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[Hattori]

Gundam Build Fighters Try director Shinya Watada is storyboarding and directing episode 4 of Erased. Maybe there'll be giant robots in this episode. Or maybe they'll go to their secret base and build some gunpla. What sort of gunpla were popular in 1988 anyway?

Sazabi?

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Starmyu 1

I had heard some rumblings that this was good, but unfortunately it is in actuality the generic fujoshi show that people superficially assumed Shounen Hollywood would be. It seems well-produced, in that the animation is solid and the direction is snappy, but the writing is clumsy in how it dumps loads upon loads of flat-footed exposition on us to introduce all of its enormous cast. Also, the music is straight-up bad, which is an unwelcome sign for a show that's supposed to be about music. In both regards, Prince of Stride Alternative is much better.

 

[Maximilian Kolbe]

Saw a rumor Gundam IBO actually is 2 cour x2 show(total 50 episodes).
Not sure is it true or not, but that can explain the slow pace recently.

there is an Iron Blooded Orphans S2 apparently https://twitter.com/pKjd/status/690804681828794368

Ugh damn i'm slow, should read last page first lol.

 

[Cornbread78]

Calling a goddess useless who max skilled party tricks - heresy!

Yeah, look what those amazing offensive magic spells did to those poor froggies, lol. She was good for frog food.

 

[PdotMichael]

Blame the party leader for using a priest as DPS mule! The Axis cult is a cult of peace.

 

[Turin Turambar]

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu - 03

This hasn't been as impactful as the third episode of Erased, with girls being beaten down or the scene under the tree, but in its own slow, restrained narration style it has been pretty good. It tells the story of his life in a very detailed, realistic way, with the first love, his anxieties in Rakugo, the low moments in times of war and the resurgence in the post-war, his coming of age as adult with a look of more self confidence, etc.

 

[Shard]

Owarimonogatari Episode 11:

Ah this would be the episode everybody was raving about last season and I can see why, that was among the top interactions done in the entire franchise to date and has elevated this arc to new levels. Still wouldn't call this one of the better season given that I still think the first three arcs were mediocre as fuck and, well, I don't know everything but I know things are missing from this season.

 

[duckroll]

Mononoke - Episode 6-7

Really liked this story. Smart storytelling that subverts expectations to deliver a stronger message is always appreciated. Here the setup suggests one thing, but reality is another. Yet from the start, if we pay attention the Medicine Seller provides all the information to unravel the "truth" of the matter. The mystery here is not just something he is trying to solve (discerning the true form of the mononoke) but also a situation where the subject character, and by proxy the audience, has to be eased to understand the reality of what is happening. There's some really good directing here, and the use of repetition was almost annoying until it clicked as to what it was trying to convey. Good stuff.

Spoiler

I tried to be as vague as possible in the write-up, but for those who have seen the show and might not remember the exact story here, this is the one where he visits a woman in a "prison" pretending to be a fellow prisoner, but in the end it is revealed that she never killed anyone but rather was a mononoke born of her inability to break away from her trapped life, killing her own dreams and desires. Presumably the entire two episodes took place in a delusion of the mononoke's creation, in that single slice of time repeated over and over until she was set free by extermination.

 

[Cornbread78]

Blame the party leader for using a priest as DPS mule! The Axis cult is a cult of peace.

Lol. Sounds about right. It ended up being a valid tactic to give the MC tine to clean up.

Mononoke - Episode 6-7

Really liked this story.

I'm gonna cut and paste this post into the Let's Watch thread dammit, lol.

I still have 3 episodes left to watch.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Mononoke - Episode 6-7

Really liked this story. Smart storytelling that subverts expectations to deliver a stronger message is always appreciated. Here the setup suggests one thing, but reality is another. Yet from the start, if we pay attention the Medicine Seller provides all the information to unravel the "truth" of the matter. The mystery here is not just something he is trying to solve (discerning the true form of the mononoke) but also a situation where the subject character, and by proxy the audience, has to be eased to understand the reality of what is happening. There's some really good directing here, and the use of repetition was almost annoying until it clicked as to what it was trying to convey. Good stuff.

