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[A Black Falcon]

Super Atragon 1-2 (complete) - Meh... I got bored by the middle of the first episode and stayed that way. Only partially paid attention, I had other things to do on my computer like try to figure out how to get some files that didn't want to move to another drive.

Super Atragon had some nice action at times, but the plot was lame and only halfway there, because the ending is only a beginning and it never continued to say what happened next. I don't care that much, but it was a sign in general of the lacking plot I would say. There is exposition, but it's not particularly interesting. Evil being from inside the earth trying to kill all humans, nearly invincible giant rings, ships blowing up, etc. I don't know, I just wasn't particularly interested. Sure, it has lots of stuff blowing up, along wiht the background story scenes and mediocre character drama parts, but still, it was definitely on the boring side. The music was pretty good, but it was also likely the best thing about the show...

Akagi 12-13 - Huh, decent show. Very serious and somewhat dark though, I like the more fun tone of Koizumi and Saki more than this. Still, it's clearly a pretty good show, and had a great sense of tension through the match... and then the second episode, where we learned Akagi's reasoning, was as ridiculously silly as you expect from this genre. So yeah, pretty good, but not my favorite style in this genre. I may watch more though, not sure.

Oh, and that character art in this show is so ridiculously bad... it's obviously intentional, but those people are really, really ugly!

Nabari no Ou 01 - Meh, pretty mediocre.

Nichijou 7

Amazing opening sequence. Now I really want a new FMP season, KyoAni does serious so well that I don't understand why they just do comedy after comedy. Just a great atmosphere built up there despite all the little comedic bits. Oh, and Sakamoto really reminded me of Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service in this one, did that exact same shiver.

While I agree that it showed that they certainly can do good drama, the best part of the skit was the ending, the surprise way that the badguy was defeated... that was pretty awesome stuff.

Still though, yeah, it does show that Kyoani definitely could still do drama if they wanted to. They're great at comedy too though, so I don't mind if they stick with it for now.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Hanasaku Iroha 7:

Huh, poor Tomoe. She only gets a oneshot episode to get her character developed a bit, everybody else got 2. Anyways, everybody else kind of fades into the background while Tomoe takes on the survivalists in a fierce battle for peace and freedom! OKAY BABY, COME GET SOME!! Duke Nukem would be ashamed to learn that a middle-aged waitress shouts out his signature lines better than he does.

Anyways, it seems that 7 episodes is the limit of how much time Masahiro Andou is going to spend on character development, because next time shit's gonna get so real! Well, we hope so anyways. I'm glad they apparently won't waste too much time on background character stuff and are ready to jump straight into the heart of the story.

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

The awesome thing is, Koizumi's somewhat hapless aide in that show is voiced by Jun Fukuyama. You can sort of hear it too every now and then when LELOUCH VI BRITANNIA COMMANDS YOU!

 

[zeroshiki]

:lol 29 is middle aged now. Poor Tomoe.

 

[Jex]

:lol 29 is middle aged now. Poor Tomoe.

It has been for a while! She needs to get a grandchild ready soon. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

:>

So, this is the English version of the eroge? It says PC version so I'm assuming it's the version with the explicit content left in. The Wikipedia entry says there's an anime of this game, I wonder if it's any good.

 

[faridmon]

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?

Yep, I was the only one who talked about it that season. Too bad GAF pretty much ignored it. It was great dramatic Anime, a bit too melodramatic in some spots, but I loved the characters and the situations (how awfult it may be) they were involved in. However, I disagree with the production value. The Animation wasn't that great.

Best Anime that season (was it summer?) along with Giant Killing. Check that one out!

Also, I didn't liek Machiko no Hatchin as much as many people here. The premise is great but I thought the excution was not so good. The chercters were just annoying and it wasn't as realistic as it was trying to be.

 

[Articalys]

Spice and Wolf I
See, why can't we have more nice, character-driven series like this one? The interaction just feels a bit more believable, and it's also some of the best flirting dialogue I've heard in a long time. I love the soundtrack and Eurpoeanesque scenery, or at least the scale it presents. Splitting the first season around the first two novels makes it easier to follow the two distinct stories as well.

I'll just leave this here one last time, though I still believe the song would work best as a full duet, alternating lines or verses or something instead of just during the chorus.
--------------
On a separate note, Right Stuf is a reliable all-round retailer, yes? I've never seen Amazon's prices undercut so consistently.

 

[Jex]

On a separate note, Right Stuf is a reliable all-round retailer, yes? I've never seen Amazon's prices undercut so consistently.

