Board 8 > Anime & Manga Discussion Topic 293 - Beyond Topic's End

(+) Yeah! (+)

UshiromiyaEva posted...

I finished all of S1 for DMDP and it's solid, but a couple episodes into S2 I decided to just drop it and read the manga instead at some point. Just didn't really feel like the anime was doing anything for the material compared to the other Narita shows.

I think, if nothing else, the antics of certain characters wouldn't stand out as much in manga format. I love scenes where characters are having a real conversation and meanwhile there's Misaki in the background spinning around in an office chair while giggling like an idiot. Or Sayo in the background rambling on about shark movies. Sound and animation is what makes those gags come alive!

pjbasis posted...

Eh whatever go back to your no stakes idol shows or some sht

There are no stakes when only one side is winning. The good guys haven't even gotten one worthwhile win in the story.

time to see what this JJK episode is all about

Not like it's new info, but it's absolutely fucking insane when it's laid out like this.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/5/54352be6.jpg

Imagine a world where One Piece was airing in the style of the modern release landscape and was getting separated, planned out seasons with proper pacing.

Forever a dream...

oh yeah I figured it was probably going to be something like that the way everyone was dancing around their spoiler tags

welp that was fun

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Imagine a world where One Piece was airing in the style of the modern release landscape and was getting separated, planned out seasons with proper pacing.

please no

GranzonEx posted...

Gege thinks he's writing Berserk where suffering leads to character development. Except he forgot about that development part and only does the suffering with shock value part.

Yeah this feels about right

That might be the worst chapter of Hajime no Ippo.

Definitely the worst I can remember.

I know JJKs animation has been a little hit or miss recently, but personally I think this episode knocked it out of the park. Truly some eye-popping animation there!

Maniac64 posted...

That might be the worst chapter of Hajime no Ippo.

Definitely the worst I can remember.

the most recent chapter?

SeabassDebeste posted...

the most recent chapter?

Chapter 1442

brb opening a Thwitter account

GranzonEx posted...

There are no stakes when only one side is winning. The good guys haven't even gotten one worthwhile win in the story.

Story's not done yet. Is there some mandatory limit to suffering a character must experience?

Ok I caught up on JJK episodes

Honestly I'm a little disappointed if only because I feel like she got kinda sandbagged this season, and only popped off in this final fight. She is a cool character so I am sad and wish she could have done more, but I still like a fair amount of the cast still around.

Been binge watching some series recently in an effort to curb my going out and spending as between impulse buys and a trip to Japan, we dropped way too much money last month >_>

Spy x Family - The wife absolutely loves this and it may be her new favorite anime. At the very least in her top 3. Found it very endearing

My Dress Up Darling - Binge watched this tonight after enjoying the above. I was pleasantly surprised and it tugged on the feelings a lot more than I thought. It was bit more fanservicey than I like but I knew it probably would be going into it

Good Night World - Ugh, this ended up being a disappointment because I started enjoying it and thought it had a lot of potential and then just failed to deliver in the end. Felt like with a few tweaks this could have been several tiers higher

Just started watching Plunderer now but am open to other suggestions. It has to be dubbed though, I struggle to maintain focus when watching subbed things. Sidenote but I cannot seem to get my english subtitles to work on Crunchyroll when watching dub even if they are supposed to have it. Pretty frustrating as I have shitty hearing so need them sometimes.

I started watching two more airing anime today.

I got fully caught up on 16bit Sensation. It's about a girl who loves bishoujo games, and then she's randomly sent back in time to the 90s for a chance to help a bishoujo game company during the genre's heyday. It's basically cute girls make erotic visual novels, so I assumed I'd really like it. Sadly, my feelings are pretty mixed. There are definitely cute moments and the occasional good jokes. It's also interesting learning about bishoujo games, though I don't know enough about them to appreciate most of it. However, the biggest problem is that the main girl is incredibly annoying. She's always so loud. Her constant shrieking of every single line is so bad. I checked the voice actress and was shocked to see that she's actually pretty famous and usually skilled! I mean Koga Aoi also voiced Kaguya, among other big roles. I guess someone in production must've asked her to scream 100% of the time and I hate it. At least it's not a bad anime if I look past this one aspect.

