Recommended Anime/Manga?

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GaijinPunch
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by GaijinPunch »

Ajora wrote:I've been reading Akira. The manga is much, much better than the movie.
False. But it's still amazing.

Gonna sound like the pompous ass I'm only occasionally likely to be, but I found I didn't fully appreciate Akira until I didn't need the subtitles. There's a lot of subtlety that doesn't translate. That could very likely have been age as well, but I took a friend to see it whose Japanese was self-admittedly shit (he read a script on his phone, provided here [by Rancor if memory serves] in the minutes leading up to the curtain open) and said, "that was very Japanese".
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

3X3 Eyes and Urusei Yatsura Only You

UY movie was a nice romp, basically an extended episode.

3X3 Eyes I am guessing is based on only 1-2 volumes of manga. Guessing the sequel is similar. Not much point watching these when the manga is soooo long.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by lilmanjs »

Thank you Kitten for that huge overview of Utena. I'm certainly not watching it for schoolgirl sappy crap, so I'm glad that it gets into a really serious show. There's enough of those out there for that kinda of stuff. It just sounded like it could be good, but wasn't sure as it starts off as more of a typical schoolgirl trying to save the world style show.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by soprano1 »

Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai anime. An ordinary seitokai romcom embellished with a great soundtrack and a Persona 5-inspired paintwork. A few excellent voice acting moments, too. Trippy and funky opening video, too (ending video was charming as well): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gChTHeHp3wQ
I'm reading more manga nowadays. Gal Gohan and Yancha Gal no Anjou-san are great gyaru manga.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by Ji-L87 »

soprano1 wrote:Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai anime. An ordinary seitokai romcom embellished with a great soundtrack and a Persona 5-inspired paintwork. A few excellent voice acting moments, too. Trippy and funky opening video, too (ending video was charming as well): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gChTHeHp3wQ
And about the right length as well. It's entertaining and well made but I feel that it would quickly turn into being annoying if I had consumed more of it.
It did have some amazing moments however. /r/animememes are milking them to the point of destroying them.
soprano1 wrote:I'm reading more manga nowadays.
Same. In theory I like anime more but in reality it's so much easier to consume in a variety of situations. I pretty much dedicate a whole browser on my phone solely to manga consumption as I have like 50 tabs opened for various titles that I check for updates every now and then. I have bookmarks too but everything is such a pain on mobile I rather just keep tabs open for stuff that is actually being updated as long as my phone doesn't crash.
soprano1 wrote:Gal Gohan and Yancha Gal no Anjou-san are great gyaru manga.
Didn't get into Gal Gohan for reasons I can't really remember but I did read quite a bit of Anjou-san and found it pretty good. Admittedly "gyaru" is a bit of a hard genre for me as I feel I only like parts of what I guess you could consider some of it's core components. There's this bullying aspect that I feel can get a bit out of hand (as in, the attractive hot gyaru is lovingly bullying her loser bowlcut friend) - to the point where it's basically turns into a manga for the "bully me senpai"-crowd.

Not judging here, simply not really my thing.
Anjou-san does play around with the MC quite a bit but she can also be a genuinely nice person and I feel it balances things out.

Speaking of gyaru-manga, have you checked out Dosanko Gyaru is Really Cute? While a low watermark for manga connoisseurs who don't like fanservice, it's less a true gyaru-manga and more just general romcom/slice of life with a gyaru visual appeal. It's pretty cute and harmless although I've only read 3 chapters so far. It seems popular on /r/manga and updates quite of often.

As for what I'm reading, well, a whole lot. Most of it is cutesy romance or comedy.
It recently come t my attention that AKB49 - a crossdressing love drama with shounen tropes about a guy following his crush into the world AKB48 and absolutely killing it - have finally been fully translated. I read most of it last winter and was completely absorbed by it. And I am even not that into idols. The ending is not at all as satisfying as I wanted it to be, but at least it's over. I don't remember everything that happened but the build-up was greater than the event it generated.
Spoiler
I wish Minori's reveal could've been handled in a different way. In a way, he looses everything he fought for and the skills he polished by returning to a normal life. You could say he deserved it after lying to all the people around him by not being himself. But he was genuinely good at it. Perhaps a career as a male idol (or heck, even a cross dressing idol) would've been more of a happy ending for me).
Goddam thing brought me to tears anyhow.

I've also been enjoying this 4koma manga called We Are Cats/Wareware wa Neko de Aru about house cats and strays that can talk to the humans around them. I dig the art style and it has some funny jokes. Very relaxing. Not that updated but it's worth to read what's already been translated.