Spoiler

I tried to be as vague as possible in the write-up, but for those who have seen the show and might not remember the exact story here, this is the one where he visits a woman in a "prison" pretending to be a fellow prisoner, but in the end it is revealed that she never killed anyone but rather was a mononoke born of her inability to break away from her trapped life, killing her own dreams and desires. Presumably the entire two episodes took place in a delusion of the mononoke's creation, in that single slice of time repeated over and over until she was set free by extermination.

This was my least favorite Mononoke arc (which I hasten to add is far from saying I didn't like it, considering the high quality of the overall show). I felt it was a bit too unnecessarily convoluted and obtuse in its presentation. Maybe I'd feel differently if I rewatched it.

The next arc is my favorite, with an incredibly satisfying climax, so look forward to that.

 

[duckroll]

This was my least favorite Mononoke arc (which I hasten to add is far from saying I didn't like it, considering the high quality of the overall show). I felt it was a bit too unnecessarily convoluted and obtuse in its presentation. Maybe I'd feel differently if I rewatched it.

The next arc is my favorite, with an incredibly satisfying climax, so look forward to that.

I don't think it was unnecessarily convoluted. Convoluted yes, but not without reason or purpose. The intent of the story was to convey the psychological horror of delusion, something which can be passive but just as paralyzing or frightening as something more obvious or real. As such, with the presentation being a mental puzzle box, a lot of what was shown cannot be truly appreciated until everything unraveled at the end. I would also argue that it is about as obtuse as a real person can be obtuse when deluding themselves to believe something because of... reasons. I felt it was very effective at conveying very deep emotional implications of mental illness without actually talking about it through dialogue. Again, this is something Nakamura seems to be very good at doing throughout all his works, regardless of theme or subject matter. A rarity in the entertainment space.

 

[AquaWateria]

Your words wound me. P3 is the best persona story and top in jrpgs (DeSu2, P3, GoldenSun 1-2). Unless one dislikes dark emotionally moving well paced stories, I see no way that p3 is paper thin.

Kenji Tomochika best social link though.

This one of the fewest times I ever agree with DTL.

I'm completely agree with you. Persona 3 had the best story of the entire franchise of Persona for me. I loved Persona 2 a lot especially the story but Persona 3's ending just edges it out. One of my top favorite jrpgs. Never liked DeSu much though.

 

[OniBarubary]

Mononoke - Episode 6-7

Really liked this story. Smart storytelling that subverts expectations to deliver a stronger message is always appreciated. Here the setup suggests one thing, but reality is another. Yet from the start, if we pay attention the Medicine Seller provides all the information to unravel the "truth" of the matter. The mystery here is not just something he is trying to solve (discerning the true form of the mononoke) but also a situation where the subject character, and by proxy the audience, has to be eased to understand the reality of what is happening. There's some really good directing here, and the use of repetition was almost annoying until it clicked as to what it was trying to convey. Good stuff.

Spoiler

I tried to be as vague as possible in the write-up, but for those who have seen the show and might not remember the exact story here, this is the one where he visits a woman in a "prison" pretending to be a fellow prisoner, but in the end it is revealed that she never killed anyone but rather was a mononoke born of her inability to break away from her trapped life, killing her own dreams and desires. Presumably the entire two episodes took place in a delusion of the mononoke's creation, in that single slice of time repeated over and over until she was set free by extermination.

I'm sort of astonished you've never watched this before. You also got what happened exactly on the head.

This was my least favorite Mononoke arc (which I hasten to add is far from saying I didn't like it, considering the high quality of the overall show). I felt it was a bit too unnecessarily convoluted and obtuse in its presentation. Maybe I'd feel differently if I rewatched it.

The next arc is my favorite, with an incredibly satisfying climax, so look forward to that.

I don't think it was unnecessarily convoluted. Convoluted yes, but not without reason or purpose. The intent of the story was to convey the psychological horror of delusion, something which can be passive but just as paralyzing or frightening as something more obvious or real. As such, with the presentation being a mental puzzle box, a lot of what was shown cannot be truly appreciated until everything unraveled at the end. I would also argue that it is about as obtuse as a real person can be obtuse when deluding themselves to believe something because of... reasons. I felt it was very effective at conveying very deep emotional implications of mental illness without actually talking about it through dialogue. Again, this is something Nakamura seems to be very good at doing throughout all his works, regardless of theme or subject matter. A rarity in the entertainment space.