As far I'm told, yes, and they usually get the cheapest prices.

 

[mAcOdIn]

Spice and Wolf I
See, why can't we have more nice, character-driven series like this one? The interaction just feels a bit more believable, and it's also some of the best flirting dialogue I've heard in a long time. I love the soundtrack and Eurpoeanesque scenery, or at least the scale it presents. Splitting the first season around the first two novels makes it easier to follow the two distinct stories as well.
--------------
On a separate note, Right Stuf is a reliable all-round retailer, yes? I've never seen Amazon's prices undercut so consistently.

I like Righstuf, almost use them exclusively but Amazon will undercut them often too it just depends what we're talking about at what time. I've used customer service a few times through email and they've always been helpful, one because a disc wouldn't play on my PC for which they sent me a replacement and the other due to me not paying attention to pre-order dates and not having any money on my card when they tried to ship and on that they just held it and charged after I loaded it up, they're always helpful.

Also of note, Funi has a sale going on at Rightstuf and they have Spice and Wolf seasons one and two on Bluray listed for pre-order you know what you have to do.

Nabari no Ou 01 - Meh, pretty mediocre.

The show is crap but the OP is pretty damn cool. Or was it the ED? Can't remember but one of them was really cool.

 

[Articalys]

Also of note, Funi has a sale going on at Rightstuf and they have Spice and Wolf seasons one and two on Bluray listed for pre-order you know what you have to do.

Certainly.
If I actually had a Blu-ray player.

Well, the sale runs through the 26th, I've got time to figure it out.

 

[zerokoolpsx]

Hanasaku Iroha I really laughed. She put so much effort into her plan only to have it all backfire on her. The COME GET SOME SCENE was unexpected. They expected a hot chick in the bath, but got something way better.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Certainly.
If I actually had a Blu-ray player.

Well, the sale runs through the 26th, I've got time to figure it out.

You'd have a Blu-ray player if you owned a PLAYSTATION 3. Oh, you don't? Why the hell not?

 

[Lain]

You'd have a Blu-ray player if you owned a PLAYSTATION 3. Oh, you don't? Why the hell not?

Maybe he likes his privacy, it's a possibility!

Angie Girl 01, the better detective blonde loli girl. This hasn't aged as well as my memories made me believe.

 

[JKTrix]

On a separate note, Right Stuf is a reliable all-round retailer, yes? I've never seen Amazon's prices undercut so consistently.

I generally use 3 sources when it comes to purchasing anime; Amazon, Rightstuf and DVD Pacific.

Right Stuf is great, and I used to use them when I had a lot of money and wanted my anime ASAP. As a distributor with exclusive ties to the anime industry, they can often get you releases days before the shelf date. When I lived in Bermuda, I regularly received DVDs a few days before their advertised street date, so if you're in the US I imagine it would be even sooner. They also have some things that you can only purchase from them, like the upcoming Utena sets, since they're an anime licensor as well.

The owner actually has an Amazon profile where you can often find older stuff cheaper than what he sells on his site, and they still come in the Rightstuf box. If you ever see 'shawnek' on Amazon's list of other sellers, that's him.

If you're going for pure cheapness, DVDPacific is the place to go. Their 'normal' prices often beat even Rightstuf's 'sale' prices. The downside to them is that they don't stock a lot of old stuff, but if it's new you can get a pretty good deal there.

Last is Amazon. Of course they keep up with new things, but you're right--Rightstuf and DVDPacific usually have them beat when it comes to up-front cost. But for old stuff, it doesn't get much better than Amazon. Not only do they often have someone with the old stuff, it's often pretty cheap. For price on 'quality' old stuff though, Amazon is pretty susceptible to price gouging (much like any other service that allows sellers to set their own price). I've been meaning to pick up Master Keaton on DVD for a while, but the sudden price spike on the 5th DVD and my college budget have been holding me back.

I mentioned before that Rightstuf is also an anime licensor. I also like buying from them because it is a pretty direct way to support them, as an anime company. They also offer a membership discount. Their 'Got Anime' membership is $12 a year and gives you an additional 10% off of all of their normal-priced anime DVDs. So occasionally, even if DVDpacific is cheaper upfront, with the Rightstuf discount it could nudge it just under that. They offer free shipping once you reach a price threshold (not sure if DVDPacific does too), but I've never used free shipping on anything other than Amazon before.