I'm also reading Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou Desu whenever it updates. It's something so rare as an isekai with a level headed protagonist that doesn't need to save the world.
It's basically also a reverse harem with MC being an office lady unwillingly summoned to a fantasy world to be a saint, but there was already another one so she ends up working the castle's laboratory instead. Turns out her magic abilities are a bit more powerful than most other people (you don't say) and she gathers the interest of powerful people. Who also incidentally happen to be handsome men.

It's quite pleasant and the art is nice. Sei, the OL turned saint settles in fairly quickly and wishes to be useful in her work and the people around her so it's neither a power fantasy nor is it as "gamey" as other works in the isekai-genre.

Lastly, I'm also reading various things that Hachimitsu Scans are translating. If you know about this group, then you know what it is :mrgreen:
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by BryanM »

Ji-L87 wrote:I pretty much dedicate a whole browser on my phone solely to manga consumption as I have like 50 tabs opened for various titles that I check for updates every now and then.
Reading lists are basically necessary for following more than 3 or 4 things with varying levels of interest. Sometimes it takes me years before I feel like returning to some things.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by soprano1 »

Ji-L87 wrote:Speaking of gyaru-manga, have you checked out Dosanko Gyaru is Really Cute?
Yes, the background to snowy Hokaido is cool, and yes, she is mega cute. :)
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by kitten »

beastars' opening is fucking superb. i've not read the manga (i have a hard time focusing on reading - this isn't for lack of interest), but i'm immediately hooked on the anime.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by soprano1 »

kitten wrote:beastars' opening is fucking superb. i've not read the manga (i have a hard time focusing on reading - this isn't for lack of interest), but i'm immediately hooked on the anime.
Damn, stop-motion opening? That's awesome indeed. I hope the CG is handled decently, at least.
Random tidbit, it was recently revealed the author is the daughter of Grappler Baki's mangaka. They waited to reveal this so that she wouldn't be compared to her father.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by kitten »

soprano1 wrote:I hope the CG is handled decently, at least.
i feel like it's on par with houseki no kuni so far, at least. if you enjoyed the animation in that you'll likely enjoy it in this. unlike a lot of 3D animation there seems to be some 2d touch-up assistance, in-between frames with warped models (e.g. elongating a limb unnaturally for perspective shots) to more properly resemble traditional animations, etc. sometimes the frame count is a bit low and it results in an unpleasant choppiness, but it was the same in houseki no kuni and i feel like the eye eventually adjusts to it just fine. comparing it to something like that recent ninja batman dogshit with a bunch of lazy model manipulation leaves it feeling incredibly superior.

Image

excuse some shitty artifacting in the gif
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by BIL »

Don't "uh" me you rapacious savage. Image

Image

Since it's been three years, I went to check in on Berserk. "Hiatus possibly ending soon?" Oh heck no. Bye then. 3:<

Some of dem panels, man. I know the plot went to sugary shonen guff a decade ago, but Miura's best still makes me wanna cry Image

Image

When Griffith called the Skull Knight "Knight of Skeleton," my surging ENGRISH RESONANCE CIRCUITRY blew out every streetlight on the block. Image

Image

"The Truth of Karma is tied to this one sword stroke..."

Image

You better scream in abject horror, LION-OU! ARMED GHOST punked the shit outta you. Image You know he always stand against evil!

I'll check back in five years! I won't die before then. Image
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by BryanM »

The man can certainly draw. Though tons of other people can too - they're just limited by stylistic constraints. Everything in Japanese nerd literature is primed toward "one day" being an anime. Infects everything (art + story + characters + world design) from the level of a web novel to novel to the comic. Just homogenized to an absurd degree. It seems there are far more rational elements in English and Korean web fiction.

On the topic of mangoos that have actual faces on their humans, I'm sad Under Ninja isn't being actively translated anymore right now. It was a breath of fresh air..

(Sample image from the first chapter introducing the world of the ninja:)
Spoiler
Image
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by BIL »

Damn, that neckbeard dude knows what's up :o Looks excellent, thanks!

EDIT: This is pretty good!

Image

Shame the scanlation's only six chapters in. No escaping The Waiting, it seems. :sad:
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by BryanM »

Heh, stupid gullible foreigners.

His last work, I Am A Hero, was pretty alright. It kind of fell apart later on, the zombie thing is overplayed, cliches cropped up too much, and the author cowardly cheated his way out of incredibly awkward interpersonal states.

I dropped it when it kicked into a recreation of that arc in Gantz that went on for six years where Kurono tried (and succeeded, despite that it was flat out impossible) to rescue his girlfriend (who was a girl with normal sized boobs). I know Hanazawa isn't bad enough to have made it take 6 years to get through, but I have PTSD here.