Yeah, I'd argue that this arc is the best one POSSIBLY tied with the last one though they do completely different things and have completely different storytelling methods. Like Duckroll says, the type of storytelling and method of conveyance used in the Prisoner Arc is rarely seen especially in anime and it might be because of that that a lot of people ended up confused about what happens/happened. All the information is there, however, you just have to realize what the visual medium is telling you combined with WHY certain things keep happening or being said over and over. The Medicine Seller's words that he repeats 3 or 4 times "If you think you're trapped, this place becomes a prison. If you wish to stay, it becomes a castle" are super important. It's just incredibly strong storytelling.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

I don't think it was unnecessarily convoluted. Convoluted yes, but not without reason or purpose. The intent of the story was to convey the psychological horror of delusion, something which can be passive but just as paralyzing or frightening as something more obvious or real. As such, with the presentation being a mental puzzle box, a lot of what was shown cannot be truly appreciated until everything unraveled at the end. I would also argue that it is about as obtuse as a real person can be obtuse when deluding themselves to believe something because of... reasons. I felt it was very effective at conveying very deep emotional implications of mental illness without actually talking about it through dialogue. Again, this is something Nakamura seems to be very good at doing throughout all his works, regardless of theme or subject matter. A rarity in the entertainment space.

I can see what you're saying. These are just my impressions from watching it back in... 2011, I guess it would be. A lot has changed in my critical thinking and my life since then. I really should get around to rewatching Mononoke, but then there's so many anime/films that I need to do that with!

I definitely agree about Nakamura's insight into mental illness. As someone who has personally struggled with that, I appreciate his sympathetic understanding and portrayal. That's a big reason why my favorite work of his is Trapeze, which explicitly deals with mental illness of various forms.

 

[Jarmel]

Pandora-3

This show has such great reaction faces.

This episode was the most Shirow thing ever. I didn't particularly like it as it was kinda disorienting and all over the place, partially due to the premise but also the directing. Not sure how I feel about the new character as I would like the show to focus on Clarine and Nene and she seems kinda extraneous.

The reporter that keeps dying in every scene is the best joke in the show.

 

[OniBarubary]

I definitely agree about Nakamura's insight into mental illness. As someone who has personally struggled with that, I appreciate his sympathetic understanding and portrayal. That's a big reason why my favorite work of his is Trapeze, which explicitly deals with mental illness of various forms.

I take back anything bad I ever said about you. You and me are best friends now.

 

[duckroll]

In a society like Japan where mental illness still has a huge social stigma and isn't something people want to talk about openly or at all, a director like Nakamura continuing to tackle such issues in whatever subversive ways he can in series after series is something that should really be greatly appreciated. He never uses them as tropes or as narrative devices, but it seems he really wants to try and portray the fact that people do exist with such personalities or problems, and it is a part of everyday life.

 

[pbayne]

This kind of made my day: Rainbow days (Nijiiro Days) is getting 24 episodes.

https://www.animenewsnetwork.co.uk/...inbow-days-anime-listed-at-24-episodes/.97768

Not sure if many people here are watching it but its been a lot of fun so far.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

This kind of made my day: Rainbow days (Nijiiro Days) is getting 24 episodes.

https://www.animenewsnetwork.co.uk/...inbow-days-anime-listed-at-24-episodes/.97768

Not sure if many people here are watching it but its been a lot of fun so far.

It had already been announced to last two cour, I dont know why ANN is rereporting their old news.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Luck & Logic Episode 3

I hope we get a Boy x Boy Logicalist Covenator pair (we have girl x girl), perhaps the new guy that Athena talked too can pair up with Olga Breakchild.

Another awesome episode though, the Chief getting in on the action was epic.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Yona of the Dawn 1

Yeah, this is what I want out of my shoujo fantasy. More interesting than Snow White from both a content and direction perspective.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Bubuki Burank Episode 3

Hii-kun makes the best expressions and is so easy to tease. Love him alot and at least he's finally getting along with Azuma.

I kind of wish the whole history of 10 years ago, 24 years ago, and the past involving the origins of Buranki and the families was given to us in more detail instead of pieces here and there each episode. For example we still dont know how Reoko got others to be with her cause or why the Bubuki users are being hunted down or the consequences of Oubu falling versus the pieces of the eight that Reoko defeated that fell. Such an intriguing set of past circumstances that need to be explored.

