Anime/Manga - Discuss Japanese cartoons and comics here; NO CULTURE WAR DOOMPOSTING!

[SteelPlatedHeart]

Something really minor I like that will occasionally pop up in manga is when a villain or rival or something will start decribing the hero or protagonist in a way that a lot of real people will complain about them(not real complaints, just the “this character isn’t acting how I want them to act” type, only for someone to immediately respond in a way that completely shuts down the pointless complaints.

Hero Acadamia did this in the latest chapter.

 

[ToroidalBoat]

I've been re-reading ARIA lately.

Poor President Aria...

 

[More AWS-8Q Than You]

Turns out it was a secret sequel all along, and probably is going to act as a bridge between Higurashi and Umineko based on what people pulled out from the OP. Going by comments from at least MAL, the newcomers are confused and even some veterans are confused, but are warming up to the idea after laughing at Ryukishi07's trolling. There's one retard arguing it's a rebuild anime and that it's totally okay for newcomers to watch it.

But yeah, I'm honestly upset that the newcomers have to be exposed to the answers of the mystery through this before they had a chance to know about the mystery. Fuck, guess we're never getting a proper anime adaptation of the sound novel at this point. Maybe they'll make it up with a new Umineko anime if that's what they're teasing us about.

I was looking at the OP on YouTube, and people were commenting that they think you can see Featherine and the Mansion in the OP. I actually don't like that they're hinting at Featherine, if that's who it is, either as she was a late addition to Umineko. Maybe he's going to cover the world's most hardcore ten year old's transformation into Berncastel. I'm just not convinced most studios can do that standing around and talking at each other well.

Don't take that the wrong way, I'm only hard on Umineko because of how much I love it. Just wasn't happy that tumblr's theory they cooked up, no doubt while typing one handed, is the one that Ryukishi went with. I will be interested if we see Kanon and Shannon together though. I don't remember if the previous anime had that, but since that was before the big reveal, I don't know if it counts.

 

[Wingnut]

What is Girl Und Panther? I always saw it around but I thought it was shotoff game to Azure Lane so never bothered looking into it. Does it have some sort of history before the Anime or is it just a one off anime.

Its about girls playing around with tanks. the story is lame but inoffensive but the tanks are realy cool.

To play a bit more off of Stoneheart, it's essentially the tried and true sports anime, but the twist is the school sport is combat with WWI - WWII era tanks.
It has a 12 episode first season, 6 OVA episodes in the first season, a 40 minute special, a 2 hour movie + OVA, and has currently aired 2/6 of the second season movies. (The second season is six 50 minute movies rather than twelve 25 minute episodes).

In one of the side/recap episodes I believe they mention the tanks that can be fielded can include anything up to the end of the second world war as long as it was designed or tested within that timeframe. They explain how the tanks and ammunition are modified to be as non-lethal as possible, but they do mention that tank crew getting hit by rounds is rare so it's not like they pretend it never happens. The story isn't anything to be excited about, but the world has a surprising amount of lore given in the 2 main recap episodes and OVAs. The characters are wholly likable but dear lord there are a shit ton of them. It makes sense when each tank requires 3-6 people to operate, and they somehow manage to make each character unique enough to not really overlap each other (Morals Committee aside).

I could sperg about this series quite a bit, as it's my favorite anime, but it's definitely something that I'd rather have someone watch then ruin in a massive text post.

 

[murdered meat bag]

To play a bit more off of Stoneheart, it's essentially the tried and true sports anime, but the twist is the school sport is combat with WWI - WWII era tanks.
It has a 12 episode first season, 6 OVA episodes in the first season, a 40 minute special, a 2 hour movie + OVA, and has currently aired 2/6 of the second season movies. (The second season is six 50 minute movies rather than twelve 25 minute episodes).

In one of the side/recap episodes I believe they mention the tanks that can be fielded can include anything up to the end of the second world war as long as it was designed or tested within that timeframe. They explain how the tanks and ammunition are modified to be as non-lethal as possible, but they do mention that tank crew getting hit by rounds is rare so it's not like they pretend it never happens. The story isn't anything to be excited about, but the world has a surprising amount of lore given in the 2 main recap episodes and OVAs. The characters are wholly likable but dear lord there are a shit ton of them. It makes sense when each tank requires 3-6 people to operate, and they somehow manage to make each character unique enough to not really overlap each other (Morals Committee aside).

I could sperg about this series quite a bit, as it's my favorite anime, but it's definitely something that I'd rather have someone watch then ruin in a massive text post.

the tank rules also include prototype tanks like the maus, Karl Geralt and t-28 superheavy. if you get into ribbon warrior, you get introduced to numerous light tanks. every school is based on a pre coldwar nations, USA, Japan, Imperial Japan, Nazi German, Fascist Italy, continuation Finland, etc. the ovas are hit or miss, most are about 12-15 minutes long.

the PS4 and Switch games are pretty decent tank simulators too, not too strict with the simulation to be arma 3 and not too arcadey to be bullet hell. i'm sad ribbon warrior doesn't get talked about here.

