Anime General Thread (Official)

[Makuta DUSt]

I tried watching an episode of Highschool of the Dead, but shut it of half-way through.It's absolutely disgusting with the "fan-service". Is the manga any better?

[Artezza Magnus]

Who here has seen Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or Gurren Lagann? My two favourite animes. Hoping to watch Soul Eater later this year.Currently trying to watch Digimon Xros Wars and Pokemon Best Wishes, since I fell out with pokemon's anime in Gen 4 and I've been putting off catching up with Digimon for ages.

[Kothra]

Seen both. Both are great. Brotherhood is a favourite.Haven't seen Soul Eater.

[WriterofReapers]

I tried watching an episode of Highschool of the Dead, but shut it of half-way through.It's absolutely disgusting with the "fan-service". Is the manga any better?

It's a bit better as far as fanservice goes, but it's still pretty bad. On the other hand, there is more focus on the survival/story aspects in the manga, so there is that to factor in.Of course, if you thought the anime was "absolutely disgusting", I'd have to recommend that you stay as far away as possible from the manga; chances are you'll think the same of the manga.

[Cobui]

Just finished Darker than Black season 1 today - and not a moment too soon for my last day of break!

[25K Now!]

Back here again. I recently watched Sengoku Basara.So ... much ... beautiful ... ham.

[Hodor]

Picked Macross 7 back up as I've gotten the free time to properly enjoy it, and it's quickly shooting up to being my favorite entry in the franchise simply because of how fun it is.Also, it's pretty clear that out of the love triangle, Basara/His Guitar is the canon choice.

[Terminus]

Just caught up on Kokoro Connect and Sword Art Online, episode 9 of KC was quite good, and I'm really curious about what Heartseed will do next, and now that SAO is back on the main story, it's much better. The fight with Kirito and Heathcliff should be rather good.And once I finish Fate/Zero (still have about 4-5 episodes left, haven't really been watching anything besides Simulcasts recently), I'm probably going to watch Freezing, looks interesting from the trailers.

[KZN02]

Finished Nichijou, watching Ghost in a Shell: The Stand Alone Complex.

[Rausaro]

Just caught up on Kokoro Connect and Sword Art Online, episode 9 of KC was quite good, and I'm really curious about what Heartseed will do next, and now that SAO is back on the main story, it's much better. The fight with Kirito and Heathcliff should be rather good.And once I finish Fate/Zero (still have about 4-5 episodes left, haven't really been watching anything besides Simulcasts recently), I'm probably going to watch Freezing, looks interesting from the trailers.

I've been quite interested in Sword art online... Having not read the Manga, I'm curious where the dude behind all the trouble has been for 2 years?

[Terminus]

I'm actually more curious how everyone has just survived for two years, given the fact that they never actually have any real food, they can't use the bathroom, etc. And it seems like the show has almost completely forgotten about that guy, save for a quick mention in the most recent episode (or the one before it, can't remember which one).

[Hodor]

Got back to reading Five-Star Stories. It's pretty awesome. Art is nice, mechs are gorgeous.also, GothicMade is coming out. Which the mecha fandom's Duke Nukem Forever.THE END IS NIGH!

[HAZMAT]

Yo what up anime thread, what do you think of the latest addition to my doll figure collection:It's a bit shorter than I thought, but if you have money to burn and liked the series I highly recommend it. THE EYES ON THE CHEST TURN WITH THE HEAD HOW COOL IS THATAnd now I impatiently wait for this bad boy:

Edited September 21, 2012 by HAZMAT

[Terminus]