I also started Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions, though I'm only four episodes in. It's pretty good so far! An inept detective teams up with an ace detective who, for various reasons, is legally barred from solving crimes. They have to pretend the inept detective is doing all the work. It doesn't take itself too seriously. There are a lot of funny jokes or goofy moments. The actual mysteries have all been pretty good so far, though, so it isn't zany all the time. I'm enjoying it so far.

Robazoid posted...

I mean Koga Aoi also voiced Kaguya, among other big roles.

Probably worth pointing out that one of those big roles is Paimon in the Japanese version of Genshin Impact, who sounds very similar to Konoha. I would guess that is why the voice didn't stand out to me in 16bit Sensation.

I also think it should be easy to set aside or get used to aesthetic complaints as long as you're interested in the content, though.

The last bundle of MHA chapters have been pretty strong.

Just a shame it took so long to get here.

I also feel like at this point you can barely even call Deku the main character of this series. Really feels like Horikoshi has lost any drive for writing his lead.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

I also feel like at this point you can barely even call Deku the main character of this series. Really feels like Horikoshi has lost any drive for writing his lead.

Who would you call the main character instead?

Nobody, and it's felt like that for a while. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing either.

Obviously I'm not calling these 2 things even closely comparable in quality, but it's been reminiscent of some later sections of Hunter x Hunter. Gon was still an enormous part of Chimera Ant and core in some of it's most memorable parts, but you show that part to someone in a vacuum and there's no real indication Gon is the main character outside of the OP.

In MHA's case though it's a slightly more negative implication, because I feel like Deku has been really boring for a really long time.

I feel like Deku should have been an MC that's more Luffy-ish. He's going to be THE number 1 hero. But the story then changed to be about how we ALL became heroes, even though most characters got very little screen time to justify it. And thus we get a boring cameo fest until recently.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

The last bundle of MHA chapters have been pretty strong.

Just a shame it took so long to get here.

I just can't get myself to care about OFA/AFO backstory.

I still just want the last fights to get to their conclusions.

yes

I mean I was gonna say, the entire thing is done so you'll know by the end if anything is explained or not.

Caught up on JJK. Honestly I expected worse from how people were talking.

Nanami dying was far more sad for me since I liked him way more.

Feels like at this point Mahito is the real big bad of the show. Or at least the main antagonist.

Continuing my recent Villainess trend, I finished both seasons of My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! I definitely enjoyed the first season. Catarina was a fun character, and watching her gather an ever-growing group of admirers was always good. I liked how a lot of the comedy came from them competing and undercutting each other so that none of the rivals could get close to her... and, meanwhile, Catarina is oblivious and just thinking about snacks or whatever. The second season wasn't nearly as good, though. A lot of the characters got really pushy with their romantic interest, to the point of it being uncomfortable rather than funny. The arcs in S2 were too dark for my tastes, too.

It was still a fine anime, but it's nowhere near my favorite Villainess anime. Of the four I've seen, my ranking goes Endo and Kobayashi > Last Boss Queen > Next Life Villainess > I'm in Love With the Villainess. There's a sizeable gap in the score between all four of those, too. It's honestly kind of impressive how distinct all four of those feel given that they're all part of a pretty narrow subgenre. I still have one more, the "I'm Taming the Final Boss" one... at least until next season! There will be two more Villainess anime in Winter 2024, "Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord" and "7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!". These shows always have such impressive titles. I'm enjoying this subgenre, so I'm looking forward to both of them!

for what its worth, the first season of Bakarina was supposed to be the entire story iirc. but it got too popular and more story was demanded

I thought the Next Life as a Villainess was really good through the episode when Katarina visits the Maria, then it was good for the next couple of filler episodes, and was awful for the final arc of season 1 and didn't bother with season 2.