So I guess to summarize the benefits of my 3 main suppliers (from personal experience):
Rightstuf: Fast if you want it fast. Some exclusive stuff.
DVDPacific: Brand new stuff is always very cheap, if available. Very very limited on 'old' stuff though.
Amazon: Good all around, but Best at the old stuff.

-----------
I looked up Super Atragon since you guys were talking about it only to find out that I had apparently visited that encyclopedia page before, and I know why.

How was the music in it? It was supposed to be by the same guy who did Giant Robo's music, and they were roughly around the same time...

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Maybe he likes his privacy, it's a possibility!

You aren't required to have a PSN account to download firmware updates or watch Blu-ray movies on a PS3.

 

[Lain]

Battle Girls 7
Perv dog and Hideyoshi's hat were the best parts of the episode.
The play itself was lame, but the preparation for it provided plenty of laughs.

 

[tiff]

So, this is the English version of the eroge? It says PC version so I'm assuming it's the version with the explicit content left in.

Yup. "Adults only PC dating sim for adults," or something like that.

 

[Lafiel]

How was the music in it? It was supposed to be by the same guy who did Giant Robo's music, and they were roughly around the same time...

I only watched the first episode, but the music was definitely the high-light.

 

[BadWolf]

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.

Yeah hehe, first thing I thought when I saw the designs of Rainbow was Ippo.

Thanks man, I'll comb through that list when I get home. Of the anime you have mentioned I have only not seen Ippo 2, Dennou Coil and Tatami Galaxy, will definitely look into them. Kaiba, Kaiji S1, Gungrave, Michiko to Hatchin are all really solid, and pretty much all of Satoshi Kon's work is godly (save for maybe Paprika).

Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time I liked but didn't find very special. Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust on the other hand was fantastic, didn't they also work on Steamboy? Another masterpiece in my book, I rewatch these often.

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.

Yeah, fantastic stuff. Very stylish with a strong female lead. Heard the lady (?) that worked on Samurai Champloo worked on this and it shows. The setting was unique for anime and very well realized, really liked the character designs as well.

Yep, I was the only one who talked about it that season. Too bad GAF pretty much ignored it. It was great dramatic Anime, a bit too melodramatic in some spots, but I loved the characters and the situations (how awfult it may be) they were involved in. However, I disagree with the production value. The Animation wasn't that great.

Best Anime that season (was it summer?) along with Giant Killing. Check that one out!

Its a 26 ep tv show so of course the animation wouldn't be very impressive, the art itself though, and especially the scenery/backgrounds were extremely well done.

Giant killing is that soccer anime right? Watched like 15 eps of it, good stuff.

 

[faridmon]

Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time I liked but didn't find very special. Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust on the other hand was fantastic, didn't they also work on Steamboy? Another masterpiece in my book, I rewatch these often.



Yeah, fantastic stuff. Very stylish with a strong female lead. Heard the lady (?) that worked on Samurai Champloo worked on this and it shows. The setting was unique for anime and very well realized, really liked the character designs as well.



Its a 26 ep tv show so of course the animation wouldn't be very impressive, the art itself though, and especially the scenery/backgrounds were extremely well done.

Giant killing is that soccer anime right? Watched like 15 eps of it, good stuff.

Yeah, the football (Not soccer dammit!) Anime which was grefat. The thing about the animation was that even though Giant Killing was as well 24 episode, it had better animation style than Rainbow. Rainbow felt very static and stiff with little motion. it felt infiruating. The background were pretty but the art itself wasn't as good as it could be. Death Note had better art IMO.

Oh and Steamboy was terrible while The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was just a masterpiece. Haven't watched Summer wars even though I have the DVD for a month now.

Oh Gungrave is my favourite Anime in my book. If you haven't watched it, watch it NOW. Just don't watch the 1st Episode as it is a big spoiler for the whole show.

 

[BadWolf]

Oh and Steamboy was terrible while The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was just a masterpiece.

Different strokes for different folks.

Oh Gungrave is my favourite Anime in my book. If you haven't watched it, watch it NOW. Just don't watch the 1st Episode as it is a big spoiler for the whole show.

Watched it years back, loved it.

 

[Dali]

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

Are you pointing out something on the bill or referring to the bill itself looking similar to us dollars. If the latter that's not some amazing catch. It was pretty easy to spot in that episode. So much so I feel "spot" isn't even the righ word to use. Maybe it was only as plain as day because I'm american.

 

[faridmon]

Different strokes for different folks.

That is a genral opinion, no?