WHY MUST I HAVE OTHER THINGS TO SPEND MY MONEY ON!?!That's a cool Gurren Lagann figure, is it a Revoltech?Anyways, I have 5 figures on my to get list, figma Kyouko Sakura, figma Saber (Zero Version), figma Lynette Bishop, Revoltech 107 Laevatein ARX-8 with XL-3 Boosters, and Revoltech Yamahuchi Super Poseable Action Figure #091 Vash The Stampede. I'm most likely getting the Revoltech figures for Christmas, so I'll have to save up about $150 for the figmas, after I spend about $200 on the upcoming Steins;Gate and Strike Witches Blu-Rays, Madoka Collector' Edition 3, and the newest Sailor moon volume... So HOPEFULLY I'll get everything by the end of the year...Anyways, my thoughts on what I've watched recently, mainly, Freezing:Well, Freezing was rather enjoyable in my opinion, except pointless fan service was pointless. Actually, the fan service ruined the edited version, as half the screen was blocked out at times, which was rather annoying. Anyways, it features a cast of rather forgettable male character who do pretty much next to nothing, alongside a cast of slightly more interesting- and memorable- female characters. I wish the series was a bit more action-focused, as some of the other parts were rather boring, but in the final episodes (which feature pretty much the first encounter with the aliens, who are the main enemies in the series), it pretty much forgets that's it's half a fanservice show, which is a good thing, as it drops that and pretty much everything else in favor of some incredibly violent, bloody battles (severed limbs, gallons of blood, explosions, the standard stuff for an ultraviolent action series), and that's where the series is at its best.

Edited September 21, 2012 by III. Xaldin

[HAZMAT]

That's a cool Gurren Lagann figure, is it a Revoltech?

RiobotI was considering getting the Revoltech one, but they had a figure for pretty much every form it ever had, and I know if I got one I'd be compelled to buy them all. :PMore importantly though, the Revoltech ones are a lot less detailed, and I really don't like the huge ball joints.

[25K Now!]

HAZMAT, I am incredibly envious of you now.

[Terminus]

Yeah, so... That figure is worth about a little under half of my manga collection...Anyways the detail in that on looks great, and it noticible now after comparing it to the Revoltech ones.

[HAZMAT]

HAZMAT, I am incredibly envious of you now.

Don't be, it's just plastic. :PI'm lucky right now that the only regular bill I'm paying is my cell phone. I gotta make use of disposable income while I still have it.

Yeah, so... That figure is worth about a little under half of my manga collection...

Yeeeahhhhh... figures can be stupidly expensive, plus then you have to pay shipping to get them from Japan to wherever you are.It cost me just under 140 USD for Gurren Lagann, including shipping. :IThankfully there's nothing else that interests me for now except the upcoming 3.0 version Revoltech Unit-02 (which comes out in October and I already pre-ordered), so this should be the end of my money-burning for now.

[Terminus]

Well, I'm glad that at least most Revoltech, figma, and Nendoroid figures aren't insanely expensive at about 40-70 USD each, they're in the "affordable if I feel like saving my money" category. The really nice, expensive figures will have to wait until I find a job that isn't once a week and pays $25... Or win the lottery. :PAnd I'm glad that overseas anime prices are usually much less than Japanese anime prices... $60 is really a great deal for a 12-episode season, when it might have cost over $500 in Japan (and that's why having NA and Japan in the same Blu-Ray region is stupid, reverse importation makes us wait longer for Blu-Ray releases, or get ones without Japanese audio tracks...).

Edited September 22, 2012 by III. Xaldin

[Unconquerable Snow Black]

Oh my good, that Gurren Lagann is looking sexy.If I see one at Akihabara when I go on my Japan trip later this year, I am going to buy it on sight!Anyway enough gushing, I just finished watching Hyouka. Best anime of 2012 so far ;-;

[Hodor]

Macross FB7 trailer is out.And it's likely a glorified compilation with more of the Frontier cast instead of an actual crossover- and since I didn't like Frontier that much, my hype was mostly killed. Barring this, Gabil has been spotted in it, and the thrusters of the Sound Force custom VFs can be seen at the end.But hey, more Fire Bomber music. That's always nice.

[Terminus]

Kokoro Connect ended its TV run today at 13 episodes, instead of the original 17 (but the remaining 4 will be on the Blu-Ray, but still...), mainly due to the stunt they pulled that got them in a huge PR mess, and with everything, a second season seems unlikely. At least Sentai will release it next year (which I'm kinda nervous about- Sentai really doesn't do the best job with dubbing, but it might be a Sub-Only release).Anyways, Sentai also licensed Fate/Stay Night, with a BD release sometime next year. I'll finally be able to get that series WITHOUT paying $200+! And while we're on the topic of Fate licensing, I hope that someone else (As in, anyone but Aniplex) licenses Fate/Zero. A somewhat affordable set would be nice.

