Anime

[Caeli]

I will also have to check out Sakura Quest, Avalon29.  That was a great spoiler-free description and I'm definitely interested.  I guess now that I'm out of the school life, the shiny innocent high-school-life stuff isn't as interesting to me anymore (except for Card Captor Sakura, which I still love).

[himawari]

Still a Narutard.

Catching up with Shippuden and Boruto.

[Revelation]

Made in Abyss is definitely my anime of last season, I wish we'd get a season 2 but there's just not enough material.
Conversely, Fate/apocrypha may have the most dull, impotent, boring lead character i've ever seen. I don't hate him, that would require there being a character to hate.

[Avalon29]

Actually it's been announced that we're getting a second season of Made in Abyss, just no release date for it yet. It came with a new PV and everything. The company in charge of the anime already has two more anime planned though so best guess at the moment is 2019 for a sequel.

[Haruki]

Glad you like the recommendations. I tried to keep them spoiler free because I really hate spoilers and wouldn't want to ruin things with spoilers for anybody else. I watch quite a bit thanks to my crunchyroll account. There's a lot of average stuff out there that's fun to watch but I tried to keep the recommendations to my personal favorites of each season or that stood out in some way.

Again, much appreciated, both for your recommendations and keeping your commentary as spoiler-free as possible. 

I agree on the art. There's been some shows that have been really pretty recently. Although some studios need to start getting more or better animators Studio Deen.

They're a studio who's been around for decades now so you would -think- they'd have some experience behind them.  They did all of Maison Ikkoku and Ranma 1/2 in the 1980s/early '90s. but when they made the switch to 'digital ink and color' with titles like Fruits Basket, it showed.  And it sounds like they're still struggling in the quality department.  That's too bad, but not a surprise, given Japan's utter LOUSY work environment for anime production.  By all the articles I've read about the controversial subject, they're essentially animation sweatshops.  >_<

I like slice of life genre a lot but I really want more of them focused on adults or at least college students instead of highschoolers. I feel like there's a lot of stories that could be told there but with the main target audience for anime being teens I guess those are always going to be more scares than the high school harem slice of life.

I have a slice-of-life OC who is in his early 20s, and works in the always-changing, fast-paced retail sector.  WHile he's not gotten a bite here yet, that's mainly my fault, partly for having a near year-long hiatus from E, and partly not pushing him in any request threads.  I should clean up his bio and give him a whirl.  I made him, I think, because of that longing for an anime-style slice of life that's set in a more adult environment with adult (20+ aged) characters.  Kind of why I almost jumped out of my seat earlier when you told me about that one series I said I was going to check out.  (I still plan to).

Wow, I'm kind of glad I took the plunge and resurrected this thread with my 'catching up' post.  I don't feel so estranged on here compared to on 'social media' (I do follow FUNimation and Crunchyroll's news feeds via Facebook) where I'm pretty much up against a loud vocal minority of younger fans in their comment feeds who insist on 'their' show being the best, and 'oh, you must watch it in subs'.  >_<  That stuff gets a bit under my skin quite frankly, as I've been into anime before many of them were probably born.  Preferences, you know?

[Caeli]

Have any of you seen the subtitled trailer for the Clear Card anime on Crunchyroll?  Premiered last night!  I happened to be up last night and caught it within one hour of its announcement on Facebook:

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2017/12/01-1/crunchyroll-premieres-the-cardcaptor-sakura-clear-card-trailer-in-english

I love that they brought Maaya Sakamoto back for the opening theme - so appropriate.  And the animation/visuals looks gorgeous, as it has with all of their work.  It's nostalgic but the style is definitely updated.

I CAN'T WAIT.



I don't bother posting about anime on Facebook.  Mostly I find IRL fans, which has been easier for the last couple of years, since I started staffing for a local anime convention.  I'm slightly on the older side in my department but I'm definitely not the oldest, and I also don't feel too out of place with the younger set.

[Haruki]

Have any of you seen the subtitled trailer for the Clear Card anime on Crunchyroll?  Premiered last night!  I happened to be up last night and caught it within one hour of its announcement on Facebook:

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2017/12/01-1/crunchyroll-premieres-the-cardcaptor-sakura-clear-card-trailer-in-english

I love that they brought Maaya Sakamoto back for the opening theme - so appropriate.  And the animation/visuals looks gorgeous, as it has with all of their work.  It's nostalgic but the style is definitely updated.

I CAN'T WAIT.



I don't bother posting about anime on Facebook.  Mostly I find IRL fans, which has been easier for the last couple of years, since I started staffing for a local anime convention.  I'm slightly on the older side in my department but I'm definitely not the oldest, and I also don't feel too out of place with the younger set.

