Recommended Anime/Manga?

[KAI]

Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie was really cool. I wonder if this is the end of GITS on this decade.
Gundam Thunderbolt looks awesome, but it was kinda me (I'm already sick of all that UC fan service)
Why the fuck are Miss hokusai's subs taking so loooong!!!??

[Xyga]

Done with Katanagatari.

That was good. The story only makes sense when getting close to the conslusion, but that's kind of a thing of the genre.

I always like those 'end of an era' settings, this whole stuff must have a specific sub-genre name in japanese litterature and pop culture, kind of a jidaigeki/jidaimono/chanbara mashup (?)

[KAI]

Dungeon Meshi is so fucking hilarious.

[Hagane]

Yeah, Dungeon Meshi is excellent and cements Ryoko Kui as one of the most promising new mangakas. Her two short story books are also great and a must read for any fantasy fan.

So what is it about? Cooking and dungeon crawling. The first thing anyone would ask is how can something good come out of mixing those themes, but Kui's immense creativity makes wonders. The premise is that there's a vast dungeon created by a powerful magician, and many dungeon explorers venture into it on the hopes of getting a big reward for slaying said magician. The protagonists manage to reach the lower levels of the dungeon, but something goes wrong and are forced out.

Penniless, with no way to buy food and resources, it seems hopeless to make another attempt at the dungeon, but the "leader" figures out that they could survive by eating the monsters they slay. Each chapter the party finds a new monster to eat.

The manga does many things really well. Worldbuilding is superb, the art is technically accomplished but very clean at the same time. But character interactions and personalities are its strongest points, leading to excellent bits of dark and bizarre humor. Laius, the human knight, is sort of a psychopath obsessed with eating any new monster they find, no matter if it looks inedible or antropomorphic. Marcille is a proud and moralistic Elf magician that doesn't feel all that well about eating all kinds of strange monsters. She's one of the main sources of comedy thanks to her hilarious reactions. My favorite character is Senshi, a dwarf warrior/cook that has lived a long time inside the dungeon and is extremely knowledgeable about monster cooking. Doesn't follow the trope of grumpy dwarf that hates elves, although he somethimes argues with Marsille about food and magic usage, which he hates.

An interesting thing is that the story feels as if it was a dungeon crawling RPG without being game-y at all. There's a big sense of adventure and the fights with each new monster are well pulled off and often display interesting strategies. Fans of games like Dark Souls will probably love this, as having knowledge on that kind of games makes the experience more enjoyable.

In any case, a manga not to be missed by anyone wanting something new and unique.

Spoiler

[Ji-L87]

For some reason I've got Masamune Shirow on my mind lately.

I did pick up the book Appleseed ID while getting some gifts off on Amazon. It's mostly an Appleseed art/data book but it's got it's own manga chapter in there as well.
Actually haven't read the Appleseed manga outside this chapter, but I'll probably pick it up in the near future.

At any rate, the artwork featured in this book runs through his whole spectrum of drawing styles - stopping just short of going full "gal grease".
And I can never stop being fascinated by the way his style changes. In my personal opinion, I like his style best during the late 80s. Examples of this would be the one chapter in Appleseed ID (chapter 26 "Called game") but also later parts of the Appleseed manga as well as the first volumes of Dominion and Ghost in the Shell.
Hints about his artistic future can of course be found all over the place, even in his earlier work, but I still feel it's a shame he went where he went and seemingly stayed there.


He is far from the only artist active around that time that I personally feel drew more aesthetically pleasing drawings back then compared to later on, or even now if they're still active. Kenichi Sonoda and Satoshi Urushihara immediately comes to mind but maybe that's a subject better suited for another discussion.

Moving on, I also think it's interesting the way his work did (or didn't) get turned into anime. There are a number of animated works with his name attached somehow, but they are often different from the source material or not very good or sometimes both.
While no doubt discussed to death at this point, Oshii's Ghost in the Shell movie remains a very good example. While taking various bits and pieces from the manga it manages to create a nice little story whilst also removing pretty much all of the occasionally goofy atmosphere and silly bickering, turning out a very serious movie indeed.

