Board 8 > Anime & Manga Discussion Topic 283: Zhuge Liang has a waifu too

(+) Yeah! (+)

GANON1025 posted...

Where I'm at in the manga, Usopp just left the group, so seems like he's not a real member at all!!!!

I hope he forms his own group of 7000 followers that revere him as a god

Robin is probably still crucial to the plot as a target of the WG / crew archeologist moving towards God Valley (possibly?), Laugh Tale, and learning more about the void century. And she just had a really great fight against Black Maria in Wano too.

I'll agree on Nami though. Hopefully she's central to navigating to Laugh Tale at least, but she's been largely relegated to "standing around with Usopp" duty and hasn't had a fight of her own since what, Enies Lobby? At least she has Zeus now to power her up for the possibility of a fight.

changmas posted...

Robin is probably still crucial to the plot as a target of the WG / crew archeologist moving towards God Valley (possibly?), Laugh Tale, and learning more about the void century. And she just had a really great fight against Black Maria in Wano too.

I'll agree on Nami though. Hopefully she's central to navigating to Laugh Tale at least, but she's been largely relegated to "standing around with Usopp" duty and hasn't had a fight of her own since what, Enies Lobby? At least she has Zeus now to power her up for the possibility of a fight.

Nami helped Luffy beat a commander just last arc and has been an emotional linchpin a lot tbh

ninkendo posted...

Not sure how Kaido's gonna handle

"I'm yet to know how Luffy would defeat Kaidou. Probably my audience will not be satisfied if the reason for defeating Kaidou is just because Luffy's punch is so strong."

GANON1025 posted...

Where I'm at in the manga, Usopp just left the group, so seems like he's not a real member at all!!!!

Just wait until you meet his replacement. Dude is awesome and even has his own theme song.

Was not expecting Yor to be horny for murder

I finished the second season of Laid-Back Camp. It was just as comfy as the first! It isn't something I should like as much as I do, I'm not a fan of food porn and I generally prefer SoL with more comedy. Still, LBC is like a warm blanket and it always leaves me feeling relaxed.

Just caught up on One Piece. Was talking a lot of shit the other day, figured I was obligated. Ended up being about 100 chapters behind.

The arc takes a big step up after the end of Act 2, as the manga panel calls out. I would say that everything about Wano up until then was pretty terrible IMO, as me quitting altogether would imply. After this, it jumps up quite. Abut, but its still not where I want it to be.

The #1 problemis the same issue that plagued Dressrosa, and its in an even worse state here: just way too many characters. This has trickles down effects that hurts modern One Piece as a whole, the main of which is that the pacing has just become a joke, since every single thread for this enormous roster is being given its own time to shine.

Do you remember that the entirety of Alabasta was just over 60 chapters?? You can say thats its extended by the buildup to it with Baroque, but then that just means you have to include Zou for Wano too which makes the comparison even worse. Alabasta is 1/3 the length and contains over twice as much memorable and meaningful content as Wano. There is no world in which One Piece hasnt slowed to a crawl.

But now to get into more specifics. Ive already said that all the minor side character stuff I could not care less about, so Im ignoring that. None of it deserves to lock the boots of the side character moments from early arcs. If I had to pick one point of failure here for me though regarding the actual major content, its Queen. Queen sucks, the fights against him suck, everything about him is lame, and he gets the #2 highest screentime behind Kaidou himself for all this. Brachiosnakus was hilarious from start to finish, Ill at least give him that.

The standout is absolute the Black Maria fight. Seeing Robin finally get a real huge battle was fantastic, the abilities were all great, and Brook is great as a fun backup throughout. The whole tone was great here.

The last Big Mom fight started started really subpar, it was sporadic and didnt feel like anything was actually happening once it came down to Kid and Law. However, this was saved by the actual climax of the fight. As far as Im concerned, one of the best final blows One Piece has ever had. Definitely looking forward to watching a clip of this animated.

Then we have the fight against Kaidou. Aesthetically, Kaido is cool as hell. The fight itself doesnt get nuanced for a good bit, but once it really gets down to it in this latter half Im enjoying it a lot.