[Kothra]

Sentai's dubs scare me. It doesn't make me think twice about buying a DVD from them though.

[Terminus]

Sentai's dubs aren't at the point of scaring me (yet, but I haven't seen much of Sentai's dubs), but what does scare me is that they're grabbing up about 20 series a week. I mean, look at this list of what they've grabbed up in a little over 24 hours:Girls und PanzerChunibyo Demo Koi Ga ShitaiBusou ShinkiBTOOOM!From the New WorldAnd that's just since yesterday...I'm at least curious as to they'll handle the Home Video releases, as nearly everything they've grabbed has a Home Video release date sometime in 2013... And they aren't really the biggest company...

Edited September 30, 2012 by III. Xaldin

[Kothra]

At least they're not like Aniplex, where they charge you and outrageous amount of money for a ~13 episode series.

[Terminus]

Like the two Fate/Zero box sets with a combined MSRP of $1000? I barely went for the three Madoka LE sets at about $250, but that series was worth it, plus the releases wet spaced out at good times (but I still need to get part 3, probably by the end of November).Anyways, I know Sentai is doing some sort of merger, so I do hope this is a good business decision. I don't want another anime company to go under.

[Kothra]

Well Fate/Zero is an import so the price isn't too crazy. But they could have just released a localised version. Seriously.And yeah Madoka was somewhat ridiculous, but not too bad.But the main thing I'm thinking about right now is the Bakemonogatari set: $190 MSRP.

[Kreig]

omg an anime thread I'm....home lol anyway anyone excited for the re-release of Hellsing Ultimate?

[Terminus]

Just got the Steins;Gate Part 1 BD, I really like it so far. While some of it does come off a bit odd when translated (Makise translating English into English, for example), the humor is still relatively kept in tact, and the American pop culture references don't really seem out of place at all. Of course, the real test will come at everyone's favorite scene in part 2: Okarin's "Hey mister, I am mad scientist. It's SO COOOOOL!!!"And yeah, the thing that bugs me isn't that Zero has a price of $1000 for an import. It's that the price is $1000, and the import is the only official American release. I mean, talk about lazy. At least you gant get both of them off RightStuf for about $150 less each. But, I guess they have to do what they have to do to prevent reverse-importation.

[Kothra]

So has anyone else been watching and enjoying Joshiraku?

[Matsuoka Nui]

I just watched Code Geass: Akito the Exiled OVA 1 last night. It was quite exciting to see something from the CG universe for the first time in a long while. ^^ The only thing that's bad is that OVA 2 won't be out till Spring 2013....And I finally resumed watching D.Gray-Man after a long hiatus. XD (But now I just realized that I have to finish Legend of the Legendary Heroes before I can even try to watch other series)

[Terminus]

Well, just caught up on my Simulcasts:Kokoro Connect had a good "ending", although it felt insanely forced, probably because only the TV run ended, and the final 4 episodes will be on the Blu-Ray... It was enjoyable enough so I might look up the Light Novel, as a second season has about a 1% chance of happening.Anyways, now Seord Art Online- this show gets better and better. The newest boss reminds me a lot of the third and fifth angels from Rebuild of Evangelion, mainly due to the CGI animation and it's looks. And, it's probably the best battle in the series so far. Looking forward to the conclusion of the Aincrad arc, most likely next week.And I've heard a little about Joshiraku, might check it out since I've heard mostly rather positive opinions, and SAO is the only series I'm watching right now. Of course, that'll change once Girls und Panzer starts next week. I'm pretty excited for it, I like pretty much everything Humikane Shimada is involved in.

[Kothra]

Yeah, the 'end' for Kokoro Connect did feel forced.I've heard a lot of people were meh on SAO because they kept skipping around with subplots, but I think we've gotten away from that and it's getting quite better. Ah, the third Angel. I was wondering why the boss looked vaguely familiar.

