The Anime Thread

[StevenRichardsRules]

hehehe. Now I have something to do instead of study.

[VinnyT]

Soul Eater 34:

Spoiler: Click here to view

Start of an epic battle, at least according to the titles. Have we seen this pink-haired girl before (not Crona). Anyway, the "new" three kids are pretty awesome them selves (I knew Ox would eventually come around!). Stein is finally going nuts and Sid is actually fighting! Overall, even if the eventual ending is disappointing, Soul Eater should at least be known for it's fight scenes.

Soul Eater 35:

Spoiler: Click here to view

Soul is about to go all Black Blood crazy, and Stein is already there! I'm hoping this Mosquito fight is short though, as I just can't get into his character at all. And Sid actually could keep up with Mifune, which surprised the hell out of me. Just a major set up for next week, which should be pretty awesome.

[Ruki]

Awww, this thread is dying.

Looking for some really good action anime, any suggestions? And I am starting to watch GL again (hence the name), and I still love it.

[VinnyT]

I recently found Shura No Toki, which doesn't have the most memorable characters, but I love the fight scenes. And Peacemaker, which seems promising.

Anyway, Soul Eater 36:

Spoiler: Click here to view

Fucking A. Soul powers the crap out of the team and Mosquito is gone.....shit, he's still alive. Oh well. Not too much else this week, but with about 15 episodes to go, things are only getting better.

[The Mask of Norro]

A few things.

1. Jesus, when is the Gurren Lagann movie hitting the net? I want to see it.

2. Soul Eater has been fantastic as of late. The latest line of episodes has been superb, and I especially loved the chain resonance during the fight. Mosquito is actually quickly growing on me as a character, too, which is interesting considering my slight distaste for him when he first appeared. Medusa, also, is becoming even more awesome by each episode... despite everything seemingly going against her at the start, she's not only turning things around but is about to make things really, really difficult for Arachne I'd imagine. Oh yeah, and the current ending theme? By far my favorite so far. Seriously, I love it. I also love the new opener, actually, ridiculous though some of the lyrics may be. Just sounds nice, and gets you pumped for the show.

3. Lorina and I have started watching The Wallflower again, picking up where we left off. Currently we're on, like, episode 11 or something... fucking hilarious. Seriously, this is probably one of the funniest animes I've seen in a good while. It's a great comedy, it spoofs the shit out of all these different anime trends, and I'm lovg every moment. Just how over-the-top everything is and that, for some reason, every other minute is spent with someone just screaming at each other. Jesus, the fact that they turned a ping-pong match into some sort of spiritual battle between characters that ends in a face-crunching flying kiss in the center of the table that somehow FREEZES EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE while a massive BEAM OF LIGHT engulfs the whole goddamn place was just hysterical. This is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, simply because of how well crafted the comedic elements of the show are. It's over-the-top, but it's yet to grow tiring, and I love it.

4. Afro Samurai is fucking ace. Seriously, Lorina and I finally caught the full thing on TV, and just wow. The story, the character design and development, just everything and the way it was handled was brilliance. And it does help that Samuel L. Jackson is the fucking lead... he actually is a pretty damn good voice actor. All-in-all, I'd watch it again, the whole thing was pretty damn intense.

... and that's it for now, I think. Seriously though, any word on the Gurren Lagann movie? Did it ever actually come out in September, or was it pushed back, or what? Any news is good news for me, really.

Well, unless the news is that it was canceled or something. That wouldn't be good news >_>

Edited December 14, 2008 by The Mask of Norro

[Ruki]

Just watched the first two episodes of Wallflower....it's......different. Very different. She screams a lot >_<

[GoGo Yubari]

Oh right, I was meaning to link this in here. So Norris, you know how Dragonball and the Keanu Reeves as Spike things were pretty awful film adaptation moments this year? Well, uh.

Cry, Norro. Cry.

[The Mask of Norro]

We just watched episode 13 of the Wallflower... holy shit that was incredibly hilarious. For those of you (read: Ruki) who are starting to follow it, I'll put this in spoiler tags, but...

Spoiler: Click here to view

I didn't care TOO much for Sunako's transformation in some parts, but others were just too fucking funny. Still, my favorite line of the whole series thus far was spawned from this episode.

"Alright, now glow!"

"Mmmmmm!"

*Takenaga just starts glowing out-of-fucking-nowhere, like, on command*

Christ, there's yet to be an episode where I've not at least had a few decent laughs during it. I don't know, maybe it's better watching it with someone or something but thus far I've seriously enjoyed it. It's funny, it's over-the-top, and it doesn't take itself all too seriously. It can have a serious story one episode and then just go batshit insane the next, and somehow not break continuity. I love it.

Oh right, I was meaning to link this in here. So Norris, you know how Dragonball and the Keanu Reeves as Spike things were pretty awful film adaptation moments this year? Well, uh.

Cry, Norro. Cry.

The only one on that list I agree with is the guy from Twilight for Sokka, I think he could do a decent job with the role. The rest are just... my God. Just, just what the hell. Jesse McCartney? Really?

[StevenRichardsRules]

Whatever site that is, it makes my computer lag.

Also, who the fuck is Nicola Peltz? And why the fuck is JESSE MCCARTNEY playing Zukko?