If you didn't like the S1 final arc, it's definitely good you didn't watch S2 because the big arcs in it were just two variations of that same final S1 arc. There were some fun standalone episodes in the season too, but the actual dramatic parts were really a letdown.

Today I watched Am I Actually the Strongest?, a random isekai from last season. Stop me if you've heard this one before, but it's about a shut-in loser who dies and then gets reincarnated in a fantasy world with an overpowered ability! What an original idea! Yes, there are dozens of isekai exactly like this and most of them suck. Still, I'm glad I gave this show a chance on a whim, because it was a lot better than it had any right to be. It still isn't good, mind you, but it also wasn't bad like I expected it to be. It was solidly average.

I liked the twist it had on the premise. The reincarnation goddess was like, you wasted your first life. I'm giving you a second chance with an incredible power so you can live your life to the fullest this time! But main dude actually enjoyed being a shut-in loser and he'd be perfectly happy just doing that again. His only goal is to build a life where he can laze around his room in peace. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done in a turbulent fantasy world, so he has to resolve a lot of problems while trying to call as little attention to himself as possible. Main dude was surprisingly hardcore, too. One of the earliest things he did was use his magic to immobilize a bunch of thieves, and then he burned them all alive. Eventually he built an alter-ego for himself that was a total ripoff of Zero from Code Geass. Watching that masked man going around solving problems in the most direct way possible was surprisingly fun. He used his barrier magic in some pretty creative ways.

I also liked most of the girls in the obligatory harem. Little sister had the same voice actress as Anya from Spy x Family, and she's always great in those roles. This show had the usual anime bullshit in a lot of scenes. Please main dude, don't get excited when your little sister sits on your lap, ugh. However, there were also times where the jokes went hilariously over-the-top in a way that made it absurd enough to be enjoyable.

Anyway, I think I've talked enough about an anime literally no one cares about. Bottom line, it was surprisingly not bad.

It's maybe a week too early, but I'm bored at work so I'm going to look through upcoming Winter 2024 anime. As always, I'm skipping sequels and starting with the shows that have the least members.

Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern - this show has no available info on MAL. The poster looks generic.

Snack Basue - some girls run a restaurant called Snack Bus, which is presumably an actual bus but maybe not, description isn't clear. If I'm real desperate for stuff to watch I might check this out if it's a comedy, but not if the focus is boring food porn.

Delusional Monthly Magazine - a workplace anime about a magazine focused on outlandish things. The setting is a place called Most City, which might be the worst name for a city that I've ever seen. It doesnt inspire any confidence that the rest of the show will be even remotely creative when it comes to these so-called outlandish things.

Chou Futsuu Ken Chiba Densetsu - No info on MAL, but it's related to a 5.6/10 OVA that says it's about girls and creatures. Not enough info to go on. The poster looks fun, at least.

Isekai no Yu - this has a comically long title that I refuse to type out. Bottom line, it's an isekai about a hot spring enthusiast finding hot springs. I'm not going to watch it.

The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids - a super good tank gets kicked out of the heroes party, but then the tank learns he's actually even more of a super tank than he'd ever realized and he doesn't need no stinking hero to help him raid. I give this points for at least not being an isekai. Then it loses those same points by still using RPG terminology like how he's a level 9999 tank.

Sasaki and Peeps - a depressed worker drone adopts a bird to cheer himself up, but the bird turns out to be a sage who gives him the power to travel between worlds. I'm tentatively interested in this because I'm a fan of the general concept of moving between the real world and a fantasy world.

Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard - ugh, I hate this incel trope so much. Main dude is a turbo-loser who can't get the sex, so reality took pity and gave him a mind reading ability. Then he learns a male coworker is lusting after him. I guess this might be good for people who like boys love anime. I don't, and I couldn't get past the premise even if I did like the genre.

Pon no Michi - A girl gets kicked out of her home and, instead of worrying about shelter or where she'll sleep, she's worried about not having a place to hang out with her friends. Luckily her father has an abandoned parlor she can fix up as a new hangout spot. The description doesn't say what this parlor is, exactly. Is it a former gambling parlor? Is she renovating an opium den? I need more information.