 

[albert chan]

I know Ahiru No Sora is popular (and deservedly so), but I really have to finish watching Slam Dunk.
As soon as I get to doing that and finishing watching Kuroko No Basket, then I’ll tell you what I think about Ahiru No Sora.

 

[GhostButt]

Any low brain cell manga like komi but without 50 side characters and also without high school plot lines?

Men only want 1 thing and its fucking disgusting:
~Wholesome Light-Romance Slice-of-Life ~

 

[Trombonista]

 

[Secret Asshole]

So I went back and watched the first ep of the 2006 how they cry to compare. And it made me really sad. The 2020 version had some GREAT horror elements going for it. It completely cuts Keiichi's narration, which allows for more tension. When the characters respond to the murder, instead of getting all anime dark, it makes a fast cut to their mouths and completely mutes all sound except their voice. Its nice and jarring. There's a good juxtaposition of this cute look with the odd actions that are slowly building up. It hints at Reika through the use of the calendar. It also establishes his relationship with the girls earlier and we get to see through action rather than his internal narration.

And then in the second episode...it throws it all away. It completely spoils the importance of things and breaks down all the tension that had been building. I know people know what is coming, but there are people who haven't seen it before. Or forgot. I don't get why they made that decision. If they were going to do that, it should have been in the first episode. But still, feels bad man.

Shit, its really ending? Wow, really hard to believe. Kinda felt like one of those series that would just go on forever.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

Higurashi holds some sentimental value for me which is why I'm so concerned about how Gou is going to turn out, especially with the mystery and horror already falling flat two episodes in. On top of it being super good in getting me more invested in the psychological-horror genre by giving me nightmares for the first time in years, it was the first time I learned about the concept of nakama and why it's so important in Japan. I hadn't yet watched One Piece yet, and although my childhood anime practically had the concept of nakama all along, the dubs never conveyed that outside of the surface-level meaning of friendship. Higurashi was also among my first anime where I actively sought after subs as well as more mature anime (once I got my own laptop, but also got out of high school), and there was something special about it that I couldn't tell what it was at the time without more and more exposure. I mean, why else does it get such high praises everywhere you look?

I'm currently on my seventh rewatch (well, think technically it's my tenth, I'm actually not sure since I started my annual October rewatch around 2016), and it's actually been a long, long while since I last watched it subbed. I know the dub is really rough, but watching it in English was helping me soak it in just a bit more even though by then I had long since read the manga and even sought after a YouTube playlist of the sound novel, and it was also out of courtesy for a brother when we were watching it together (he wasn't yet used to subs, but he bailed after Massacre and hasn't returned to it lol). Where the dub failed, and even where the animation faltered (because yeah, it's cheap animation), the amazing sound design and cinematography helped to keep it from falling apart. It still kept me invested in the atmosphere and the tension in the air. The original Japanese track is much more nuanced since the script does rely on wordplay quite a lot that the English track couldn't get down (Rena telling Keiichi she found him in episode four is creepier in the sub since children typically go "Miiitsuketa!" in kakuenbo), but there's also other quiet sounds like breathing or knowing when to start raising one's voice or laughing that the dub somehow glossed over. Maybe if they hadn't rushed it, they could've polished that up, who knows.

I'm telling you, even though the Cotton-Drifting arc is rather slow paced and isn't as shockingly violent as Demoned-Away, it masters tension and timing. I knew exactly what was coming, but the ending of episode seven where Keiichi is interrogating Shion over the phone still unsettled me through a great combination of voice-acting (voice-directing might be the better word, I honestly don't find Soichiro Hoshi to be an amazing seiyuu at all so it's a miracle he works well as Keiichi), musical cues, and cinematography. I'm actually currently watching it with another little brother 'cause I've noticed he's been... unusually interested in the Saw franchise lately, but I would much rather have him be first introduced to horror in better ways. He's also been showing more interest in anime and since the timing was right in this being October, figured I'd invite him to watch an arc with me every Saturday (so at this rate, I'll have "Atonement" playing on Halloween). I have no idea what he thinks of the series, but he hasn't been objecting to it or whatnot. Seems to be handling it better than my previously-mentioned brother who's a bit of a pussy when it comes to that, but we're watching it on the TV instead of the computer like then. Although to be fair, the vast majority of its infamy comes directly from "Eye-Opening", so if that arc doesn't faze him in any way, then I guess nothing will.

Anyway, I hope Gou does surprise me later on, and I actually do plan on doing a second rewatch once it's nearing its conclusion to see how it properly flows, but I hope this doesn't become a wet fart like Kira was. Even Outbreak seemed to have become forgotten by the fans even though it was a nice return to what made Higurashi Higurashi. (Probably real telling when Kira was never licensed by Sentai Filmworks, although Outbreak not being picked up either is a shame.)

Spoiler: Separate edit

Editing because Sentai has a sale going on right now, and I have to laugh at this. You can tell they're trying to get this piece of shit out of their inventory.