Oh, and he also was the guy who did Ressentiment? Ha, that's the thing I always think about whenever I see someone excited about virtual reality (aka: a screen strapped to your face): A fat guy rolling around on his floor in a bodysuit.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by Ji-L87 »

I'll just pop back in this thread to briefly mention that I sat down and finished the few remaining episodes I had left of Gundam: The 08th MS Team. I think I took at least half a year break from it and Gundam in general (going through all that Gundam last year kinda left me feeling a bit worn out).

The 8th MS Team is one of those Gundam series I happen to really like but this is only my second time going through the entirety of it. I think I might have written something similar last year or perhaps earlier this year but I don't think it holds up super well. The 8th MS Team is kinda up and down in quality. And when the visual quality drops, the characters are not strong or entertaining enough to carry it. And when the quality goes way up it's like it's great despite the them. I feel like in theory, I should like Shiro Amada but I find him shouty and annoying in the heat of battle. Michel is also on the annoyance short list with the epilogue episode "Last Resort" not helping. There is little development once started, except for Aina who becomes stronger throughout.

I do LOVE the visual designs of the characters however.

Now, I said I finished it but I've yet to see the compilation movie, "Miller's Report". I've read that it mixes old footage with new. Is it worth a watch? Or is it simply an edited re-telling of the events?

In any case, I found myself way more down on The 8th MS team than I initially expected, given that my first viewing many years left me with a very positive memories and it basically renewed any interest in Gundam I had left after slogging through Seed, Destiny and the first season of Gundam 00. I still think it's very enjoyable when it's at it's best.

With all that behind me, I decided to go with Turn-A Gundam next.
I'm about 12 or so episodes in and so far it's really good. Despite all the carnage it has a surprisingly positive tone and the politics are interesting for once.
The mechanical designs are certainly an acquired taste (despite saying that, I hold Syd Mead in very high regard) but it chugs along at a steady pace and keeps me on my toes. The setting and the clash between the different eras of technology represented by the earth and moonrace gives it a whiff of fresh air. In fact, so far it feels so well put together that I'm almost chocked that Tomino is listed as a director - with how much I've come to dislike the man's idea of storytelling and characterisation.

The characters are likeable, the setting and designs are interesting. Really excited to get home and watch more later today. :mrgreen:
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by scrilla4rella »

I've been interested in checking out 08th MS Team but still haven't finished Zeta. The only Gundam I've seen is the original series, some of Zeta and Wing (when I was much much younger). I guess I'll stick with Zeta for now.

I just ordered Ideon Space Runaway (on sale for like 10 USD at the Right Stuff) and am looking forward to that, I've heard good things. Too bad it got cancelled before they could properly end the story.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by drauch »

scrilla4rella wrote:I just ordered Ideon Space Runaway (on sale for like 10 USD at the Right Stuff) .
Fuck! I was checking this sale today at work and didn't get to that in time. Sold out and not available now. I almost wonder if that was a mistake; that's pretty crazy for something released this year.

I wouldn't be surprised if Under Ninja got picked up by Dark Horse. Their print run of I Am A Hero concludes this month, and I think it's been pretty successful.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by scrilla4rella »

Yeah, it was a pretty crazy deal. They were also blowing out that Patlabor collection from a year ago. It's like some of these blu-rays drop in price quicker than a AAA game from EA.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

drauch wrote:
scrilla4rella wrote:I just ordered Ideon Space Runaway (on sale for like 10 USD at the Right Stuff) .
Fuck! I was checking this sale today at work and didn't get to that in time. Sold out and not available now. I almost wonder if that was a mistake; that's pretty crazy for something released this year.

I wouldn't be surprised if Under Ninja got picked up by Dark Horse. Their print run of I Am A Hero concludes this month, and I think it's been pretty successful.
Not a mistake, they are blowing out the titles of that particular publisher (Maiden Japan) as a big sale.

I bought Ideon, Xabungle, all three Votoms sets and Glass Mask for $55. Insane prices. I already have the Patlabor set but almost bought another to leave sealed anyway.

Edit: Looks like the Votoms tv series ($7) is now sold out as well. Not too surprising.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by drauch »

Damn, didn't see that blowout sale tab. Huh, perplexing that this is happening for such recent releases. I only ever see those sort of prices on there for old stock and OOP stuff. I'd assume they aren't going to be carrying Maiden Japan stuff anymore or something, who knows.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

drauch wrote:Damn, didn't see that blowout sale tab. Huh, perplexing that this is happening for such recent releases. I only ever see those sort of prices on there for old stock and OOP stuff. I'd assume they aren't going to be carrying Maiden Japan stuff anymore or something, who knows.
A guy I follow on twitter discovered the sale before the email went out and before there it was in the scroll on the RS main page. I got in my order pretty quick.

