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Sakura
Member
Yeah the first was the best. I still enjoyed Try, but I didn't much care for Sekai. I liked how in Build Fighters there was just as much focus on the actual building of the gunpla being important and the ideas they would come up with, as there was with the piloting skill. The dynamic between Reiji and Sei was good. I didn't like Try's nonsense martial arts.
I'll keep trying Divers for a bit, but from what I've seen so far it's way too much about this nonsense MMO than actually building gunpla and competing.
John Blade
Member
Just finish watching Mobile Police Patlabor: Early Days as I am going through the Patlabor movie timeline and a great way to get into this series for the 1st time. Some quick impression from watching this OVA.
The beginning half of the OVA have a comedic tone in the episode which kinda bring out a bit more of all of the characters in the show. You will start to learn quickly everyone in the show and their personalities. As this is more comedic, the situations the Special Vehicle Division 2 have to go through are funny to watch and they is an episode which is basically Godzilla spoof which is fun to watch. The 2nd half is where thing get very serious in the OVA where a terrorist attack is going to happen in Japan and the Special Vehicle Division 2 will need to find a way to stop it from happening. A very interesting arch which is worth the watch when you see how the division have to find a way to get around the issue they're in and still try to found out more of the incident and how to stop it.
The show is very different in what we tend to see in most Mecha show at the time. This is basically a every day life of a cop (or a police division) fighting crime in everyday Japan and have to go through the typical police procedure only this time, they're using Patlabor to combat other labors. You notice this also in the characters in the show. As this OVA have some serious and light humor episodes, you got to see in full colorful cast in the OVA which is actually a big strength as you got to love everyone (even Gotou who have this silent individual tone but got to open up in the serious arch in the OVA).
The animation artstyle (which is over 30 years old) for this OVA still look good and age quite well. The work they put in this OVA is noticeable from the Patlabor mech, to the character animation and movement to the background scene is design well from this hand drawn work.
Overall, a great OVA which is fun to watch and a great starting point for the Patlabor franchises.
Dr. Claus
Banned
I believe it is the most action heavy of all the Jojo parts.
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SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
No that would be 6. But 5 is way better. 6 is such a fucking mess.
Dr. Claus
Banned
Really? I remember a number of really slow moments in that part. May just be misremembering.
Sqorin Hammerfarf
Banned
I just picked up the Patlabor Ultimate Blu Ray set myself. I'm only two episodes into the OVA because I'm also splitting my time between Xabungle and Ideon (which I'm told may be the best giant robot anime ever), but I really liked what I saw. I love 80s anime. It just has this sort of cyberpunk-ness to it that really has a gritty realness to the mecha. Same with VOTOMS. It's a real contrast to Xabungle, where the mechs are driven with steering wheels and the characters keep falling out of the cockpits while performing wrestling moves on each other. And there's no way Dai-Guard wasn't influenced by Patlabor. The pitch meeting was probably "It's Mazinger Z, but Patlabor"
petran79
Banned
Waiting for a Region 2 version of Patlabor too. German release is not as good and French one is only on DVD. One of a kind series too, have not seen anything like it afterwards.
Wherever Mamoru Oshii is involved in sci-fi anime, it simply has to be good. Hope he gets involved even as an advisor in GITS SAC III. Nowadays he seems semi-retired regarding anime productions. Another blow. Too bad that the work he is most known for, Cerberus saga, had very little coverage in anime (Jin-Roh movie).
I am also currently rewatching the 2 GITS SAC TV series on BD and after that I'll rewatch the BD of Ergo Proxy. I think previous decade was probably the best ever for sci-fi and anime in general. Except GITS there were also Texhnolyze and Ergo Proxy. Sorta like the PS2 era for anime.
That level of writing and pacing is only to be found in sci-fi movies nowadays and usually rarely. Quality dropped so much that series like Stein's Gate became the best, which would be just OK when compared to the above series.
Wherever Mamoru Oshii is involved in sci-fi anime, it simply has to be good. Hope he gets involved even as an advisor in GITS SAC III. Nowadays he seems semi-retired regarding anime productions. Another blow. Too bad that the work he is most known for, Cerberus saga, had very little coverage in anime (Jin-Roh movie).
I am also currently rewatching the 2 GITS SAC TV series on BD and after that I'll rewatch the BD of Ergo Proxy. I think previous decade was probably the best ever for sci-fi and anime in general. Except GITS there were also Texhnolyze and Ergo Proxy. Sorta like the PS2 era for anime.
That level of writing and pacing is only to be found in sci-fi movies nowadays and usually rarely. Quality dropped so much that series like Stein's Gate became the best, which would be just OK when compared to the above series.