 

[duckroll]

Gatekeepers 21

Decided to grab my DVDs off the shelf and give this OVA series a rewatch. It is surprisingly entertaining for a show with a grand total of zero likeable characters. All the main characters have offensive personalities, all the supporting characters are barely there or generic archetypes, the villains are faceless and uninteresting, but somehow it works in the framework of the show. I guess it helps that I'm actually a Gatekeepers fan. Some plot elements and direction reminded me of Madoka too, and I think it's interesting how the two shows have similar themes and even character traits.

Production quality-wise there is really nothing outstanding here, but it's interesting how the OVA gets better looking with each episode. It was extra surprising to see that episode 5 seemed really different in terms of art style and overall animation quality, and lo and behold, the credits show that it was an episode produced by Kyoto Animation. What a weird thing to have Kyoto Animation work on a Gonzo production. Oh and the theme songs were really nice too. Not much else to talk about I guess.

I hope the new Gonzo makes a new Gatekeepers anime some day!

 

[Tranced Shadow]

Are you pointing out something on the bill or referring to the bill itself looking similar to us dollars. If the latter that's not some amazing catch. It was pretty easy to spot in that episode. So much so I feel "spot" isn't even the righ word to use. Maybe it was only as plain as day because I'm american.

Spoiler

It has the Ouroboros symbol on it.

 

[JKTrix]

Yeah, a red circle or something would have helped on that picture I didn't notice the symbol either.

Let's have a [C] and Tiger & Bunny crossover in Sacred Seven.

And faridmon, he said in his post that he didn't think much of Girl who Leapt Through Time, where you said it was a masterpiece. And then you both had opposing views on Rainbow. He was pointing out the contrast in your opinions.

Just clarifying in case the language was mixing you up a bit.

Ed; unless you meant 'Popular Opinion' when you said 'general opinion' (i.e. everyone says TGWLTT is a masterpiece), in which case you should already be familiar with the idea that popular opinion doesn't have to be your own opinion. 'Popular Opinion' (and multiple awards) says that Nodame Cantabile in general is a good show, yet you rather vehemently spoke out against it.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Lain]

After episode 5 of AnoHana, I have a better opinion of Yukiatsu.
When he praised himself especially, on the train, he gained more points.
Anaru is kind of dumb.

 

[faridmon]

Yeah, a red circle or something would have helped on that picture I didn't notice the symbol either.

Let's have a [C] and Tiger & Bunny crossover in Sacred Seven.

And faridmon, he said in his post that he didn't think much of Girl who Leapt Through Time, where you said it was a masterpiece. And then you both had opposing views on Rainbow. He was pointing out the contrast in your opinions.

Just clarifying in case the language was mixing you up a bit.

Ed; unless you meant 'Popular Opinion' when you said 'general opinion' (i.e. everyone says TGWLTT is a masterpiece), in which case you should already be familiar with the idea that popular opinion doesn't have to be your own opinion. 'Popular Opinion' (and multiple awards) says that Nodame Cantabile in general is a good show, yet you rather vehemently spoke out against it.

Different strokes for different folks.

OK, makes sense. I stand corrected. cheers.

 

[duckroll]

http://www.meiji.co.jp/sweets/candy_gum/fruits_gummi/

Yay, more TV ad animation by A-team animes. Lulz. The state of the industry today...

Director: Rintaro
Original Character Designs: Yusuke Nakamura
Animation Production: Madhouse

 

[Defuser]

I hope the new Gonzo makes a new Gatekeepers anime some day!

Dammit,you read my mind. I've been hoping for a new gatekeepers ever since Gonzo revived themselves. I like the fact that over 10 years, their character designs doesn't look like it aged at all.

Are you pointing out something on the bill or referring to the bill itself looking similar to us dollars. If the latter that's not some amazing catch. It was pretty easy to spot in that episode. So much so I feel "spot" isn't even the righ word to use. Maybe it was only as plain as day because I'm american.

Look harder or refer to Trance Shadow's post.

 

[Jex]

http://www.meiji.co.jp/sweets/candy_gum/fruits_gummi/

Yay, more TV ad animation by A-team animes. Lulz. The state of the industry today...

Not as awesome as those Takeshi Koike commercials. Classier though.

 

[Articalys]

awesome shopping advice

Thanks! I don't really have a good tendency to shop around when buying things online, having become a bit too complacent with Amazon, so maybe this is a good time to change that.
--------
As for the PS3-as-BD player thing, it's a longer story, but the rumored price drop at E3 would certainly make it a more attractive option. A decent standalone player costs about $150-170 in comparison, right?