Unlike you, I freely post about and share bits about anime on my FB page.  Otherwise, I don't even know where people congregate to discuss anime online anymore, at least not those who are over 25 or so.  When I say 'discuss anime', I mean, in a serious fashion like here in this thread, sharing our recommendations, raves and rants about past and current shows.  Not just mere 'shipping' and 'waifu'ing.  Everyone under that age is pretty exclusively tied to apps that I don't use (Snapchat, Instagram, Reddit, Tumblr, etc.  I could be guessing wrong....I don't keep up with this stuff).  I quit doing cons because it's mostly (at least on the attendee side) teenagers.  If there were a con real close to me, I'd gladly volunteer.  That's where the older crowd (along with those running booths in the exhibit hall and those with cash to blow in there likewise) reside, I have found in my last couple times doing the con circle.

Now that aside.......



I woke up this morning and behold, on my Facebook wall/news feed, that OFFICIAL preview trailer came up.  Not only that, FUNimation is doing the English SimulDub for CCS' continuation/rebirth.  I'm joining the chorus of I Can't Wait!

It's like revisiting old friends after 16 years.  It almost made me choke up a bit seeing Sakura going full-out snuggle-hug on Syaoran.  -sniffle-  <3  This is going to be fun stuff.

[Caeli]

Ah, I have a couple of IRL friends who I discuss and share my thoughts about anime with.  I don't use my social media much except for my Instagram, which has a somewhat specific purpose so I stay active on it as a sharing platform.  Every year as Fanime gets closer I get an opportunity to congregate with the other staffers and we do some catching up; I also try to make an effort to connect to them outside of con season, because it's nice to have people who understand why I love anime so much and still keep up with it even though I am also in the 25+ age group.

(To be perfectly honest I could care less about hearing the opinions of perfect strangers on the internet.  When it's a setting like Elliquiy it's different, since we're members of a specific community, but I don't have the time to keep up with multiple platforms like Tumblr/Facebook/forums/what have you.)

[Avalon29]

I"m eager to see the new card Captor Sakura as well you can certainly count me in as part of the excited group. I've noticed that there's been more remakes and giving older series sequels recently, not that I'm complaining. There was Sailor Moon Crystal and the Space Battleship Yamato remake a while back. In summer there was the return of Saiyuki after 13 years since the previous season and there was also Atom the Beginning  earlier this year which was a prequel to Astro Boy. Then this season there's the remake/sequel of Kino's Journey and Full Metal Panic is getting a new season soon too. It makes me happy to see older series getting more attention.

[Haruki]

Ah, I have a couple of IRL friends who I discuss and share my thoughts about anime with.  I don't use my social media much except for my Instagram, which has a somewhat specific purpose so I stay active on it as a sharing platform.  Every year as Fanime gets closer I get an opportunity to congregate with the other staffers and we do some catching up; I also try to make an effort to connect to them outside of con season, because it's nice to have people who understand why I love anime so much and still keep up with it even though I am also in the 25+ age group.

(To be perfectly honest I could care less about hearing the opinions of perfect strangers on the internet.  When it's a setting like Elliquiy it's different, since we're members of a specific community, but I don't have the time to keep up with multiple platforms like Tumblr/Facebook/forums/what have you.)

You're pretty lucky then.  I sadly don't have such circles, living in a rather rural area, unable to drive and the nearest big city being just over an hour away (which also hosts the largest anime con in my state).  As such, online mediums are about my only option.  If I were closer or within the area, I would volunteer and connect with older fans that way.  It's just easier and you can talk face-to-face.

Yeah, Elliquiy is a bit different, plus it's an older established forum platform with an adult userbase.  I completely understand where you are coming from.

[Caeli]

You're pretty lucky then.  I sadly don't have such circles, living in a rather rural area, unable to drive and the nearest big city being just over an hour away (which also hosts the largest anime con in my state).  As such, online mediums are about my only option.  If I were closer or within the area, I would volunteer and connect with older fans that way.  It's just easier and you can talk face-to-face.

Yeah, Elliquiy is a bit different, plus it's an older established forum platform with an adult userbase.  I completely understand where you are coming from.

Ah, I see.  I live in a big city in a metro-area in a state that hosts multiple anime and geek culture conventions every year, so I'm definitely lucky in that regard.  I can't speak for other communities on the internet, but I for one am glad you revived this topic - I'm always happy to share what I'm watching and my thoughts on anime.  Most of my friends see animation as a bit of a childish medium, but I highly disagree with that assessment especially when it comes to anime (as opposed to, generically, Western animation).  I think Japan has been able to do beautiful, meaningful work using anime and animation as a medium - just think of Studio Ghibli, and Your Name., and there are some anime I'd argue holds a lot more meaning or interesting viewpoints when you watch it as an older viewer.

