Recommended Anime/Manga?

[Estebang]

Because they had already gone on forever?

[Raytrace]

still thoroughly enjoying LOGTH - I'm still on the gaidens, currently watching what I like to call the 'Columbo' episodes where Kircheis is on the pleasure satellite...

the script is just so good

[xbl0x180]

still thoroughly enjoying LOGTH - I'm still on the gaidens, currently watching what I like to call the 'Columbo' episodes where Kircheis is on the pleasure satellite...

the script is just so good

Bandai shoulda licensed this s***

[Icarus]

Does anyone know why Gintama and Bleach ended?

In the case of Bleach: because it needed to die, like a very old dog that defecates all over the carpet at random times?

Anyway, while I wait patiently for the hopefully awesome last episode of Senki Zesshou Symphogear to air this week - and amusingly, while the main character is a young girl with a musically-activated power suit, she's still more hot-blooded and manly than 90% of modern male leads - I started watching Mouretsu Space Pirates. I quite like it, it's like a fun mix of Star Trek - with all the awesome spacefaring, adventuring, boldly-go-while-spewing-an-assload-of-technobabble that comes with it - and oldschool swashbuckling pirates. And the inclusion of pirates makes everything more awesome.

To fill the time between now and the start of the spring season, I have Rinne no Lagrange, Another, and Ano Natsu de Matteru on standby.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I don't think Gintama ended any more than Hajime no Ippo did. The manga seems to be ongoing. Apparently neither was popular enough for the sponsors to try and push their luck with filler episodes plaguing most popular shounen anime adaptations.
Gintama the anime had already ended once, then there was Gintama' and I believe Gintama'' (or something along those lines) is bound to emerge at some point. Funding the show must've not been easy, judging by the sometimes very budget production values.

[Casper<3]

Anyone seen Gunbuster on blu-ray? Is it worth the 25$ ticket price?

[Randorama]

Re: Bleach, I understand that the series was overhauled after the main cycle ended. Then, the overhaul was not popular. I guess that most people just wanted to see one cycle end, rather than caring about Ichigo and co.

I had to endure the new episodes too. It looks like they first decided to have a weaker type of characters, then they hastily added back the lame super-powers, and then quickly had to wrap up. Seeing as it was popular only because it was a lame rip-off of Saint Seiya, I guess that the author really shot himself in the foot.

Re: Gintama, after four seasons they had a year of re-runs, then a fifth season. I understand that 2012 was the last year of the manga as well, as the author had at least to wrap up the big arc with the Joi and Kamui, Kagura's brother.

The last episode (252) looked like a rushed-up work in which the author himself acknowledged that he made a mess, left too many incomplete sub-plots, and got everyone angry. This final was also abrupt: they adapted the first chapter of the manga, for 2012, before that. I hope they adapt the final year, somehow - a miniseries should suffice them.

I'll take that they were chopped because of poor sales, then.

[Estebang]

Anyone seen Gunbuster on blu-ray? Is it worth the 25$ ticket price?

Isn't the US release super expensive and out of print (especially since Bandai USA's closure)?

[Casper<3]

^^^it goes for about 25$

[drboom]

Gunbuster in any form is worth $25. I think I paid like $100 for the VHS tapes back in the 1990's...

Still one of my favorite anime series. Melodramatic and artistic and awesome.

[Estebang]

You're right about the price, but that's actually Gunbuster The Movie, which I'm pretty sure doesn't contain every complete episode.

[Casper<3]

well now that we've went in a full circle. I'll ask again.

Is Gunbuster on Blu-Ray worth the 25$ ticket price?

[xbl0x180]

well now that we've went in a full circle. I'll ask again.

Is Gunbuster on Blu-Ray worth the 25$ ticket price?

The single OAVs of GunBuster are worth 25 bucks. The "movie" OAV edits are not worth 25. Also note that the US version has one background music scene censored, but it does not affect the continuity of the OAVs at all - they just did not want to chance a lawsuit from Vangelis or whoever owns the rights to "Chariots Of Fire"

[drauch]

^This.

[Casper<3]

so pass on it. :/

[chempop]

Is such a crime that Time of Eve was never finished.

I picked up Paradise Kiss V.1 & 3, having a tough time finding volume 2. It's great, especially for a fashion geek like me.

Also finally filled a gaping hole (!) in my collection, thanks for Skykid, Paranoia Agent arrived last week! One of my all time favorite. I need to buckle down and get ever Kon DVD out here, I only have this and Paprika so far.