[Terminus]

Yeah, I guess a bunch of the subplot episodes earlier were flashbacks in the LN, but flashback episodes are a pain in anime. Putting them in at the correct time may have interrupted the flow of the main plot, but it made the huge timeskip seem a bit less huge. Anyways, I hope that the SAO anime goes tho the

FPS Game,

although we probably wouldn't see that this season.Anyways, with no homework and nothing better to do tonight, I'll start Joshiraku. It feels like an eternity since I last started a series...

[Kothra]

Judging by a bit of stuff I see on the Wikipedia page it won't get to that, but I think we'll see the second game soon.

[Terminus]

Yeah, but I'd like that for a future season, and that is a possibility at this point. Of course, I'm curious how SAO will be without SAO.

[Kothra]

Well looking at the episode titles, I really do think we'll be seeing it soon.Besides, the light novels are still called Sword Art Online even if they're done with the game.

[TheJake]

I just watched Code Geass: Akito the Exiled OVA 1 last night. It was quite exciting to see something from the CG universe for the first time in a long while. ^^ The only thing that's bad is that OVA 2 won't be out till Spring 2013....

I just watched it a few days ago, too! It wasn't as good as I expected, but part two looks promising... The ending theme was amazing (as expected from Maaya Sakamoto)! On another note, is anyone here watching anything from this fall's anime season? I'm watching From the New World and Chuunibyo Demo Koi ga Shitai!, and I plan on watching Little Busters and Robotics; Notes. :biggrin:Seeing someone talking about overpriced Aniplex releases reminded me that The Garden of Sinners is finally getting released. I need to get to buying that (though $150 is a lot...). I guess it's worth it for seven movies... Edited October 6, 2012 by TheJake

[Kothra]

I've had Maaya Sakamoto's ED single for months now, and I just love the songs on it.For this season, I've started From the New World, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, and Chuunibyo (HOLY ###### I UNDERSTAND THE ROOTS OF THAT WORD). I'm looking forward to Robotics;Notes, Little Busters, Psycho Pass, Jormungand, and I think one or two others.

[Hodor]

I nabbed the Blu-Ray rip the day it went up on my normal hiding holes. I haven't watched it yet, though. Plan on getting to it after I watch Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari.Speaking of Blu-Ray rips... Watched The Five-Star Stories again after nabbing a 1080p rip. [url=http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Mao-Key/etc/knight_of_shiny.jpg]It[/url] looked utterly amazing. It also gave me time to count how many animation errors there were, since I could see the visuals more clearly and know the 'Three Fates: Lachesis' storyline incredibly well at this point.There were a grand total of three. In an hour long movie. And these were generally on screen for maybe five seconds most of the time.That said, it's pretty clearly meant as set up for more. You see shots of things like Colus VI, Lachesis's true form, the Battle of Juno, and the third Black Knight with Fatima Est and Mortar Headd Vatshuu. This isn't entirely the fault of the movie, after all it was adapted from the first volume of the manga- something that still isn't complete, over twenty five years after it began serialization. The reasoning behind this is... well, it was supposed to get sequels, adapting further storylines (how this would work, considering FSS jumps around large spans of time like a lunatic, I'm not sure). Said sequels were cancelled by Nagano supposedly not being entirely thrilled with the adaption. Considering the movie is a near scene-to-scene adaption,I have to assume it was a matter of voice casting. A valid complaint, considering how the 'twist' of Sopp being Amaterasu was spoiled by the two having the exact same voice actor using the same pitch, as well as the fact Sopp- a character known for being mistakable for a woman, in universe and out- had an incredibly masculine voice. That and the fact Nagano is likely insane (he practically made his upcoming film GothicMade by himself) and a primadonna who has supposedly burned next to all of his ties with the industry, barring Kunihiko Ikuraha and possibly Yoshiyuki Tomino.Overall, give it a watch, it's a visual feast for the eyes and is a fairly decent way to get into the manga. But mostly it's amazing to look at. It's pretty easy to find too.