Support NeoGAF

[Articalys]

Ratings for the week of May 2 - 8:

I guess this is as good a chance as any to ask this question, so here goes:
Can anyone help explain how the TV networks in Japan are organized, and how people subscribe for television service over there? I tried reading over the wiki article, and that gives the impression that there's only 40 or so channels, varying based on region, and everyone gets everything available in their area for a flat annual fee, unless I'm reading it wrong (which I probably am, given that it's Wikipedia). All I'm familiar with is the decentralized U.S. model which is radically different.

 

[firehawk12]

NHK is like the BBC in that you pay a license fee to own/watch TV. I guess they also pay for cable and whatnot to get all the other channels if they want them.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Hajime no Ippo 25

Starting to get bored of this. Might just be the nature of boxing, but there isn't really enough variety to keep me interested. I'll watch the Mashiba fight and then decide on whether I'll continue or not.

The Mashiba fight is great stuff. The fights start to get a lot more awesome around that point in the series.

 

[Cwarrior]

Hajime no Ippo 25

Starting to get bored of this. Might just be the nature of boxing, but there isn't really enough variety to keep me interested. I'll watch the Mashiba fight and then decide on whether I'll continue or not.

After the mashiba fights it keeps geting better for there.

 

[Lain]

Hanasaku Iroha 6-7
Great episodes, both funny and positive, and with so little Minchi that my ears were spared this time around.
7 was the better of the two for me, in part because it was the most entertaining and in part because it reminded me of Fumoffu, although 6 had the best closing scene, with Tohru smiling while eating (thinking of Ohana I'm sure, too bad for him she's already set with Nakochi), getting Ren to drop his food.

 

[Izayoi]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood 11-15 - Was too tired to bother with this at 8AM this morning, so here it is now. Show moves very quickly considering it's 60+ episodes. Even with considerable slowdown it would still be practically running compared to some anime this season. I like it. Not a huge fan of the new OP and ED, though. The first ones were much better, I thought. Greed

Spoiler

was a really good character, I wish he would've stuck around for a little longer

. Oh well. Some interesting developments, I never would've suspected that the General was

Spoiler

one of the siblings before he took off his eyepatch

. I'm excited to see more.

 

[InfiniteNine]

Demonbane arrived today~

:>

 

[zeroshiki]

I guess this is as good a chance as any to ask this question, so here goes:
Can anyone help explain how the TV networks in Japan are organized, and how people subscribe for television service over there? I tried reading over the wiki article, and that gives the impression that there's only 40 or so channels, varying based on region, and everyone gets everything available in their area for a flat annual fee, unless I'm reading it wrong (which I probably am, given that it's Wikipedia). All I'm familiar with is the decentralized U.S. model which is radically different.

I'm not an expert but there are generally 7 main channels that pretty much everyone gets. NHK, NHK3, NTV, TBS, Fuji, Asahi, Tv Tokyo.

There are also smaller regional channels like Tokyo MX, Chiba TV, etc and then the cable ones WOWOW, Animax, etc.

There is only one fee and that's the NHK fee. NHK works like the BBC and everyone has to pay The other channels are commercial though so you don't need to pay for them.

Alot of anime air on a host of regional channels which Tokyo doesn't even get -_- So imagine how hardcore you'd be to be up at 2AM watching anime on a regional channel. If an anime is on primetime in a major channel (like, say, Conan on NTV or R2 on TBS) it gets an insane amount of exposure.

 

[Branduil]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood 11-15 - Was too tired to bother with this at 8AM this morning, so here it is now. Show moves very quickly considering it's 60+ episodes. Even with considerable slowdown it would still be practically running compared to some anime this season. I like it. Not a huge fan of the new OP and ED, though. The first ones were much better, I thought. Greed

Spoiler

was a really good character, I wish he would've stuck around for a little longer

. Oh well. Some interesting developments, I never would've suspected that the General was

Spoiler

one of the siblings before he took off his eyepatch

. I'm excited to see more.

He's not a General, he's a Fuhrer.

 

[Izayoi]

He's not a General, he's a Fuhrer.

People referred to him as both, though.

Right?

Maybe I was just really tired last night.

 

[tiff]

:>
http://i.imgur.com/2hc3dl.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]
Yay~

My box is a little smushed but I'm not too upset over it.

 

[JKTrix]

Been 'away' for like a week. Did I miss anything in here?

 

[Silh]

My Baccano BD set arrived today, a lot sooner than I was expecting.

I can slip the plastic right back on to keep it in awesome condition, too. Swanky.

 

[Articalys]

I'm not an expert but there are generally 7 main channels that pretty much everyone gets. NHK, NHK3, NTV, TBS, Fuji, Asahi, Tv Tokyo.

There are also smaller regional channels like Tokyo MX, Chiba TV, etc and then the cable ones WOWOW, Animax, etc.