Hii-kun swordstyle was really cool. He's so flashy.

 

[striferser]

Osomatsu-san 15
Jyushimatsu is the best, simply because interviewer can't get mad at him despite him showing his asshole up close.
Being Karamatsu is suffering.

Sekkou boys 3
Still funny with its gimmick, and i can't get enough of Daisuke Ono and Tomokazu Sugita being hammy.

Ojisan to marshmallow 3
Kinda hot, actually.

Oshiete Galko-chan 3
Inverted nipple is a serious business.

 

[Puruzi]

Oshiete Galko-chan 3
Inverted nipple is a serious business.

correct

 

[Jarmel]

Gate-15

I don't know about everybody else but I always sleep naked with family members.

Itami didn't even get an Xbox from this deal.

I got nothing for this.

 

[cj_iwakura]

I don't think it was unnecessarily convoluted. Convoluted yes, but not without reason or purpose. The intent of the story was to convey the psychological horror of delusion, something which can be passive but just as paralyzing or frightening as something more obvious or real. As such, with the presentation being a mental puzzle box, a lot of what was shown cannot be truly appreciated until everything unraveled at the end. I would also argue that it is about as obtuse as a real person can be obtuse when deluding themselves to believe something because of... reasons. I felt it was very effective at conveying very deep emotional implications of mental illness without actually talking about it through dialogue. Again, this is something Nakamura seems to be very good at doing throughout all his works, regardless of theme or subject matter. A rarity in the entertainment space.

Is there any relation to Ryutaro Nakamura? It'd explain a lot. (Mononoke was also partially written by Lain's creator, Chiaki J. Konaka.)

 

[Cornbread78]

Yona of the Dawn 1

Yeah, this is what I want out of my shoujo fantasy. More interesting than Snow White from both a content and direction perspective.

There's no romance in Yona, but it's pretty damn good.

 

[AquaWateria]

There's no romance in Yona, but it's pretty damn good.

It's a reverse harem though.

 

[pbayne]

There's no romance in Yona, but it's pretty damn good.

What show were you watching? Hak ...does some things.

But yeah great show.

 

[Cornbread78]

It's a reverse harem though.

What show were you watching? Hak ...does some things.

But yeah great show.

Hak wishes he could do some things, jut he has to break that "childhood friend" tag first....

 

[pbayne]

Hak wishes he could do some things, jut he has to break that "childhood friend" tag first....

remember that time he

Spoiler

licked honey from Yona's fingers?

Sure childhood friends.

 

[KharmaPolice]

BBK/BRK - 3

I'm done with this (made it about two thirds of the episode). The cast is some bizarre mix of unlikable, tropey and boring characters and the fact they are CG sucks the last bit of personality out of them. The show also starts to drop some history and I find myself not caring for any of it. The whole show feels incredibly sterile and without heart.

 

[Cornbread78]

remember that time he

Spoiler

licked honey from Yona's fingers?

Sure childhood friends.

Lol. There is still a notable distance between the two of them. Yona also has feelings for the asshole that

Spoiler

killed her father

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Durarara X2 The Third Arc Episode 27

Yes finally back to some plot involving Hiroto Shijima, secretly a good antagonist who is trying to make away.

Again Izaya gave the best moments with his compelling conversation with Mikado.

Spoiler

Was surprised Izaya wasn't mad or angry that the head got out, but I guess he knew it was going to happen? He seemed in joy about the circumstances.

 

[duckroll]

Is there any relation to Ryutaro Nakamura? It'd explain a lot. (Mononoke was also partially written by Lain's creator, Chiaki J. Konaka.)

Don't think so? It's a super common family name.

 

[veloxStrix]

Yona of the Dawn 1

Yeah, this is what I want out of my shoujo fantasy. More interesting than Snow White from both a content and direction perspective.

Yona of the Dawn is one of my all-time favorite anime from the last five years. Criminally underrated (alongside Baby Steps..) with some of the greatest world building and exploration I have ever seen in an anime. Super hyped that someone is watching it.

Blame the party leader for using a priest as DPS mule! The Axis cult is a cult of peace.

Obviously he thinks she's trying to spec Shadow Priest for DPS. :c

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Yona of the Dawn is one of my all-time favorite anime from the last five years. Criminally underrated (alongside Baby Steps..) with some of the greatest world building and exploration I have ever seen in an anime. Super hyped that someone is watching it.