[Haruki]

Ah, I see.  I live in a big city in a metro-area in a state that hosts multiple anime and geek culture conventions every year, so I'm definitely lucky in that regard.  I can't speak for other communities on the internet, but I for one am glad you revived this topic - I'm always happy to share what I'm watching and my thoughts on anime.  Most of my friends see animation as a bit of a childish medium, but I highly disagree with that assessment especially when it comes to anime (as opposed to, generically, Western animation).  I think Japan has been able to do beautiful, meaningful work using anime and animation as a medium - just think of Studio Ghibli, and Your Name., and there are some anime I'd argue holds a lot more meaning or interesting viewpoints when you watch it as an older viewer.

Heehee, someone had to give this topic a boot back to the front page of the Off-Topic board.  Might as well have been me.  :P

Granted, most modern Western animation is only geared towards kids, towards so-called 'stoners', or is of the satirical political-slash-social commentary / comedic side, and will always hold larger fanbases than even the biggest titles in anime (DBZ, Naruto, Ghibli Studios' works, etc).  There has been that occasional blip of creativity that goes well beyond those self-imposed limitations in Western animated storytelling, even if its influences borrow greatly from anime's style and storytelling methods.  Avatar: TLA / Korra come straight to the front of mind.

Such things are insanely rare though.  In the end, even with all the 'ho hum' and some more donwright creepy offerings in the mix, when those folks over in Japan have all their ducks in a row, they sure do know how to turn out high-quality animated entertainment.

I"m eager to see the new card Captor Sakura as well you can certainly count me in as part of the excited group. I've noticed that there's been more remakes and giving older series sequels recently, not that I'm complaining. There was Sailor Moon Crystal and the Space Battleship Yamato remake a while back. In summer there was the return of Saiyuki after 13 years since the previous season and there was also Atom the Beginning  earlier this year which was a prequel to Astro Boy. Then this season there's the remake/sequel of Kino's Journey and Full Metal Panic is getting a new season soon too. It makes me happy to see older series getting more attention.

It really is something.  I rather like what's been happening in anime the last couple of years.  For a while there (late 2000s/early 2010s), they were just holding their own, and it just didn't feel like there was much creativity coming out, and there was only the occasional 'big hit' (AoT for example).

You forgot Dragon Ball Super as well.  That one's bringing in all sorts of new fans to the legendary franchise and I'm sure while the numbers doing so are probably few, they're going back to the older series as well to see where things began.

[CaptainNexus616]

I'd say another most recent influenced Western Animation is the new Voltron series on Netflix. Which is ironic, because despite it being american made Voltron has Japanese roots. It just didn't sell well over in Japan as compared to here in America, prompting the rights to be purchased and years later result in the Netflix incarnation.

[Haruki]

I'd say another most recent influenced Western Animation is the new Voltron series on Netflix. Which is ironic, because despite it being american made Voltron has Japanese roots. It just didn't sell well over in Japan as compared to here in America, prompting the rights to be purchased and years later result in the Netflix incarnation.

I believe streaming networks like Netflix and Amazon going full-time gig on the 'original anime' train to only be a good thing, because it takes already-established franchises and gives them new content.  There still has to be 'gateway' anime or anime-inspired Western works out there to rope new fans young and old (back) in.

[wander]

So, the Winter 2018 season and I see a whole bunch of sequels... Nothing surprising, anime is made of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' right now for that precious money to be raked in.

Overlord 2 and Dagashi Kashi 2 both struck me as potentials, then I saw Beatless, the story of 17 year old boy meets AI robot-girl. Lol, as much as I gripe on tropes, this one looks alright (he says).

We got more Basilisk, for the oldschool crowd, set 10 years after the last one.

Bewbage to the max from both Nanatsu no Bitoku and 'Killing Bites', the last one has monstergirls with curves like dayum.  ;D

Then we got a Code Geass movie (woo~~!) and a 3rd Attack on Titan anime movie.

At least, that's the list of things that interest me the most at a cursory glance this Winter season.

[Avalon29]

Some of the ones I've noticed that have been mentioned for next season are:

Darling in the Franxx: A mecha anime by Trigger about fighting giant life forms. I've yet to watch an anime by Trigger that is not at least entertaining so I have hopes for the series.

Kokkoku: The description of this one sounds interesting. A woman goes off to save her brother and nephew after they're kidnapped using a stone that stops time. The art looks nice and with a focus on adult characters I think it's worth a shot.

Takunomi: Slice of life with Adult characters about a woman moving into an all female share house in the city. Adult characters in a slice of life? Yes please. Sounds like a fun anime that'll be good to relax with.