By the way, one stupid brother decided to buy this because it was super cheap in their last sale. He could've saved a dollar had he waited!

 

[albert chan]

Gintama is really ending.
I still haven’t finished the manga yet.

 

[Trombonista]

The GinTama manga ended in 2019. Apparently the last few chapters were released in Japan on an app.

 

[DDBCAE CBAADCBE]

This is the only scene I ever found even remotely enjoyable in Mai-Otome. If you're one of the fortunate few who have been blessed by having not seen this abortion of a not-sequel allow me to explain the joke.

Throughout the first two episodes the main character seen here in the video will often autistically exclaim "Grandma told me," generally followed by a stupid statement. I was forced to watch this series and throughout the aforementioned first two episodes I found this quirk of hers incredibly annoying and would often audibly groan upon hearing it. The third episode however features this character in a combative contest with another character and she is getting her shit absolutely kicked in. It was the first time during the course of watching this show that I had enjoyed myself and then she get's bitch slapped into a wall the smoke clears and this happens. Legitimately the only time I ever found that joke funny and it might have been stolkholmes syndrome at that point. I personally think the phrase was meant to be annoying as a build up to this joke. Or at least I HOPE that was their intent because otherwise well...

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

View attachment 1654194
This is the only scene I ever found even remotely enjoyable in Mai-Otome. If you're one of the fortunate few who have been blessed by having not seen this abortion of a not-sequel allow me to explain the joke.

Throughout the first two episodes the main character seen here in the video will often autistically exclaim "Grandma told me," generally followed by a stupid statement. I was forced to watch this series and throughout the aforementioned first two episodes I found this quirk of hers incredibly annoying and would often audibly groan upon hearing it. The third episode however features this character in a combative contest with another character and she is getting her shit absolutely kicked in. It was the first time during the course of watching this show that I had enjoyed myself and then she get's bitch slapped into a wall the smoke clears and this happens. Legitimately the only time I ever found that joke funny and it might have been stolkholmes syndrome at that point. I personally think the phrase was meant to be annoying as a build up to this joke. Or at least I HOPE that was their intent because otherwise well...

I always found the major differences between Mai-Hime the anime and Mai-Hime the manga really interesting.

 

[DDBCAE CBAADCBE]

I always found the major differences between Mai-Hime the anime and Mai-Hime the manga really interesting.

I enjoyed Mai-Hime a lot. Thought it was a great story and still find it very enlightening on subsequent rewatches. Never read the manga, but Iplan to eventually. If what I hear about it is correct it's a lot like s-CRY-ed and it's manga wherein they might as well be entirely different.

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

I enjoyed Mai-Hime a lot. Thought it was a great story and still find it very enlightening on subsequent rewatches. Never read the manga, but Iplan to eventually. If what I hear about it is correct it's a lot like s-CRY-ed and it's manga wherein they might as well be entirely different.

I’d say that’s a very accurate statement. Hell, a different character from the anime is the protagonist in the manga.

And yeah, Mai-Hime was pretty entertaining.

 

[DDBCAE CBAADCBE]

I’d say that’s a very accurate statement. Hell, a different character from the anime is the protagonist in the manga.

And yeah, Mai-Hime was pretty entertaining.

Yeah it's Kazuya's girlfriend right? Oddly her name escapes me at the moment but she was one of my favorite side characters in the anime.

 

[Dom Cruise]

View attachment 1654194
This is the only scene I ever found even remotely enjoyable in Mai-Otome. If you're one of the fortunate few who have been blessed by having not seen this abortion of a not-sequel allow me to explain the joke.

Throughout the first two episodes the main character seen here in the video will often autistically exclaim "Grandma told me," generally followed by a stupid statement. I was forced to watch this series and throughout the aforementioned first two episodes I found this quirk of hers incredibly annoying and would often audibly groan upon hearing it. The third episode however features this character in a combative contest with another character and she is getting her shit absolutely kicked in. It was the first time during the course of watching this show that I had enjoyed myself and then she get's bitch slapped into a wall the smoke clears and this happens. Legitimately the only time I ever found that joke funny and it might have been stolkholmes syndrome at that point. I personally think the phrase was meant to be annoying as a build up to this joke. Or at least I HOPE that was their intent because otherwise well...

I enjoyed Mai-Hime a lot, but Mai-Otome isn't worth watching? That's a shame.

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

Yeah it's Kazuya's girlfriend right? Oddly her name escapes me at the moment but she was one of my favorite side characters in the anime.

Actually, Yuuichi is the main character of the manga.

 

[DDBCAE CBAADCBE]

I enjoyed Mai-Hime a lot, but Mai-Otome isn't worth watching? That's a shame.

Mai-Otome is one of the few shows that actually gets under my skin with how bad it is. Coming off of Mai-Hime I was expecting something of equal or greater value but what I got was a spit in the face. Mai-Otome is low brow, low effort, and only worth watching if you really like making fun of bad shows... which is why I have all the episodes of the dub on a USB for parties.