I think someone on the ANN forums summed it up quite well with saying it was "at the same time one of the best anime movies and worst anime adaptions" which is quite funny how that works. Granted, Stand Alone Complex did a better job at retaining the comedic bits of the manga but has other issues instead, such as...oh I don't know, the complete wardrobe malfunction that is that one-piece leather-jacket-combo Motoko wears for far too long, where Motoko in the manga was a pretty fashionable lady with a number of varying outfits (and hairstyles) throughout the book.

Neither adaption also never really tried to capture the way Shirow drew his manga. In fact, the closest you'll get to a Shirow-style Ghost in the Shell anime are the cutscenes from the PS1 game.

TL:DR
The case of Shirow Masamune is an interesting one.

[Xyga]

I can't find the name of an anime anymore (or was it a manga?) in which two groups of people (religious/yakuza/family-like) battle, the protagonist side is from Tokyo or something and at some point the conflict with the 'antagonist' group moves to Kyoto in an all-out war.
I think I remember youkai-like stuff and super/magical powers, with the bad guys boss being a woman who turns into a black nine-tailed fox demon, also middle-age-era ship-like flying things in the sky over Kyoto during the battle.
Although typically japanese spirits/fantasy/martial/traditional-heavy, it was still set in modern times.

Watched or read it many years ago and this is all I remember aside from enjoying it. Any ideas you filthy otakus ?
I've been searching for a while, browsing several anime/manga websites, no success.

[Ji-L87]

Filthy otaku reporting!
Sounds like Nurarihyon no Mago/Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan?

Edit: The whole thing in Kyoto is probably the 2nd season if my mind serves me correctly...

[Xyga]

Ha ha thanks but I was about to edit my post to tell it shares a lot with Nurarihyon no Mago... but it's not !
I believe the one I'm looking for to be older by a few years actually, and id didn't look as nice technically speaking.
If NnMago's story was borrowed from folklore or popular literature it is possible that there are other productions borrowing the same.

[Ji-L87]

Hrm...then my next guess is an manga called Tsugumomo and then I'm out of ideas I'm afraid :<

[Bloodreign]

Randomly chose Gintama, man oh man this is my kind of show, lots of humor, and some references I just don't get though someone nicely put what they were on the fan dubs. They go pretty quickly though and sometimes I have to pause the video to read the info snippet.

[soprano1]

Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie was really cool. I wonder if this is the end of GITS on this decade.
Gundam Thunderbolt looks awesome, but it was kinda me (I'm already sick of all that UC fan service)
Why the fuck are Miss hokusai's subs taking so loooong!!!??

GitS New Movie was great, so was Thunderbolt.
Anyone watched Shirobako? Any good?

[Ghegs]

Anyone watched Shirobako? Any good?

Shirobako is quite excellent.

[soprano1]

Anyone watched Shirobako? Any good?

Shirobako is quite excellent.

Oh, great, thanks!

[M.Knight]

Shirobako is a very enjoyable anime and I second that recommendation.
I personally am a sucker for meta stuff so the concept instantly appealed to me, but I think you'll like it regardless. It strikes a fine balance and avoids being overly cynical or sugar-coating the industry's portrayal. (not that I would have minded a more cynical vision, but that may not appeal to everyone)

[soprano1]

Shirobako is a very enjoyable anime and I second that recommendation.
I personally am a sucker for meta stuff so the concept instantly appealed to me, but I think you'll like it regardless. It strikes a fine balance and avoids being overly cynical or sugar-coating the industry's portrayal. (not that I would have minded a more cynical vision, but that may not appeal to everyone)

Finished it some hours ago. So sad for red-headed girl, depressed right until the end
The references were also nicely done. Any show that starts with a Initial D reference is good on my book
They even used a voice actor from the series to voice the GI Staff driver! (Who also voiced Mike Sounders from GGG)
Best scene for me was the meeting to decide on voice actors for the Aerial Girls, with the sponsors doing pitches in their favour, looking ridiculous in the process.

[KAI]

Finally, after an entire year watching and dropping it, finished Legend of The Galactic Heroes. Manliest anime series ever, and one of the best japanese productions I've seen in my life. I'm not gonna spoil anything about it, just go watch it if you want to grow more hair on your balls.

[atheistgod1999]

One Piece and Fairy Tail. Don't ever watch Fullmetal Alchemist because it's depressing.