John Blade
Member
Wish you luck in the OVA as it's actually a great starting point to get into the Patlabor series as it isn't very long. Note: they're actually two timelines from the Patlabor franchise. You don't really have to follow it but it's actually better to watch it this way based on what people have posted.
Movie Timeline: Mobile Police Patlabor: Early Days (7 episodes) --> Patlabor: The Movie --> WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3 --> Patlabor 2: The Movie
TV Timeline: Patlabor: The TV Series (47 episodes) --> Patlabor: The New Files (16 episodes)
I do have to say Patlabor is very different of what you tend to see in most Mecha anime at the time and even now and this unique is what make is stand out from other show. For something that is basically a everyday police life with the typical stuff they have to do in they job to mecha which isn't flashy and the best weapon it have is a shotgun or a pistol, you think this type of show will fail but it didn't. I did post why in the impression but the quick summary come down to a very favorable character development which you got to see them how they react in the each episodes. Either way, do hope you like the OVA and move on to the movie or the TV series.
Mamoru Oshii works are very interesting even if they is some faults in some of his works he did whether in anime or live action. Even with those not so good one, it's still interesting to watch. As for sci-fi anime quality, I do notice this a lot now and kinda stop looking into the newer one and try to find the old one which I heard good things about. Not saying they're not many good recent Sci-fi anime but they're few and far between.
Will post soon of my impression of the Patlabor the Movie as I just finish watching it and love it quite a bit. So many things to discuss about this movie but will post it later once I can input my though about it.
petran79
Banned
I really wished his Blood the Last Vampire novel adaptation was adapted to a movie too. He turned a cheap horror plotline into a deep political conspiracy thriller. Patlabor 2 movie is perhaps the best anime movie I've seen in this regard.
John Blade
Member
Synopsis
The year is 1999 and Tokyo's Mobile Police have a new weapon in the war on crime—advanced robots called Labors are used to combat criminals who would use the new technology for illegal means. The suicide of a mysterious man on the massive Babylon Project construction site sets off a cascade of events that may signal the destruction of Tokyo.
Just finish watching the 1st movie from this franchise and have to say it's actually a well done movie with a very good story to back it up. Some of this is the OVA have already release before the movie came out in the market which flesh out all the characters in the show and the movie just continue where it left off. Even so, the Patlabor movie is well scripted and you notice this a lot in the storyline it's telling you as you're watching the movie. You got to thank this a bit toward the work of Oshii Mamoru and Headgear as they generally well known to written and directed extremely well from their work.
As for the storyline, You saw someone commit suicide from a location. After this incident, a notice spike of mysterious malfunction labor just go out of control, and it's up to the members of the Special Vehicle Division 2 to try to found out what is causing the problems. At first you found out it might be something wrong with the new operating system upgrade but it actually go deeper and they is quite a bit of a connection between the suicide victim and the labor and how it was trigger from the operating system he produce. All of this are told gradually between the dialogue with the characters in and incident happen in the movie. It's very well done and you don't feel like the director is trying to pump this into you right upfront but in a pace when you start to understand the situation naturally as you follow the characters in the movie. Think like a slow burning fuse, with many twists and turns throwing events in a new direction as you follow the story.
As this movie tone is more serious, you don't tend to see the light humor from the OVA where you start to know the characters. It's more dialogue and plot heavy. I didn't feel this as a negative as it actually keep me interested of the situation the Special Vehicle Division 2 of trying to found of the issue. They is battle scene of labor fighting but it's far few and it's only there to push the story forward and for the big climax at the end which is expected.
As for the animation side, it still look amazing for an almost 30 years old movie. The hand animation design sill look amazing and if you own the Blu Ray set, it look much nicer to watch in HD. As for the music soundtrack, it work quite well to push the tone of the scene quite well. The big one is the final battle climax which push the tension quite a bit.
They're many more I can discuss of this movie which I think you have already heard about. All I can say this movie give me a very positive impression of Patlabor and if you want more of the serious tone like you see in the 2nd half of the OVA, you will love this quite a bit.
Shouta
Member
The Patlabor movies are really great for meaty and action it can present at times but the real star is the TV series and New Files OVA. It's the perfect blend of work comedy, action, and a bit of slice of life along with great development for all of its characters. There's a reason why Gotoh was my avatar for so long.
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SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
Latest Yuuna chapter just shits all over Chisaki in such a cruel way even I feel bad for her.
Red Crayon Aristocrat
Member
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SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
Ch.147 title alone is a big red flag. So catch up!