[Sik-07]

[Casper<3]

just picked up mardock scramble on blu-ray. about to watch it.

[Icarus]

Anyway, while I wait patiently for the hopefully awesome last episode of Senki Zesshou Symphogear to air this week - and amusingly, while the main character is a young girl with a musically-activated power suit, she's still more hot-blooded and manly than 90% of modern male leads - I started watching Mouretsu Space Pirates. I quite like it, it's like a fun mix of Star Trek - with all the awesome spacefaring, adventuring, boldly-go-while-spewing-an-assload-of-technobabble that comes with it - and oldschool swashbuckling pirates. And the inclusion of pirates makes everything more awesome.

To fill the time between now and the start of the spring season, I have Rinne no Lagrange, Another, and Ano Natsu de Matteru on standby.

I should add Chihayafuru to this list. It's quickly shot up my all-time favorites list for many reasons: great characters and character development; interesting stories; great script-writing; beautiful art and cinematography; and the ability to bring a smile to my face, even when I'm in a funk, like all good slice-of-life should.

[xbl0x180]

Hm. Interesting. I really love sci-fi and mecha anime, but the slice-of-life stuff is what keeps me coming back. I wonder if that series will get picked up

[Raytrace]

still watching LOTGH gaidens - never ceases to be brilliant

[Casper<3]

so mardock scramble was okay. clearly fetish fodder for anyone into cyborgs. story was kind of boring but once the action kicks in, it's awesome. ending was kind of a bummer as I believe this is the only film in the series.

[Raytrace]

finished watching Lagrange emm, never really got good at all IMO - last mecha fight scene looked nice and the music was good, but storywise as sickly cute and bland as usual...

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I should add Chihayafuru to this list.

I quite enjoyed that one too. Very good series, although hopefully the next season doesn't lose too much steam; series about a sport can end up having to throw too many 'gimmicks' in an attempt to keep things interesting, and Chihayafuru was interesting because of the characters moreso than karuta itself.

Speaking of slice of life anime, I'm amazed how much I enjoyed watching the anime adaptation of Usagi Drop. Just stumbled on it by accident with no real expectations, very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, especially considering the subject matter.

[Icarus]

I quite enjoyed that one too. Very good series, although hopefully the next season doesn't lose too much steam; series about a sport can end up having to throw too many 'gimmicks' in an attempt to keep things interesting, and Chihayafuru was interesting because of the characters moreso than karuta itself.

Indeed. I enjoyed it both for the main characters, the supporting cast, and all their various character developments, as well as the way they presented karuta as both the passion of the characters and what brings them together. They also made the sport itself interesting in the way they explained the many levels of strategic depth in what would usually be considered a simple game, and presented the way the different players see and approach it. I do agree that in the end characters do make an anime, and there were no throwaway characters here, everyone had a role to play and everyone had something interesting about them.

Chihayafuru is probably one of the more emotional slice-of-life I've seen lately, and that alone is why I rate it so highly.

[Raytrace]

I should add Chihayafuru to this list.

I quite enjoyed that one too. Very good series, although hopefully the next season doesn't lose too much steam; series about a sport can end up having to throw too many 'gimmicks' in an attempt to keep things interesting, and Chihayafuru was interesting because of the characters moreso than karuta itself.

I had never heard of this before http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karuta - but I think in one of the scenes in Lagrange they were playing this in Kendo class...

[Icarus]

Powerpuff Girls + (ecchi x 9001) + FLCL = Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt!
Picked it up on a whim. Seriously weirded out by the first episode. But damn, it's pretty compulsive viewing, the animation is brilliant, and the innuendos make me laugh.

[Randorama]

Chiyafuru is really brilliant. It reminded me (us, including the wife) that there are still well-scripted anime. Also, Karuta is really something uniquely japanese, if one sets aside that the name comes from Portuguese.

I am also very happy that Natsume Yuujinchou is still going on. Shojo manga involving Youkai have a class that normal stuff for (sky)kids lacks. Plus, both series actually "feel" japanese.

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

Yesterday I read all 12 years of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou in one sitting, from afternoon to night. I feel like an idiot for not checking it out sooner since it has everything I love about SoL plus so much moe. I mean more. Next up: Aria and Kabu no Isaki!

[iconoclast]

Just got done watching Steins;Gate. The first 12 (!) episodes are fairly slow and uneventful, but it starts to get interesting once they pick up the pace. Not my favorite series from 2011, but it's still pretty good and worth checking out.