There is only one fee and that's the NHK fee. NHK works like the BBC and everyone has to pay The other channels are commercial though so you don't need to pay for them.

Alot of anime air on a host of regional channels which Tokyo doesn't even get -_- So imagine how hardcore you'd be to be up at 2AM watching anime on a regional channel. If an anime is on primetime in a major channel (like, say, Conan on NTV or R2 on TBS) it gets an insane amount of exposure.

Thanks... I still don't quite get it but, for example, seeing in the OP that Nichijou airs on like fifteen channels at different times, those are all regional channels then? So do all shows at least either air on a national channel or is there a chance a show could be regional only, and if you don't live in the right region(s) you're SOL?
Sorry if this seems like dumb questions; it's just something I've wanted to figure out for a while but never really looked it up.

 

[firehawk12]

Shows will re-air on other affiliated networks after the initial broadcast.

 

[BadWolf]

Heard Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin mentioned here and finally watched it, man I thought I was getting tired of anime but turns out I just wasn't watching the right stuff, what a masterpiece. The production values, characters and story were all top notch, each ep had me completely hooked.

Anything else like it out there?

 

[zeroshiki]

Thanks... I still don't quite get it but, for example, seeing in the OP that Nichijou airs on like fifteen channels at different times, those are all regional channels then? So do all shows at least either air on a national channel or is there a chance a show could be regional only, and if you don't live in the right region(s) you're SOL?
Sorry if this seems like dumb questions; it's just something I've wanted to figure out for a while but never really looked it up.

They show them in affiliate stations, yes.

There are some shows that cannot be watched in Tokyo. For example, first broadcast of Lucky Star only showed in regional stations and if you were in Tokyo, you were SOL. On the flip side, you were able to watch Dragonaut The Resonance on TBS which is a national station.

Regional stations are obviously separate from each other but they sometimes form some kind of group that get common shows.

Of course there are re-airings and stuff but for the first broadcast, sometimes companies have trouble getting TV stations to show their stuff.

 

[firehawk12]

Heard Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin mentioned here and finally watched it, man I thought I was getting tired of anime but turns out I just wasn't watching the right stuff, what a masterpiece. The production values, characters and story were all top notch, each ep had me completely hooked.

Anything else like it out there?

I wanted to check it out based on the premise alone, but I remember people here thinking it goes off the rails later on so I never bothered...

 

[BadWolf]

I wanted to check it out based on the premise alone, but I remember people here thinking it goes off the rails later on so I never bothered...

Can only speak for myself but I honestly can't remember the last time a series flew by this fast for me. Loved it from start to finish.

 

[JKTrix]

Can only speak for myself but I honestly can't remember the last time a series flew by this fast for me. Loved it from start to finish.

With Ippo as your avatar and talking about Rainbow, I think you'd do well to at least try most of the stuff that the anime company Madhouse has done lately. They've consistently been the best source of something 'different' from the otaku-centered shows lately (even if they dip into them from time to time).

Can probably start here, sort by date and work backwards.
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=creator&creatorid=731

There are big fans here of Kaiji, which is on its 2nd season now (so start with the first season if you are interested). The Tatami Galaxy (Youjouhan Shinwa Taikei) is available on Hulu. I don't recall people here talking much about Kaiba, but that's another recent show from them that I really liked. Dennou Coil is top notch as well.

Don't miss the movies they produce either. Summer Wars was released in the US recently, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is another well liked movie, and late anime director Satoshi Kon's entire movie library is through Madhouse.

If you're looking something more crime-related, Madhouse did Gungrave a long time ago, which a few people here watched recently and seemed to enjoy despite the first episode. It's not a Madhouse title, but another show called Michiko to Hatchin I would recommend too.

You hit the nail on the head with your prior post. A lot of people who get tired of anime just aren't watching the right stuff.

There were 26 new eipisodes of Ippo 2 years ago too, if you haven't seen them already.

 

[firehawk12]

Can only speak for myself but I honestly can't remember the last time a series flew by this fast for me. Loved it from start to finish.

So there weren't any twists or sudden character changes that you found off putting?

 

[Brobzoid]

Michiko & Hatchin is amazing. first episode is kinda fucked up imo as they set up a rather over-the-top cinderella style scenario, but barring that minor hick-up it's ace.

 

[dimb]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood 11-15 - Was too tired to bother with this at 8AM this morning, so here it is now. Show moves very quickly considering it's 60+ episodes. Even with considerable slowdown it would still be practically running compared to some anime this season. I like it.

They rush through the episodes that are almost identical to the first FMA. I was pretty bored with Brotherhood until it went off in its own direction.

 

[Hellsing321]

Hansaku Iroha 7
Not as good as last week's episode but it was a cute little episode and its nice to see the other characters beyond the three girls get fleshed out a bit. Tomoe is awesome.