 

[Jex]

Paradise Kiss One - A show without giant robots

Damn George, your have cool clothes and a cool car, but with a vintage look. Living the life.

I'm sure the story will be fine over the upcoming 12 episodes but I'm not really sold on the editing devices used in throughout this episode, they were kind of distracting. Apart from that everything seems fairly promising.

 

[Dali]

Spoiler

It has the Ouroboros symbol on it.

Haha. Okay, I feel better now. For a moment I had that feeling I got when I read half the posts in the gaming side mind blown thread.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Persona 4 Anime Pv 6 is out. I think it confirms it's airing in 2011..?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWgTjqZcCuM

Judging from the last scene it doesn't seem like they're holding back!

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

Woooh nice catch from that person.

 

[kiryogi]

Spice and Wolf Season 1 and Season 2 1-5
Can't believe I missed out on this train. I admit the furry bit was what turned me away. Judging a book by its cover I know. But the exchanges between Lawrence and Holo are absolutely outstanding. I haven't had such a stimulating show in a long time. I also really love that accent Holo has. Ami Koshimizu, you are amazing! Preordered the bluray sets from Rightstuf

Iroha 6-7
Show remains consistently solid and so damned pretty for the most part. I loved how they changed the ED for ep 6. Ep 7 was really silly and odd at first, but in the end they tied it up really well. Not to mention giving some good spotlight to Tomoe. Definitely rose her rankings up for me. Really made me thing about what I'm doing with life currently too. I'm getting old D: Haha.

 

[Branduil]

:lol 29 is middle aged now. Poor Tomoe.

Anime age scale:

1-3: babies

4-10: marriageable age

11-16: protagonist age

17-24: middle age

25-40: geriatric

40+: fossils

 

[Instro]

Anime age scale:

1-3: babies

4-10: marriageable age

11-16: protagonist age

17-24: middle age

25-40: geriatric

40+: fossils

There is no medicine in anime so no one lives past 50.

 

[Steroyd]

Anime age scale:

1-3: babies

4-10: marriageable age

11-16: protagonist age

17-24: middle age

25-40: geriatric

40+: fossils

Don't forget male 90 - 1000 year olds tend to be badasses.

 

[tiff]

Spice and Wolf Season 1 and Season 2 1-5
Preordered the bluray sets from Rightstuf

Oh, haha, just the other day I was thinking "man, I should watch Spice and Wolf" but I didn't think to look there.

 

[hellclerk]

Hanasaku Iroha 7
Oh jeeze... they got really bishoujo at the end there... Ah, no matter, the airsoft otaku totally made up for it, and from the looks of things, it's going to be more DURAMA next time!

 

[Izayoi]

I admit the furry bit was what turned me away.

Somebody should post that "Is it furry?" chart.

 

[Articalys]

Somebody should post that "Is it furry?" chart.

The normal one or Cheetos one?

 

[Izayoi]

The normal one or Cheetos one?

The Cheetos one will do just fine. Gets the point across.

 

[Articalys]

The Cheetos one will do just fine. Gets the point across.

Alrighty.

Spoiler

For anyone who's wondering, the "normal" one has that last panel as an actual cat with the caption "you sick bastard." I just find this one funnier. Besides, Holo's barely a 5% on this scale anyway.
In her normal form, at least.

 

[firehawk12]

Persona 4 Anime Pv 6 is out. I think it confirms it's airing in 2011..?

Seems like it. Or at least something coming out in October anyway.

And, maybe I missed something, but why wouldn't they have also included Rise's and Naoto's casting? Unless they're trying to stretch that out to the next PV.

 

[Jerk]

I'm getting old D: Haha.

*Reads cue*

Sup!

 

[Articalys]

Seems like it. Or at least something coming out in October anyway.

And, maybe I missed something, but why wouldn't they have also included Rise's and Naoto's casting? Unless they're trying to stretch that out to the next PV.

Shit, does this mean I need to hurry up and start playing my copy of P4 if I don't want to get spoiled by the upcoming anime discussion?

 

[firehawk12]

Shit, does this mean I need to hurry up and start playing my copy of P4 if I don't want to get spoiled by the upcoming anime discussion?

Well, it's coming soon anyway, but yeah. :lol:

 

[zeroshiki]

I haven't played it yet but will look forward to the aneurysms people will have about the adaptation.