Sailor Moon is shit. I used to watch this as a very young kid. Most things I watched as a kid is still good to watch as an adult like Ed, Edd n Eddy, Spongebob, Drake and Josh, Dragonball Z, Pokemon, Beyblade...But Sailor Moon is a heaping pile of shit. Every episode is the same, the characters are annoying, the story is like something from a nursery book, super basic. It's absolute trash and actually painful to watch. The only thing it has going for it is the 90s aesthetic.
petran79
Banned
There are so many influential shojo and magical girl series prior to Sailor Moon (Candy, Megu-chan, Smart-san, Lalabell, Minky Momo etc) , yet they are ignored and series is revered even more than DB in its genre. At least DB fans recognize influential series like Hokuto no Ken and Saint Seiya
Currently watching Huggto Precure. Inferior to Heartcatch, but it has sone good moments if its own and I prefer the way the monsters of the week are picked. Except individual characters they are also picked from tense situations with more than one person.
John Blade
Member
Synopsis
Hi no Tori is a collection of stories that all have something in common. The Phoenix, whose blood is believed to give an eternal life to one who drinks it. Therefore many seek to kill it, but as the Phoenix of the tale, it's reborn from the ashes. Stories take place in future and the past, where humans fight with each other as always, and everyone is afraid to die. But still, every story teaches a lesson: Life is beginning of an eternity, an never-ending cycle.
Just finished watching Hi no tori, The Phoenix which is based on the popular manga from the famous animated creator Osamu Tezuka (aka: the creator of Astro Boy and basically "the father of manga"). As this was based on the manga work of the same name which he never completed, they're many different stories arch but this show only go into 5 stories arch. They're list below.
Dawn (黎明編 reimei-hen)This story takes place in 240–70, in the era of Queen Himiko of the Yamataikoku. Using her army, led by feudal general Sarutahiko, to invade Japan, she seeks the Phoenix and eternal youth.
Resurrection (復活編 fukkatsu-hen) The story takes place in 2482-3344 AD. In an age of robotics, technology and science, young Leon dies in a car accident. He is returned to life by scientific surgery, but his now mostly-artificial brain makes him see living things -- including humans -- as distorted clay figures, while he sees machines and robots as beauties. Leon falls in love with a worker robot, Chihiro, whom he sees as a beautiful girl, and will fight for this forbidden love. He will also find out the secret behind his accident. A side plot features the robot Robita, who previously appeared in Future.
Strange Beings (異形編 igyō-hen)The story of a female Buddhist nun (bhikkhuni) who is imprisoned in a time-warp by the Phoenix as punishment for her sins along with her faithful retainer and is forced to become a healer treating the victims of wars from all over time and space including humans, youkai and various extraterrestrials. This chapter was loosely based on the Hyakki Yakō emakimono by the famous Japanese artist Tosa Mitsunobu (although in the context of the story it's the complete reverse).
Sun (太陽編 taiyō-hen) This is the longest story, and was the final volume completed before Tezuka's death. It centres around Harima, a young Korean soldier from the Baekje Kingdom whose head is replaced with that of a wolf by Tang Dynasty soldiers following the defeat of the joint Baekje-Yamato force at the Battle of Baekgang. He then escapes to Japan where he becomes the feudal lord Inugami and becomes caught in the middle of the Jinshin War, as well as joining a greater battle between supernatural forces and time-travelling to a bleak future world ruled by a theocracy that claim to have captured the Phoenix. This chapter stands in stark contrast to the earlier historical Phoenix stories, which tended to de-mythologize the mythical characters therein, for instance in Dawn, many Shinto gods are portrayed as mere humans. In this chapter, however, various Youkai, Oni, Tengu and other mythical creatures are shown fighting against Bodhisattva.
Future (未来編 mirai-hen)
This is the final story; it takes place near the end of mankind. In 3404, the world has become super-modernized, but humanity has reached its peak and shows decline. A young man named Masato Yamanobe is living with his girlfriend, Tamami, a shapeshifting alien. Pursued by Masato's boss, Rock, they eventually take shelter at the isolated base of mad scientist Dr. Saruta, who attempts to preserve life on Earth with the assistance of his robot, Robita. Eventually, nuclear war breaks out.
As this is based on the manga, I never read all of them except the last volume Future (未来編 mirai-hen). From that one, they're quite a few stuff have been modified to tell the story in the show which mean they're few detail parts which have been remove completely or modified a bit to tell the arch in a limited amount of time. The main story is still the same which is a good thing. Whether this is a good or bad thing it will depend if you have read the manga and if you did, are you okay with the minor change or are you the one who want to see the entire story from the manga into the anime. For this reason, the entire 5 stories arch might have quite a bit of change from the manga but the main storyline should be the same when watching.
Off all the 5 stories arch, the Dawn (黎明編 reimei-hen) and Sun (太陽編 taiyō-hen) are the strongest of telling the stories. The other three arch are fine but very short (1 or 2 episodes per arch) which you kinda feel it's a bit of a rush and just need one more episode to help develop the story a bit more. Even with this issue, they're still fine to watch and you start to understand the main theme from the show.