TWGOK II 6
I always liked Chihiro's arc the best of the first arcs in the manga because it was the first time Keima was taken out of his comfort zone for the captures. So far they're doing a good job of adapting it. Sad we won't get to see repercussions from Ayumi starting to remember.

 

[Infinite Justice]

Hansaku Iroha 7
Not as good as last week's episode but it was a cute little episode and its nice to see the other characters beyond the three girls get fleshed out a bit. Tomoe is awesome.

TWGOK II 6
I always liked Chihiro's arc the best of the first arcs in the manga because it was the first time Keima was taken out of his comfort zone for the captures. So far they're doing a good job of adapting it. Sad we won't get to see repercussions from Ayumi starting to remember.

I liked when she shamed him to the point he got depressed about it.


@ bold: No Yui either, oh well

 

[trejo]

Every time I watch an episode of Infinite Stratos I hate myself and all of you.

 

[firehawk12]

Every time I watch an episode of Infinite Stratos I hate myself and all of you.

Ichika no ecchi.

 

[zeroshiki]

Every time I watch an episode of Infinite Stratos I hate myself and all of you.

Its not like I like you or anything!

Spoiler

awaiting trejo going dere

 

[Izayoi]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood 16-24 - Man, people with an amputee fetish must fucking love this show.

 

[trejo]

Super Atragon 1

It's the Evangelion prequel no one had ever heard of. It's also badass and has an excellent soundtrack. Fun fun fun.

 

[Defuser]

Tiger and Bunny:
:O
Oh shit,somebody on AS found this:

 

[Rektash]

Super Atragon 1:

This is totally the eva prequel no one knew about. Also it is a clusterfuck of greatness!!! I genuinly like this show!

 

[Crash Station]

Super Atragon 1

Young Gendou was a little bitch.

 

[Izayoi]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood 24-25 - Is it really necessary to cram OP/EDs full of spoilers? For fuck's sake.

 

[firehawk12]

LTTP, but they made a Madoka reference in episode 4 of Maria Holic S2. Is it pretentious to reference something you just made?

 

[Crash Station]

Eva Zero 2

Young Gendou was not helpful at all.

 

[Rektash]

Super Atragon 2:

Well it didn't continue beeing awesome. Still liked it better than Angel Cop though.

 

[trejo]

Super Atragon 2

Too much infodumps and not enough awesome. Rather mediocre all in all.

And young Gendou was such an useless little bitch.

 

[Hellsing321]

Super Atragon
For how Eva this was it was really boring. Young Gendou did nothing the whole time accept get bossed around by his dad and hit on a mole girl.

Legend of Koizumi 1

 

[Jex]

Super Atragon 1-2

Kind of cool and interesting, then really rather dull.

It's one weird Eva prequel, that's for sure.

Michiko & Hatchin is amazing. first episode is kinda fucked up imo as they set up a rather over-the-top cinderella style scenario, but barring that minor hick-up it's ace.

I don't really see any problems with episode 1.

 

[B.K.]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood 24-25 - Is it really necessary to cram OP/EDs full of spoilers? For fuck's sake.

Just wait. The last couple openings and endings are nothing but spoilers.

 

[Jex]

Every time I watch an episode of Infinite Stratos I hate myself and all of you.

Sounds like your wrestling with your inner anime fandom. No-ones forcing you to watch!

 

[Steroyd]

Been 'away' for like a week. Did I miss anything in here?

A week is a long time in animuGAF, a very very long time.

 

[Jex]

Been 'away' for like a week. Did I miss anything in here?

Not really, things have been relatively slow down here.

 

[Crash Station]

Hajime no Ippo 28

Whelp, saw the Mashiba fight yet I'm still unsure about whether I should continue or not. I mean it was neat, but I feel like this is getting pretty repetitive. Again, that's just the nature of boxing, so I don't know what I was expecting.

Maybe I'll check out one more arc and if it doesn't really impress me, I'll just stop.

 

[Jex]

Tiger and Bunny:
:O
Oh shit,somebody on AS found this:
http://i.imgur.com/QgtCE.jpg

So I guess Bunny has never looked very hard at a banknote.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Legend of Koizumi 1

It gets better and better every episode too. The first episode was just a taste of the God-tier class anime that is THE LEGEND OF KOIZUMI.

 

[Crash Station]

It gets better and better every episode too. The first episode was just a taste of the God-tier class anime that is THE LEGEND OF KOIZUMI.

If only we could get a full adaptation. What I've read of the manga is epic beyond words.

 

[Izayoi]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood 26-32 - Show continues to be awesome. Not sure what else to say. Dem blondes, I guess. Goddamn I love them. More blondes in anime!

 

[Jex]

Shuffle 19

Wait, why am I watching this? How did it come to pass? I'm so confused.