Fate/Extra: As someone who beat the game multple times I'm going to be watching this even if I know what's going to happen. Kind of irritated that out of six possible master/servant pairings from the game they went with the safest pairing of male master and  Saber. I might be biased though since I adore Caster so much. XD

Violet Evergarden: Not entirely sure what this one is about yet admittedly. It's about something called Auto Memory Dolls which are androids of some kind and can be rented by customers. I'm intrigued by the Auto Memory Dolls and I'm curious by their function. The PV also had some really nice music and pretty art so at least worth the three episodes it takes to judge whether to keep it or drop it at least.

[CaptainNexus616]

Just posted this on the superhero thread.

https://youtu.be/nXsWXgOJ0Q8

This looks really promising!

[Avalon29]

So ninja Batman vs Nobunaga Joker? I'm down for that. It's certainly worth a watch. I'm interested in how DCs foray into anime goes. I've enjoyed Marvel's collaborations with anime so far. I also quite liked the prequel anime short for the new anime movie and the Highlander anime movie was better than all the other sequels to Highlander that weren't the tv series and the original movie. Western collaborations with anime have from what I've seen mostly gone well.

[Avalon29]

Sorry for the double post. Figure it's okay though since been a while.

Sad to say that Recovery of an MMO Junkie ended this week. I really enjoyed it but I'm glad that they ended the series at ten episodes rather than drag out the confusions and misunderstandings to the point annoyance.  Brief summary of the series. It's a romance series about a 30 year old office lady gets burnt out of her job and becomes a NEET and throws herself into an MMO called Fruits del Mer as a male character.

I found it to be a fun and cute series about a pair of awkward adults. It was nice seeing a non harem romance series about adults who don't miss very obvious signs that they have feelings for each other.

[Oniya]

Just posted this on the superhero thread.

https://youtu.be/nXsWXgOJ0Q8

This looks really promising!

Uh - can I beat up the translators?  With that kind of armor and weaponry, Batman's looking a bit samurai to me.  I realize that 'ninja' sounds cooler, and Bats as an actual ninja would be completely in keeping with the whole 'midnight vigilante' theme, but he's got at least a wakizashi (possibly a full katana) there, and a set of sode and haidate.  (I've got a pal in Georgia who is probably frothing at the mouth about this right now.)

[wander]

I also noticed the more Samurai aesthetic going on, I was surprised they called it Batman Ninja too. After the general success of Afro Samurai back in the day, with the even more successful Samurai Champloo, you'd think they'd go more with that.

Still looks great though.  ;D

[Haruki]

Sorry for the double post. Figure it's okay though since been a while.

Sad to say that Recovery of an MMO Junkie ended this week. I really enjoyed it but I'm glad that they ended the series at ten episodes rather than drag out the confusions and misunderstandings to the point annoyance.  Brief summary of the series. It's a romance series about a 30 year old office lady gets burnt out of her job and becomes a NEET and throws herself into an MMO called Fruits del Mer as a male character.

I found it to be a fun and cute series about a pair of awkward adults. It was nice seeing a non harem romance series about adults who don't miss very obvious signs that they have feelings for each other.

I remember when I mentioned Gamers (which I dropped), I had made note of this series.  Sounds like something I'd be into.  It's great to see more anime starting to finally push more 18+ characters front-and-center in their plot.  It makes for characters adult viewers can relate to better.  Especially for these romance stories.

[Oniya]

After the general success of Afro Samurai back in the day,

(And the guy who did Afro Samurai is even on staff...)

Joker looks great, though.  Setup looks good, even though Bats as a samurai seems a little - un-subtle?  I mean, 'I am vengeance, I am the night' screams 'hide in shadows, batarangs, and smoke bombs' more than 'flashy armor, massive battle horse and wicked long sword'.

[Cold Heritage]

(And the guy who did Afro Samurai is even on staff...)

Joker looks great, though.  Setup looks good, even though Bats as a samurai seems a little - un-subtle?  I mean, 'I am vengeance, I am the night' screams 'hide in shadows, batarangs, and smoke bombs' more than 'flashy armor, massive battle horse and wicked long sword'.

Perhaps I might refer you to Batman's fleet of giant, bat-themed vehicles, which includes but is not limited to the bat-mobile, the bat-plane, the bat-wing (another aerial vehicle not to be confused with a character of the same name), and the bat-boat?

Samurai Batman also makes sense to me from a class perspective, given my pop culture understanding of samurai.

[Oniya]

Samurai Batman also makes sense to me from a class perspective, given my pop culture understanding of samurai.

My primary objection is calling a samurai a ninja - if they wanted to call it 'Samurai Batman' 

*resisting other animation-themed puns*

Or not - 'Bat-tosai', 'Samurai Bat - Back to the Past'...)

I could get behind it.  Although usually a samurai was in service to a nobleman (his daimyo) - a samurai without a daimyo was a 'ronin'.  Ronin-status could occur either because the daimyo had died or lost his status (probably by offending the shogun), or if the daimyo dismissed the samurai (a worse option, as that implied a loss of honor).