Sengoku Youko - In a world of humans and monsters, one monster protects humans while her mostly-human brother hates humans for some reason. They uncover a plot involving experiments to turn humans into monsters, which I guess offends both of them enough to team up. This could either be decent or terrible, but I'm a sucker for monster girls so I'll at least check this out.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House - an orphan inherits a house which turns out to exist on the border between realities, and she has some interesting squatters. One is a guy tasked with defending the house while being cursed to never leave it, so the girl starts helping him out. This sounds like a setup for a nice supernatural-flavored romance. I'm actually pretty excited for it!

'Tis Time for "Torture," Princess - a princess is scheduled to be executed by a demon lord's unique kind of torture. Given the goofy poster and the 'gourmet' tag on MAL, I'm guessing he's going to feed her delicious food for some reason. I usually hate food porn shows, so I'll probably skip this.

STUFF I'LL MAYBE CHECK OUT (in order of excitement)
-The Demon Prince of Momochi House
-Sengoku Youko
-Sasaki and Peeps

I'll do more tomorrow and finish on Friday.

watch through the credits for season 1 finale, there's a scene after. There are postcredit scenes here and there in other seasons but I forget when so also worth checking.

Also hope you're doing the sub because while people noted the series is over, the dub for the final "episode"/movie won't be out for a while. There was a 6 month gap before the dub for the second-last episode was released which would put the last episode dub release at May 2024 if same timeline, so, yeah...

It's been so long since I've watched the first season. It's incredible to think AoT is still so big just from the first season. It took like 5 years off for the next season and somehow maintained the steam from first season.

also it was 4 years, not 5

.......4 long, agonizing years

GranzonEx posted...

It took like 5 years off for the next season and somehow maintained the steam from first season.

I remember the reaction to season 2 as it was airing being pretty whelmed (not for me I was eating it up) compared to S1. I don't think that's how it's seen now at least though. I remember liking it more than S1 and people called me nuts.

Barely got into S3 though, only a bit further in the manga. One day I'll finish AoT.

I also only got a few episodes into AoT S3. Now that it's finally (finally) over, I do intend to go back at some point to rewatch it all and then finish it. I thought that S1 was way better than S2, though.

MartinFF7 posted...

also it was 4 years, not 5

.......4 long, agonizing years

Imagine what the manga fans had to endure...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/8/8a1c606b.jpg

Man am I so happy I started reading After God.

I finished Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion. It's not a Villainess anime, but it had pretty much the same setup. Main girl dies and her soul transfers into a fantasy story she'd read. The twist is that she's in the body of a minor side character fated to die, so she has to radically change the story in order to survive. Using her meta knowledge, she strikes a deal with the titular duke to have a sham engagement in order to keep herself safe. It's only supposed to be temporary, but of course it isn't going to be quite that simple as their feelings for each other start to grow.

I really enjoyed this anime! Raeliana was a good character. She's very proactive and she had a fun personality. When the story's villainess tried to bully her, I liked how Raeliana refused to take any shit. Her relationship with the duke was handled well, too. It built up in believable ways and they had an enjoyable dynamic. Their verbal sparring sessions wound up being surprisingly cute. However, the thing I liked most about this anime was something that I haven't seen explored in any of the shows I've watched with a similar premise. It examined the implications of just how drastically Raeliana was changing the story, particularly the disruption to the romance the duke was originally going to have with the the story's actual main girl. I really hope this gets another season, because I want to see how one aspect plays out. From what was hinted, the story's original main girl isn't happy that Raeliana has stolen her fairytale romance...

Raeliana has an actual good ending, so I hope it gets a S2 as well. If not, the webtoon is there for you.

Raeliana was awesome.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/af770315.jpg

https://twitter.com/MangaMoguraRE/status/1732694845376827684?t=wPs4OfGgP5ugZmwOOtdpuQ&s=19

I feel like I would have liked Attack on Titan more if it didn't end up being a mecha show in disguise.

I suppose I still found it reasonably good either way though.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80639696