable global sensation) would blunt the impact of the series, but no, it was even more impactful. And it looks like we'll be finding out the answer to quite a few of the mysteries that were seeded in the first series too.

Attack On Titan S2 finishes, immediately Attack On Titan S3 is announced for next year. That's what I like to see :D

 

Epic ending as well, it's been a season that's really fleshed out a lot of the side characters and it has come out of it with a much stronger cast, it's no longer a show that's just about the shock and mystery factor, it's using its concept base to tell some great stories.

 

Else wise for airing shows, KADO: The Right Answer is providing me with some very intriguing politics/hard sci-fi, and I started Eromanga-sensei (been getting quite a lot of comment because of the plot that is well, I won't say it here but it's questionable in the 'how did this ever get made' category) just to see what the fuss was about only to discover it was, yes, terrible, but also quite audacious. Won't continue though as I don't want to see where I think it's going. And it's terrible.

 

Catalogue wise, I've picked up Mirai Nikki as I saw it was popular and I'm enjoying it enough for it to be in my sig so that's good; like a more violent but less mature cross between Death Note and Fate/Zero. And I just started Spice & Wolf because a show about medieval economics complete with a cute wolf-girl was only going to hold me off for so long.

 

 

I really enjoyed Attack on Titan Season 2 as well. I was a bit wary given that it has been 4 years since the first season, and its hype may have died down a bit, but that was a fantastic series. It started to to some more world building, as we learned a lot more about the world beyond the gates & the Titans, a few surprising twists, and a pretty big cliffhanger to whet our appetite for season 3 (waiting a year is going to be hard, although they must be trying to make sure the series doesn't catch up with the manga). There's still a few big mysteries that still haven't been revealed in the anime, such as

what is in the basement

, but I'm sure we should find those out next year.

 

This anime season is the one where I have watched the least series since Winter 2010, partly because there wasn't many that I wanted to watch, and partly because Amazon have bought the rights to lots of them for their streaming service, and there's no ruddy way that I'm paying an extra subscription fee for that. The only two I have watched week on week are AoT and season 2 of The Eccentric Family, which I do recommend watching from season 1 if you can. It does take a few episodes to get into the swing of it as there's a lot of world building before we reach the main plot, and the first episode is not an easy opening episode to watch if you're not clued up on it beforehand, but definitely worth watching.

 

Apart from that, I've been watching a few other things that I've meant to watch but hadn't, so have been marathoning both seasons of Kinmoza!, and decided to try out the unlikely breakout hit of January 2017, Kemono Friends (which I think I am just outside the target audience for).

 

On the film front, I "accidentally" bought quite a few anime films in December, so I've been trying to watch them whenever I've got time. Watched Princess Kaguya, which is absolutely beautifully animated, as you would expect from a Studio Ghibli film. I also watched A Letter To Momo, which is a lovely film about a girl who is learning to get over the death of her father with the help of three pesky spirits.

Oh yes I bought a good few anime films recently, some of the most mainstream ones but I had basically no anime DVDs before so it seemed worth it to start with Akira, Ghost In The Shell, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and 5 Centimetres Per Second, to get them out of the way. And a pre-order of Your Name so I can finally see it without resorting to nefarious methods in October or something.

 

Finally watched the first of those, 5 Centimetres, yesterday, pretty short and simple film, more of an artistic piece than a story really, but very beautifully designed and set out, I'm having the cover as my phone lock screen for the foreseeable.

 

I thought it was a weak season at first hence why I have only picked up a couple of shows (and only after it being late in the season enough for me to get good recommendations) but if it were stronger I think I'd have gone past my record of currently airing shows, which is probably about 3, I'm starting to not be so nervous about picking stuff up - and dropping them if they are bad.

That's a pretty solid start for feature films, ticks off most of the major non-Ghibli anime directors (Otomo, Oshii, Shinkai, Hosoda) in one fell swoop, and most of the standard hits. The only director that stands out as missing there would be Satoshi Kon, so I would recommend getting one of his as well for your collection. Paprika is his most accessible and fun, whilst Perfect Blue is quite possibly his masterpiece (although it does have one scene which is very difficult to watch, I actually had to look away during that scene because it was so uncomfortable).

I have heard of Paprika here and there so I'll definitely add that one to my list when I next do another round.

I'm just gonna bump this real quick and ask if anybody else has seen Your Lie In April? I've tried to watch anime before but I've never been so obsessed with any show. The plot is amazing (it's about a piano prodigy starting to play again after his mom died but it's so much more than and the characters are SOOO good. I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it ^_^ very highly rated on MyAnimeList as well so I'm not alone in loving it I guess!

Edited June 23, 20178 yr by Math ☂

It's been on my Netflix queue for the past few months, but I haven't got around to watching it yet. I have heard it is rather good, although I think the ending has already been spoiled for me.

I'm just gonna bump this real quick and ask if anybody else has seen Your Lie In April? I've tried to watch anime before but I've never been so obsessed with any show. The plot is amazing (it's about a piano prodigy starting to play again after his mom died but it's so much more than and the characters are SOOO good. I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it ^_^ very highly rated on MyAnimeList as well so I'm not alone in loving it I guess!

 

YES! I watched it last year and I know Jacob's still making his way through it.

 

If you discount sequels and movies (19th at the moment) it's actually 6th on MAL's all-time which is really quite incredible.

 

It's not an anime I raced through and while it is a big ride of emotion and a very well told story (in the drive everyone has to be their best) I didn't find the characters stuck with me as much as I hoped they would but it's definitely stuck with me in one way, it changed the way I appreciate instrumental performances, I hear things from the show and I'm spellbound in the amount of ways one can describe a musical piece.

So, I marathoned the first series of Little Witch Academia which was added to Netflix last week. All I can say is - what a show. It follows the same setting as the 2 short films already on Netflix, although there's a lot more things fleshed out in the characters and the setting compared to those shorts. It revolves around Akko, who decides to become a witch after being inspired by Shiny Chariot as a kid, and becomes the first pupil with a non-witch background to attend Luva Nova Magic Academy. Akko has also instantly become one of my favourite comedic anime characters, with her plucky determination in spite of being absolutely terrible at everything she tries to do remains hilarious every single time, whilst Sucy, the mushroom obsessed borderline-sadist and brutally honest "friend" of Akko, is well on her way to iconic anime status as well. Can't wait for the 2nd series to be added to Netflix, which hopefully won't be too long now.

I watched the first episode of that the other day. Looks very good (I see why it gets the Harry Potter of anime comparisons although I'm sure it'll be different later on) and I will be continuing through it, Akko is already adorable. I'll be on a bit of a Studio Trigger run when I continue as I'm also watching through Kill La Kill for the first time which is quite... jawdropping.

 

And as I'm a bit of a Fate fan (read: horrendously obsessed with Fate) I'm eagerly watching and awaiting the new Fate/Apocrypha anime which after the first episode looks like it holds a ton of potential.