However, and I dont know if this is controvertial or not, but Kaidou is kind ofbland, as a villain? I just dont CARE about Kaidou, nothing a out the actual dude is super memorable outside of his aesthetic. Hes just kind of boring. Compared to the likes of Enel, Crocodile, Arlong, and Lucci, hes very dull.

The last thing I want to leave on here is the unequivocal best thing about the arc: Yamato. This guy is the fucking best, everything is on point. I know he wont join the crew, but MAN would I rather have him than Jinbei, no contest, especially after Jinbeis mediocre showing so far here, getting less screen time than even many minor characters and having a nothing fight that exists purely for exposition from the villain.

nah I love Queen, though I felt his fight was underwhelming

Toei spent a weird amount of money on animating his dance

I'm definitely in the group hoping that Yamato joins the crew. I do think it could happen as it would fit with following in the footsteps of his hero. Riding with the Pirate King to the last island. And the info from the journal could give the hint needed to know where to go next.

So I have a question for you One Piecers, is the anime currently in danger of catching up to the manga at all? I think I heard that in recent years, they massively slowed down the anime (like , one chapter an episode) so that cant happen.

ninkendo posted...

Toei spent a weird amount of money on animating his dance

Even I saw that making the rounds.

GANON1025 posted...

So I have a question for you One Piecers, is the anime currently in danger of catching up to the manga at all? I think I heard that in recent years, they massively slowed down the anime (like , one chapter an episode) so that cant happen.

If the show had anything resembling regular pacing then it would be catastrophically close to catching up. But yes, they're stick to around a chapter an episode, if not slightly less. This combined with the actual pacing of this arc even in the manga...

When I think about how it's going to take just under a year to get to where the manga is now, and I think of how little there actually is in that time frame to cover all things considered, and compare it to an actual 4 cour anime...it's mind blowing how someone could actually watch it.

Like, the content between that video and where the manga is now is going to take just as long for the anime to cover as the entire anime Eureka Seven.

they've pretty much consistently been 12-15 months behind the manga for years because of the pacing

that said June 2023 is gonna be HOT for the anime

https://twitter.com/Pokemon/status/1518942984439541763?t=aUhJ1_bjHoGMJlnMKIO1uQ&s=19

Hisuian Snow.

and yeah I get weekly forever is a relic of the past at this point and every show is seasonal now, but I find it to be such a bummer when these seasons end and there's basically nothing for at least a year or even worse JoJo's current situation where you're only getting 1/3 of a part then being forced to wait 9 months for another 1/3

One Piece is always there for me every week and those 6 weeks off while Toei was dealing with the hack was pure torture for me my weekends just felt so sad.

@UshiromiyaEva I know this is a touchy subject but Yamato is a girl according to official materials.

Maybe you're reading too fast but she has said probably a dozen times that she wants to go out to sea. She met Ace and bonded with him, and promised to leave Wano with him when he returns... and just so happens right now the person that inherited Ace's will is in Wano with a ship and crew heading out to sea in a bit. She even literally told Luffy to let her sail with him >_>

If we're being literal with parallels, Yamato is going to take on Oden's role on Luffy's journey just like Oden was with Roger for the last part of his journey.

GranzonEx posted...

@UshiromiyaEva I know this is a touchy subject but Yamato is a girl according to official materials

Kaido and his crew use he/him pronouns for Yamato since they decided to become Oden though.

Its definitely an unusual situation.

GranzonEx posted...

I know this is a touchy subject but Yamato is a girl according to official materials.

Even Kaido accepts the he/him pronouns, I ain't about to be the one to get called out lol.

As for the rest, it would be great if that's true. I want Yamato around to the end.

Vampire prostitution anime.

https://youtu.be/cnEkMwB7yTw

Hey Roba, you should watch Gourmet Girl Graffiti-

Robazoid posted...

I'm not a fan of food porn

Well damn, nevermind then

I mostly just really didn't like Restaurant to Another World or Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles. Those two were nothing but food porn

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Vampire prostitution anime.

I'm sold.

Speaking of vampires, I'm also looking forward to Vampire in the Garden. It's coming out on Netflix in May, as far as I can tell.

Mobilezoid posted...