Animation wise, it isn't going to blow you away and the quality is mix in some area. The style is similar to what Osamu Tezuka work but with some minor modem touch. I don't really hate it as most of my time is follow the main story line which is engaging from the two better arch.
It's a fun watch and very good for someone who like some of Osamu Tezuka's work he did in the past. If you don't have any clue of the manga this is based on, I still think you will like it for what it's and if you have already read it, think of this show is a quick summary of the manga which is still fine for what it's.
petran79
Banned
Watch also the older OVAs (houou, yamato, uchuu-hen) and the 2772 Cosmozone movie, which was directed by Tezuka. Some of the best and most emotional scifi anime available. You'll like them more than the TV series.
I remember watching the TV series first before reading the manga and did not like it as I hoped. I liked the OVAs a lot though. I had watched Cosmozone in the late-80s for the first time and this was my first introduction to epic anime. Best movie I've seen based on Tezuka adaptations. After reading the manga especially though the movie is considered a separate TV.spinoff
I remember watching the TV series first before reading the manga and did not like it as I hoped. I liked the OVAs a lot though. I had watched Cosmozone in the late-80s for the first time and this was my first introduction to epic anime. Best movie I've seen based on Tezuka adaptations. After reading the manga especially though the movie is considered a separate TV.spinoff
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SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
John Blade
Member
I will keep an eye on it when I am looking into more of Tezuka work. This TV series is fine to get a good into his work but it isn't follow everything from the manga and based on one of the story arch I actually read it, it cut quite a bit. I do read some of his manga work and do like it for what it's.
As of now, I am trying to get through Phantom Memory Kurau which is taking much longer than I expect as it isn't catching me in the show as of now.
petran79
Banned
Stark contrast to Hugtto Precure...
Looking forward to Sarazanmai this spring, perhaps Ikuhara can try saving anime again.
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SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
Ex-magical girls fighting terrorism with lesbianism, edge and gore is a stark contrast to characters giving birth to in an anime to promote impregnation in Japan.
bigDdestruction
Member
Agreed, I watched all 200 episodes when I was back in HS and every arc is the same thing. Its a real shame. It doesn't take any chances or try to change up the formula. I was fine with what it was doing in the first season but then it just keeps doing that and its honestly not very entertaining when they do it 4 more seasons worth. I'd check out that newer one since its based off the manga story but Toei made that show look like total garbage.
petran79
Banned
I'd rather watch the Greenpeace ad of Arjuna
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Red Crayon Aristocrat
Member
michaelius
Banned
I'm watching it and it's pretty ok - in a way it's Goblin Slayer of Mahou Shoujo genre 
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SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
No its the dark souls of mahou shoujo
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SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
This is the most evil thing I've ever seen in a manga
Hope restored
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SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
Boogiepop makes no fucking sense
Halo is Back
Member
Someone recommend me an Anime, its been a while since I have watched a good one.
(Note please don't recommend something that revolves around a school setting, so tired of those)
(Note please don't recommend something that revolves around a school setting, so tired of those)
Red Crayon Aristocrat
Member
Read or Die and it's follow up R.O.D The TV.
Now R.O.D The TV does have some moments set in a school but it doesn't revolve around it, so don't let that dissuade you.
Halo is Back
Member
Thanks will look it up. Just as long the entire plot doesn’t revolve around school life I’ll b fine
Red Crayon Aristocrat
Member
The entire plot doesn't revolve a school at all, so no worries there.
If you some good comedy animes, check out Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi and Dokkoida.
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SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
Humanity has Declined
Red Crayon Aristocrat
Member
Oh and Eureka 7 of course, if you haven't seen it.
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SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
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Werewolf Jones
Member
It's okay, no one is watching it.
Started Gundam IBO. Character designs are bad and that episode 5 space battle... Whew.
Infamy Fantasy Esports
Neo Member
I liked Alita, granted I went in with super low expectations.
Story was pretty bland, but the action was superb.
Story was pretty bland, but the action was superb.
Infamy Fantasy Esports
Neo Member
Anyone read Kingdom?
Sakura
Member
Boogiepop is great
manfestival
Member
Dude... when he stepped into the house I was like NOO!!! Don't DO THAT!!!Oh boy that last episode of Mob Psycho, things are kicking up!
Javthusiast
Banned
Need to. Wanna see whats behind the popularity in japan.
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SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
I said the same thing about the mom isekai and had instant regret.
Infamy Fantasy Esports
Neo Member
Its a wild ride. Set aside a good chunk of time as you won't put it down for a while.
First arcs a bit slow (not really imo by most manga standards), but when the battles scale up into full on wars its pretty nuts