[Lord Satori]

FMA Brotherhood is much better and doesn't have a depressing plot twist at the end.

[moozooh]

Been watching/reading One-Punch Man (with various spelling variations) lately, and it's pretty good. The TV adaptation really did justice to the amazing art, and the opening is just a thing of its own. So far there doesn't seem to be anything major in the plot department; it's more of a character-driven story with tons of comedic hijinks which is basically a crossbreed between GANTZ and Gintama. The first season basically only introduces (most of) the major characters—and they're quite lovable—but ends shortly before the more fleshed-out story arcs happen in the manga. So whenever TV season 2 hits (and it certainly will, considering the success of season 1) it will most likely be even better.

As for the current TV season, ERASED/Boku dake ga Inai Machi is the one to watch. Only one episode has been aired so far, but it seems somewhat like Steins;Gate without all the silly and the obnoxious. Lots of potential is evident, but it remains to be seen whether it will be realized or wasted.

Yeah, Dungeon Meshi is excellent and cements Ryoko Kui as one of the most promising new mangakas. Her two short story books are also great and a must read for any fantasy fan.

Wow, that is quite excellent! Will be reading that later today. Humorous genre deconstruction done right is always great fun.

[Lord Satori]

Just saw AIR by Key. This show is sad, but amazing! They did a good job of explaining everything by the end.

Spoiler

except why the MC reincarnated as a crow during a time he was very much alive

[M.Knight]

Finished it some hours ago. So sad for red-headed girl, depressed right until the end
The references were also nicely done. Any show that starts with a Initial D reference is good on my book
They even used a voice actor from the series to voice the GI Staff driver! (Who also voiced Mike Sounders from GGG)
Best scene for me was the meeting to decide on voice actors for the Aerial Girls, with the sponsors doing pitches in their favour, looking ridiculous in the process.

The redhead's story was filled with challenges and ordeals but that's one of the interesting things about Shirobako : it shows how being part of the industry is not always sunshine and rainbows.
The references to other anime were enjoyable as well, I agree. That Initial D scene was funny.

That sponsor scene was hilarous, though my absolute favorite is (spoilered, just in case) :

Spoiler

when the director Kinoshita, fed up with the Aerial Girls' mangaka's agent's antics, decides to storm the editing company's HQ and directly meet the mangaka himself. The surreal depiction of the event with the cowboy outfit and Street Fighter references really cracked me up, not to mention the cathartic demise of the incompetent agent.

[soprano1]

@M.Knight
The mangaka's agent looked like one of those sleazebags that pick up random girls for "photo shoots" all over Tokyo.
Even the way he talked pissed me off.

[Formless God]

Dungeon Meshi was 10/10, thanks for the suggestion

OPM was gorgeous but I felt it got progressively worse after each episode. It started out really hype and eventually devolved into the average MotW fare with really predictable everything. At least it got the most important part that's the animation right.
And I really wish it was more niche as the memers that cropped up "if satama fought dragon ball who wuld won XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD", "pshh, this is MANIME........kid.................." after the show were pretty fucking embarrassing

[Xyga]

Filthy otaku reporting!
Sounds like Nurarihyon no Mago/Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan?
Edit: The whole thing in Kyoto is probably the 2nd season if my mind serves me correctly...

You were right of course, for some reason I got that mixed up in my mind, firmly believing what I saw was different and from way before.
Had to rewatch the anime and read the manga to fix my terribly deficient memory.

So; that wasn't bad, though more shounen than I, er... remembered.

[moozooh]

And I really wish it was more niche as the memers that cropped up "if satama fought dragon ball who wuld won XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD", "pshh, this is MANIME........kid.................." after the show were pretty fucking embarrassing

Yeah, I do my best stay the fuck away from all that.

That being said, if you feel disappointed with the plot of the TV show, definitely check out the manga. It actually picks up significantly after the animated chapters and has some interesting developments going on, such as with some people (rather than monsters) turning on each other, tensions rising within the Hero Association, and so on. Of course, being an action comedy work, it doesn't quite explore the depths of character development the same way some other notable manga has. And the release pacing is on the sluggish side (you get something like 1.5 proper chapters a month) due to the detail.