I mostly just really didn't like Restaurant to Another World or Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles. Those two were nothing but food porn

those are bad shows yes

as is Soma

Gourmet Girl Graffiti is much better than them IMO but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.

Ah, looks like that's it for the Ring My Bell bonus chapters with today's release.

Sad to see it go!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/4/4/AAB6RfAADLIs.jpg

ninkendo posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/4/4/AAB6RfAADLIs.jpg

who is her mom

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/5/0/AAeolZAADLIy.jpg

Finally done with Ace Attorney. The anime did a great job retelling 3-5, but overall, felt like an intense speed read of the entire three games in the time it takes to play the first one. I suppose that was the nature of the medium. But the visual novel being super slow versus the anime being way too brief? The anime isn't the best way to experience the content. Maya being super fucking mousey (to a grating degree) drove me mad too. Mostly because other actors used for Maya have been less higher pitched, yet still got across the "she's bubbly and energetic" bit. Still happy I enjoyed it.

Time to find something new. SpyxFamily might be next if CR has a dub version on it already.

I finished the first season of Kaguya-sama: Love is War. I don't think this anime is for me. There were some cute moments and some funny situations. Ishigami in particular was always great. As for the two main characters, though, I feel like an old man saying this but my reaction was mostly 'why can't these dumb kids just say they like each other', which I know is a fundamental misunderstanding of the show's premise. I liked parts of it enough to want to continue but I don't know if I can handle two more seasons of these two dancing around each other without getting anywhere.

The last few episodes also turned what should've been a fun comedy premise into melodrama. I wanted more episodes of them playing a word game to decide who goes shopping, with everyone having their own humorous motivations for wanting to win or lose, and less (final episode spoilers) everyone being miserable all summer and Kaguya isn't allowed to go out because her dad is an abusive douche

I know this is one that a lot of people like so I hope I didn't offend anyone! As I said up top, it just wasn't for me.

Something like halfway through season 1 of Ace of the Diamond and the show has gotten a lot better now. Don't have much specific to say, but I figured I'd update since I was uncertain on the show a bit earlier. It's still not on Haikyuu levels as of now, but it is great and there's still a lot of show left.

Executioner and her Way of Life (which I complained about on Discord) has technically gotten better, but it's still not really a show I enjoy. Even if you assume it's fixed the issues I had after episode 1 (not quite true), the show still hasn't actively done anything that's made me interested or made me want to watch more. Think I'll just cut my losses with this show and move on.

Ya Boy Kongming is fantastic as of episode 2. There is one particular failure mode I'm worried about this show falling into which wouldn't become obvious until later on, but for now I have nothing to complain about. I like both Kongming and Eiko a lot.

Why haven't I heard that Hikaru no Go is actually really good? Maybe the anime is bad but this is one of the last series I'm getting to in Viz's vault and it's one of the best, at least 7 volumes in.

pjbasis posted...

Why haven't I heard that Hikaru no Go is actually really good? Maybe the anime is bad but this is one of the last series I'm getting to in Viz's vault and it's one of the best, at least 7 volumes in.

The anime has a 8.08 rating on MAL, that usually indicates it's at least okay.

pjbasis posted...

Why haven't I heard that Hikaru no Go is actually really good? Maybe the anime is bad but this is one of the last series I'm getting to in Viz's vault and it's one of the best, at least 7 volumes in.

The anime's great. Not sure who told you it wasn't good.

Only said that because I never really heard of it, but I guess it's old.

pjbasis posted...

Why haven't I heard that Hikaru no Go is actually really good? Maybe the anime is bad but this is one of the last series I'm getting to in Viz's vault and it's one of the best, at least 7 volumes in.

Its legitimately one of my favorite manga series ever.

The anime is really good but ends to early into the series

Maybe I should check it out someday. I always meant to expand my anime horizons earlier than Aria S1, which I think was 2004 or so. I don't know anything about Go, but on paper karuta is one of the most boring sports ever and Chihayafuru made it riveting.

I knew nothing about Go going in either. You really dont need to know anything at the start.

Man people really hate the manga version of OPM nowadays huh?