I dont know if underrated describes Yona since it was well received, seen by many and was a popular and known manga in shoujo communities.

Baby steps on the other hand...

 

[Hellwarden]

Yona of the Dawn not getting a second season is so depressing.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Also, my favorite Mononoke arc was the second one(on the boat?). I could tell it was Konaka's.

 

[blurr]

DurararaX2 Ketsu 03

That's quite a lot of Saika info dump there but it ended with some action. Also, it's kind of scary that I can sort of relate to/understand Izaya's obsession towards humans :X

Next episode looks exciting!


DagashiKashi 03

Hotaru and Saya dancing in ED is the best thing I've seen so far. This show is going great, I honestly thought it'd be a bore(mostly) even though I liked the little of the manga I've read.

 

[cj_iwakura]

DurararaX2 Ketsu 03

That's quite a lot of Saika info dump there but it ended with some action. Also, it's kind of scary that I can sort of relate to/understand Izaya's obsession towards humans :X

Next episode looks exciting!

Shameless plug Friendly reminder that we have a Durarara OT.

Spoiler

It's quite lonely.

 

[veloxStrix]

I dont know if underrated describes Yona since it was well received, seen by many and was a popular and known manga in shoujo communities.

Baby steps on the other hand...

I don't know if underrated describes it either now. It's underrated among my group of friends though! So I'm still.. kinda right. >.>

 

[blurr]

Shameless plug Friendly reminder that we have a Durarara OT.

Spoiler

It's quite lonely.

Ah, wasn't aware of this.

 

[pbayne]

Yona of the Dawn not getting a second season is so depressing.

Calm down my optimism tells me itll happen eventually. Patience young grasshopper and all that.

 

[Narag]

MAL scores are worse than SAO which we all know is worse than child porn.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

One Punch Man 1

It's OK. Seems like the epitome of a sakugabooru show though.

 

[Ascheroth]

Bubuki Buranki - 03

I probably should drop it right here and now instead of continuing in the hope it gets better.
I don't care about any of the characters. The only character I like is probably Shizuru and that's mainly because she doesn't talk much, because every time someone opens their mouth I can only think 'shut up, you're annoying'.
And Hiiragi is the kind of insufferable asshole I can't stand at all, no matter how much development or 'redeeming' he may get in the future.

More exposition and history. It feels like they're deliberately trying to be obtuse and leaving important pieces of the puzzles out in an attempt to make everything more mysterious, I think. But it kinda backfires if said pieces are so weirdly chosen that I still have a hard time understanding how this world and its timeline works.

I do like how the CG looks during closeups though, but outside of that the stiffness of the animations is kinda distracting.

In short: It's baaaaaad.

Luck & Logic - 03

I should probably drop this too while I'm at it, because I think that finding myself browsig GAF occasionlly while watching is not a sign that I'm very interested.

Durarararararararararararara X2 - 27

While on the other hand this is going as strong as ever. Lots of Saika, lots of Izaya and lots of Mikada this time. I especially liked the conversation between Mikado and Izaya, and also the one between the Saikas. So basically the entire episode, yeah.

Also, do we know who the bearded mask guy at the end is? The on who admitted

Spoiler

being behind Kadotas accident

. He feels familiar somehow.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

Pandora in the Crimson Shell is this season's Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid; a show everyone is obviously watching but won't admit to by avoiding posting episodic reviews.

Does Pandora have lesbians kissing each other and turning into motorcycles

Saw a rumor Gundam IBO actually is 2 cour x2 show(total 50 episodes).
Not sure is it true or not, but that can explain the slow pace recently.


Ugh damn i'm slow, should read last page first lol.

I don't think this confirms anything. S2 will 99% chance happen but this isn't a conformation.

One Punch Man 1

It's OK. Seems like the epitome of a sakugabooru show though.

If you don't like the comedy aspects or the subversion then yes, it's pretty much that.

 

[veloxStrix]

Utawarerumono: False Faces Ep 16

Please don't touch the cute cat boys. :c

I guess this is where we see the

Spoiler

Sci-Fi

shift.

 

[Cornbread78]

Shameless plug Friendly reminder that we have a Durarara OT.

Spoiler

It's quite lonely.

Yeah, I try this reminder with Erased and Konosuba too, lol.