Ugh. That makes me angry.

Also, the Twilight guy playing Sokka makes me depressed.

[GoGo Yubari]

Also, Aang has been cast, as apparently it's a complete unknown karate kid named Noah Ringer who'll be playing the part. Yyyyup. Honestly, I'm just completely sick of whitewash casting at this point. It was bad enough when they did it with Goku in Dragonball, but this is even worse.

[StevenRichardsRules]

Her as Katara? I don't think it works. Her hair isn't black and she looks really really really young. Like, too young. Creepy young.

Sokka? Uh... I can't see it. Fuck Twilight.

I can't even find a picture of Noah Ringer so I'll let that one go.

Actually, I could almost see him working as Zukko. Given the right look, I think he would fit. Acting-wise, I'm not so confident but then again, Zukko's not that hard. All he has to do is be angry all the time.

[VinnyT]

Norro, I just discovered Wallflower from a random girl at the book store who told me to read it. She was just happy to see someone else in the manga section for once. I thought it was a little odd at the start, but if the anime is that good, guess I'll give it a second chance.

Meanwhile, I'm probably the last person to discover it, but I'm addicted to 20th Century Boys. If anyone hasn't read it, it's near 300 chapters (that and the short spinoff) and it's the most I've been into anime of any kind in a LONG time. So....read it.

Edited December 15, 2008 by VinnyT

[The Mask of Norro]

Vinny: I don't know how the manga is. Dunno if the show follows it well, dunno anything about it, 'cause I've not read a single page of the manga yet

But what I do know is that the show is bloody hilarious. When you start watching it, it seems so goofy and over-the-top that you can't help but wonder just what the hell's going to happen, and you wind up watching some more and next thing you know you've gone through a few episodes and can't help but want to see more. It's nothing to take seriously, it's just a damn fine comedic anime, I think.

[Ruki]

Dear Wallflower,

Do your male lead characters need to have such girly fucking lips? And couldn't you have found a better voice actor for the short, blond haired one?

Sincerely,

Ruki

[stokeriño]

I have girly lips.

But really, it's a shoujo anime, so you should never be surprised by these things.

[The Mask of Norro]

Dear Wallflower,

Do your male lead characters need to have such girly fucking lips? And couldn't you have found a better voice actor for the short, blond haired one?

Sincerely,

Ruki

It's a shouja anime that makes fun of shoujo animes... the guys are fucking naked throughout the introduction, and they're glittering. You're complaining about their lips?

As an aside, once again, it DOES make fun of the feminine nature of the characters. The short-haired blonde one winds up cross-dressing to try to protect someone down the line and it's constantly pointed out that people mistake him for a girl at times. The reasoning for the voice actor (I'm presuming you're watching the dub, which I actually prefer more than the Japanese) is mainly because the voice actor has the character sound incredibly girly.

I have girly lips.

But really, it's a shoujo anime, so you should never be surprised by these things.

... yeah, basically that. Though, once again, it's a shoujo anime that makes fun of other shoujo animes.

[stokeriño]

I like shoujo animes. I'm still reading the Fruits Basket mangas, even if they've somewhat trailed off in the last couple of volumes. Still, only a few more until they finish, so I'm happy enough to see if it all reaches a crescendo at the end (which a lot of series do...unless they're from the pen of Ms. Takahashi).

I've also been catching up on the Fullmetal Alchemist mangas (just got volumes 15-17, currently halfway through 16). Still very good. Volume 15 was almost entirely the 'what happened in the Ishbal civil war' set of flashbacks, though there was stuff different and/or extra from the anime as well. For example:

Spoiler: Click here to view

Riza Hawkeye is the daughter of the man who taught Roy Mustang alchemy. He was a master of flame alchemy, but rather than keeping his notes/transmutation circles/etc. written in books which could 'fall into the wrong hands', they're tattooed on Riza's back. After the Ishbal civil war, Hawkeye asked Mustang to burn her back so that no one else could learn the powerful flame alchemy that had caused so much death and destruction - hence she has massive scars.

At least, I don't think that was in the anime. It's been a while since I watched it.

[GoGo Yubari]

Also different in the manga than it was in the anime is the fact that

Spoiler: Click here to view

Basque Grand is actually a huge badass and not just the stereotypical HAR HAR HARRRR MILITARY POWER SCIENCE RARRRRGH douche he was in the anime.

The FMA manga is right now the only manga that I'm up to date on that I'm actually really enjoying as opposed to reading out of a sense of obligation, it's still really, really great.

[stokeriño]

as opposed to reading out of a sense of obligation

How about buying some series out of a sense of moral obligation, simply because I've already read them online?

It could be deemed somewhat admirable if it weren't so vastly outweighed by all the other stuff I download with no intention of buying.

Edited December 16, 2008 by stokeriño

[VinnyT]

Soul Eater 37

Spoiler: Click here to view

Whole lot of nothing this time. Crona is back to being called a guy and finds out he is the one responsible for Stien going insane. Soul and Maka can only use the Demon Hunter when Soul plays the piano.......OK. And Kid starts to find out about his father. Not much else to say

Anyway, finished 20th Century boys and the sequel. This needs to be read by pretty much everyone! It was a satisfying experience.

And months ago someone mentioned Bartender. I just found it and love that now as well.