And while I'm on topic of sluggish, Berserk went on another half-year hiatus. At this point I've lost all hope in it getting back to its former glory. Characters' motivations and the balance of forces are nowhere near how they should be in order for Guts's and Griffith's character arcs to converge in a satisfying manner and reach a logical conclusion. It's a literary mess that, despite being far more shallow than G. R. R. Martin's works, has somehow managed to end up in a worse shape, with unclear motivations and loose ends everywhere.

[Hagane]

Berserk has been a fantasy The Idolmaster for a few years, and it's going to get worse. Miura's manga about giants is even worse, full of embarrassing otaku pandering everywhere. Moe broke the guy's mind.

[atheistgod1999]

Watch School-Live!. Don't ask any questions or look it up at all before watching. Just go straight to Crunchyroll and start watching the first episode.

[GaijinPunch]

Been watching some stuff so I don't forget the old Japanese. I figure I should write this stuff now while it's still fresh, even though I've not finished everything (and some things I won't).

Riding Bean: I totally forgot this weird show was set in Chicago. After they said the 2nd recognizable street name I had my eyes open, and sure enough, Chicago PD cars. A fun stand alone story. Nothing amazing story-wise but has the quality you'd hope for in an OVA of the late 80's. Violent. Lots of action. Some titties. Way over the top in just about every way, with little explanation.

Top wo Nerae 2 (Aim for the Top 2): Absolute shit. This might be the worst abuse of a classic title I've ever seen. The original is kinda wonky in that it doesn't find itself for a while but then ends in God Tier area, so I figured I'd give this one a fair chance, but I don't think I can stomach anything after the halfway point. Take away everything that made the original special, add in some really glossy cute shit, and there you go. Not only do I not care about the characters, but I'm rooting for the monsters. That was really painful.

Akai Senkou Zillion: I watch an episode or two here and there. Really high quality for TV of that time. Circa 1986 I believe. Done by Tatsunoko Pro of Gatchaman fame. Flat story but some good action and blue skies. Reeks of 80's.

Byousoku 5 Senchi (5 Centimeters Per Second): Generally not my thing, but admittedly really good and better than most shit coming out these days. it definitely captures the feeling of Tokyo, and presumably Kagoshima, but I've never been there. The puppy love story lays the cheese on a bit thick, but I guess it is what it is. Clocks in at just over an hour, so easy to watch.

Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman (1972): Watching a few of the original episodes. Typical monster of the week stuff. No need to concentrate. I really dig the wardrobes. I think I have a style of trousers in my closet that would match that of each character. Sizes different, of course.

[Ji-L87]

Been watching some stuff so I don't forget the old Japanese. I figure I should write this stuff now while it's still fresh, even though I've not finished everything (and some things I won't).

Riding Bean, Top wo Nerae 2, Zillion

Oh man! I've watched both Riding Bean and Zillion semi-recently.

Riding Bean is really fun but it's also totally unnecessary edgy and dark in some places. I mean, I love it and I guess it really channels the spirit of Kenichi Sonoda in that regard but I find Riding Bean to be a hard recommendation to some people because of that. People are just so sensitive about some of that stuff I guess...
Fantastic soundtrack though and I'm really looking forward to the coming animeigo kickstarter.

Zillion is also surprisingly good for a TV series. Like really visually good sometimes. I'm maybe just halfway through or something, and agree with you about the story. Some episodes really drags (and can't say the plot really tickles me in any particular way) but it's enjoyable. Music's also pretty good. Some decent tracks in there for sure.

Top wo Nerae 2/Diebuster was so long ago I watched, watched it long before even seeing the first one (which turned out properly amazing) but I remember just liking a few scenes here and there and there is some impressive stuff in there but I also remember it felt totally bizarre and I didn't like the mood/atmosphere that much.

I guess it was very much fitting with the time it was made at least?

Edit: Spelling and words

[GaijinPunch]

I watched almost zero anime when Top wo Nerae 2 came out. I do recall it being released and took a peak and was like, "Pass!" Uggh... I know I'm set in my ways and can't be bothered with all of this super smooth CGI for the most part, but some things are worse than others. While the first had some gratuitous boobies, the 2nd one feels like it's aimed directly at the pedos!