I would assume they just want to dump stuff, though yeah this being more recent releases is kind of odd. Last year Sentai was blowing some stuff out but the releases from the last year or two were pretty protected.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by scrilla4rella »

I just did a basic google search but this Votoms show looks pretty awesome. I'd never heard of it until now. I'll have to put this on teh list
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by drauch »

Yeah, Votoms is awesome. Highly underrated and very mature, often overshadowed by Gundam fare. Not crapping on that stuff, which I like, but Votoms feels way more practical. I didn't upgrade my old DVDs since this was just an SD set, sadly, but cool it's at least back in print--at least I assume, but this Rightstuf closeout has got me all goobered! I think Ghegs here is also a fan if I recall.

Also a cool OVA in the same universe, Armored Hunter Mellowlink, which is worth tracking down.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by scrilla4rella »

^^_ thanks for the write up drauch. It takes me awhile to get through an anime show but I'm really looking forward to checking this out
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

Votoms rocks. I only ever got to watch bits and pieces though. The old DVDs were long out of print and $$. I almost bit on some previous sales but per usual in this hobby being a cheapass (within reason) paid off. :lol:
drauch wrote:I didn't upgrade my old DVDs since this was just an SD set, sadly, but cool it's at least back in print--at least I assume, but this Rightstuf closeout has got me all goobered!
Might not be worth it for you but a lot of times even when something is DVD or SD on BD the new release is waaaaay better. Mostly true of Discotek. Their A-ko DVDs which they had to use LDs for the source material beat the pants off the original DVDs. I own the old ADV City Hunter DVDs and even if Discotek can only put out DVDs of the various series I will be in for a re-buy. Fully expecting them to be better. Of course things like Giant Robo with a proper BD are a no brainer for me to get.

As far as the last part just be like me and buy EVERYTHING when it gets cheap enough. I'm still salty about missing out on the Lupin Fuma Conspiracy DVD from Discotek. I've got the LD but maaaan, annoying and I won't pay aftermarket prices.

A bit worrisome is that these sell outs are now just tagged as "no longer available" instead of "Out of Stock, Expecting More".
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by drauch »

Yeah, and in most cases I do that, but I read some pretty damning stuff about Votoms looking worse than the previous releases, like it was super compressed :cry:. Usually claims like that seem pretty absurd, but it definitely happens. Still, for the cheap price of that set, I'd say that's hard to beat.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

That's unfortunate to hear. Still can't be too bad at this price point for sure. I found some stuff on Amazon stating what you are talking about. I'll have to see on my own set-up, sometimes people are idiots.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by Ghegs »

drauch wrote:Yeah, Votoms is awesome. Highly underrated and very mature, often overshadowed by Gundam fare. Not crapping on that stuff, which I like, but Votoms feels way more practical. I didn't upgrade my old DVDs since this was just an SD set, sadly, but cool it's at least back in print--at least I assume, but this Rightstuf closeout has got me all goobered! I think Ghegs here is also a fan if I recall.

Also a cool OVA in the same universe, Armored Hunter Mellowlink, which is worth tracking down.
Votoms is indeed awesome, even if the ending is kind of...not what I was hoping for, let's say.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by BIL »

Shingeki no Kyojin ch.123 More like Shingeki no Nothingburger. Well no that is rude, he made a good effort as always with his cast. Bit flat on the delivery of this transitional chapter, though. Story's at a precipitous point, nice n' ominous.
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Re: Recommended Anime/Manga?

Post by Xyga »

Ghegs wrote:
drauch wrote:Yeah, Votoms is awesome. Highly underrated and very mature, often overshadowed by Gundam fare. Not crapping on that stuff, which I like, but Votoms feels way more practical. I didn't upgrade my old DVDs since this was just an SD set, sadly, but cool it's at least back in print--at least I assume, but this Rightstuf closeout has got me all goobered! I think Ghegs here is also a fan if I recall.

Also a cool OVA in the same universe, Armored Hunter Mellowlink, which is worth tracking down.
Votoms is indeed awesome, even if the ending is kind of...not what I was hoping for, let's say.
I've started watching the anime once and quickly got turned off by the darkness and bleakness, not judging the quality here it looked quite competent and I've heard only praise, but I wasn't in the mood for such a depressing tone. :oops:

Dunno if it's worth trying again, I think I've noticed there's a maybe un-named subcategory of military/war/mecha manga that instead of epic and heroes emphasizes on war horrors and drama, and not just a bit but as the main 'attraction'. Not really my taste.
If Votom's like that I'd rather not return to it even if it's good.
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