I jumped shiplong ago just because I was tired of the long waits and how they were wasting time redrawing old chapters instead of working on new ones, but fans of the original seem to have started actively despising what it's doing.

I'm gonna wait to see how it plays out, but it's definitely going for something a little different. The original was so good it's hard to see how this could be an improvement though.

Maniac64 posted...

I knew nothing about Go going in either. You really dont need to know anything at the start.

Yeah actually I'm surprised at much it glosses over the gameplay, but it makes it really accessible, and the stakes are really about the characters reactions to each others journey through improvement.

Spy x Family is very good. Only two episodes in, and it's one of the best things I've watched in months.

Also, rewatching Tiger & Bunny before it goes back into Netflix jail. Always loved that show. It's cool they have a second season out.

I started Steins;Gate last night. I played the VN many years ago so it's nice to revisit the story. I'm only eight episodes in, it's still building up. I'll post my thoughts on the adaptation once I finish it

Anyway, I just wanted to ask about the Steins;Gate movie. I didn't know it existed until I was checking MAL just now. It's rated pretty highly but my best option to watch it looks like buying it on Youtube. Unless it's necessary for Steins;Gate 0 (which I haven't played the VN for and know nothing about) I don't know if I'll bother with the movie. Then again maybe it's epic enough to be worth it, I dunno

i thought it was a very good albeit unnecessary movie

I never watched the movie, but thats because it wasnt the kind of plot Id enjoy seeing

You can watch 0 without watching the movie.

I thought the movie was very good (better than 0). Has some slow parts, but also some great moments. Actually has some good music, which is nice.

I like the movie plenty, but it's not on the level of the show. Of course, I consider the show to be my all time favorite anime, so that's not even resembling a putdown.

The movie is out of canon with Zero, which is the actual followup to S;G. The order you watch those two in is irrelevant.

Also, please take note that the OVA is not on any streaming platforms as far as I am aware. Make sure to seek that out when you go finish the first season, it's very good.

Some seasonal updates now that we're a few episodes in for what I'm watching. I didn't check out the Cuckoos show that started super late, though.

Summertime Rendering - Couldn't help myself on this one and read the manga. It was VERY good as I've said, but the show is without a doubt a great production and is doing a fantastic job adapting. If you can resist or aren't interested in reading ahead, this is still my clear #1 for the season.

Heroines Run the Show - Really think this is the underdog of the season, excluding how Summertime is the default underdog since you can't stream it (fuck Disney). A lot of people are going to ignore this because the premise and look seems to be appealing to an entirely different demographic, but this is just a lot of fun to watch.

Ya Boy Kongming - Obviously this is a ridiculus show and I love it. The only issue is the pacing is a pretty slow and the budget isn't enormous by PA Works standards. Still a must watch for now.

Birdie Wing - I'm a little disappointed we seem to be getting into actual golfing tournaments, for some reason I just assumed it would all be, like...backatreet underground golfing, perhaps ending with a real tournament. Still there's nothing that's come close to actually turn me off of watching it.

Executioner's Way - Also resisting the urge to read ahead in this. I have a pretty strong guess as to the direction the show is going, which I'm pretty excited for. It's not at the top of the rankings as is but I could easily see it pulling a Re:Zero and rising drastically as time goes on.

Love After World Domination - I think this si going to go under watched just like Heroines, and obviously it's a very predictable and formulaic show. When you read the synopsis, you know what you're getting. It's still a cute watch though and is the closest think to a comfort show this seasons for someone who typically can't stand literal comfort shows like that wierd office ghost series that's airing.

Kaguya - It's fucking Kaguya what do you think

Spy x Family - It's great so far, fantastic even, I'm not going to pretend otherwise. Nothing will stop my paranoia about its future, because just like every Cloverworks show I knew it was going to at bare minimum start out tally good. There's no world in which I can act like it's not a hit at this time, though.

Dropped:

Healer Girls - interesting concept that isn't really panning out like I thought it was. The singing and girls are very good though, no issue with the shows quality, just not hitting for me

Shikimori - Production is great, but just feels like a read the manga show, like Dress Up Darling was for me. Biggest issue is I can't stand the main dude's VA.