What Anime are you watching now?

[solidbatman]

Made my return to anime with the Bodacious Space Pirates movie. If you loved the series, you'll love the movie, simple as that. Was a ton of fun. 

[Kenshin_sama]

Kagura is definitely her best role in anime. You don't really get to see KugiRie putting her dere voice to work in this, but she more than makes up with it with how spunky she is. I think she should get roles like these more often.

 

On the opposite side of the spectrum, I heard about her voicing a deredere character in Rizelmine. Haven't tried it myself, but it looks okay-ish. Maybe. Haven't came across any enthusiastic viewers for it, but it seems to be pretty well-accepted by people who aren't very keen on KugiRie's tsun voice.

 

Edit: On closer inspection of the MAL entry, I discovered that there's an actual production company called m.o.e.. Interesting.

[Stray Cat]

Finished Futari wa Milky Holmes.  It was terrible. 

[Nosebleed]

Finished Futari wa Milky Holmes. It was terrible.

[Stray Cat]

I'm surprised you lasted that long without saying it was terrible.

Have fun watching idols in season 4~

If you like milky holmes you should watch Teekyuu. It's basically Milky Holmes on drugs. Lots of drugs.

[Kosakyun]

Finally finished Kiss X Sis after, what, 4 years?

Holy shit. I had fun near the end. I'm such a sucker for forced drama and other stuff. Can't believe that thing about admission got me down, even though I already knew what it was leading to. Anyway, it got really erotic in the end. I was trying so hard to not fap on Good Friday, and I didn't. I failed on Black Saturday though. Anyway, had fun. I have no regrets. I need to download the OVAs soon.

 

Also, I find it interesting that tacotaco doesn't like the Suminoe sisters, so I'll read the manga soon.

[Scars Unseen]

Just finished watching Your Lie in April...

 

Damn.

 

That is all.

[Kenshin_sama]

Finally finished Kiss X Sis after, what, 4 years?

Holy shit. I had fun near the end. I'm such a sucker for forced drama and other stuff. Can't believe that thing about admission got me down, even though I already knew what it was leading to. Anyway, it got really erotic in the end. I was trying so hard to not fap on Good Friday, and I didn't. I failed on Black Saturday though. Anyway, had fun. I have no regrets. I need to download the OVAs soon.

 

Also, I find it interesting that tacotaco doesn't like the Suminoe sisters, so I'll read the manga soon.

[Nosebleed]

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is proving to be quite the journey. 

While I wasn't initially sure how to feel about the characters being middle schoolers, the whole thing is taking itself in a not so childish manner which I like.

I can sense feely feels incoming too and I already shed a couple tears over a certain scene.

 

Hoping to finish the remaining 10 episodes this afternoon. I know a series is good when I can easily marathon it.

 

 

Next on the list is Aishiteruze Baby★★

I'm ashamed to admit I have never seen many anime of this type where the protagonist has a kid to take care of, despite knowing these settings usually are some of the most heartwarming. Thus I'm staying optimistic for it.

(That also reminds me I need to read the Usagi Drop manga)

[Scars Unseen]

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is proving to be quite the journey. 

While I wasn't initially sure how to feel about the characters being middle schoolers, the whole thing is taking itself in a not so childish manner which I like.

I can sense feely feels incoming too and I already shed a couple tears over a certain scene.

 

Hoping to finish the remaining 10 episodes this afternoon. I know a series is good when I can easily marathon it.

 

 

Next on the list is Aishiteruze Baby★★

I'm ashamed to admit I have never seen many anime of this type where the protagonist has a kid to take care of, despite knowing these settings usually are some of the most heartwarming. Thus I'm staying optimistic for it.

(That also reminds me I need to read the Usagi Drop manga)

 

Yeah, the show is outside the genres that I usually watch, but it has such a perfect blend of comedy and melancholy, and is wrapped in such a gorgeous package to boot.  It's the kind of show that I'm kind of pissed off about not having watched sooner, mostly because it makes me wonder what else I've missed.

[Nosebleed]

Sadly the one thing I don't love about KimiUso are the piano arrangements. For a series that focuses on music, the pieces they put together are rather average sounding. And this is not to say they sound bad, but as someone who has listened to plenty of classical music CDs since I was a kid, they definitely don't pack a punch for me most of the time. Probably because there's a dialogue going on as well as several sound effects which kind of dilute the piano. I feel like if they just let the piano music play without any sound behind it'd be a lot more soothing. At least for me.

 

But the guy who directed the sound also directed Milky Holmes so it's not like I can't expect some masterpiece or anything.

 

Also, as an anime soundtrack, it's definitely above average. I'm just judging it in comparison to all the classical i've listened to and that's when it doesn't really compare.

 

But I've managed to put that behind me since everything else in the series is really good and I'm having fun watching it.

 

15 episodes in, feely feels starting to come up.

[Down]

Yeah, sadly the piano pieces in KimiUso aren't incredibly played. Just average. You gotta let yourself be convinced they're awesome by the characters that tell you they are, it works better!

 

In any case, KimiUso packs quite a lot of emotion. It's one of the best shows of 2014 imo, even though I just thought it was 'solid' and not exceptionnal or anything.

[Nosebleed]

The context definitely helped elevate it.

When Arima played Liebesfreud by Fritz (arranged for piano by Rachmaninoff) it was extra touching once I thought about how he felt about the song and how much his mother meant for him.

Couldn't help but shed some tears then even if most of the song was muffled. Shed even more tears once the performance was over.

 

Comparing KimiUso to other anime I've seen, I'd say it's on the higher tier of the spectrum. Pretty good pacing, characters you manage to care for and this everlasting tension in the air all make for a ride packed with emotions. 

Main problems I have with it is actually the romantic subplot which is a little iffy and I'm never sure where they want to go with it or who to root for. Though the fact that it's a subplot doesn't make it a major annoyance either since it's clear the main focus here is the characters' development and the romance is more of a device to make them move forward.

Also they're still keeping things under the rug so I'll have to see it until the end before I can fully judge it.

 

I'm glad I picked it up though. I had it on my plan to watch when I started the Fall season, but I never go around to it then. Kind of regret it now but also not really since I get to marathon all of it~

[SanadaShadow]

Rewatched UtaPri. Still love the whole music thing, but I have to say that Haruka's really unfit for the MC role of a reverse harem. Really enjoyed it, though.

Second season brought it to nothingness.

 

There's also

Hidan no Aria, - Action-y, love triangle. Aria is super freaking cute. The story remains incomplete due to poor sales though.

Hayate no Gotoku - Over 100 episodes of this over 4 seasons, Rie Kugimiya voices the main girl, Nagi, but Nagi gets pushed to the sidelines a lot, and isn't even best girl in this show.

Astarotte no Omocha - Not amazing in any sense, but I found enjoyment from it. It has some nice family themes, albeit odd (very much so) story. have to go in with the right mindset.

 

Hidan No Aria had the horrible way of referencing something epic to make itself look cooler, though. Same as Shikkoku No Sharnoth.

 

Hayate No Gotoku has over 100 episodes? It doesn't end at episode 52?

 

Astarotte No Omocha was a bit weird, but from what I remember, I enjoyed it. If you're a fan of lolis, harems, or just romance/comedy in general, it should be a great bit.

[Nosebleed]

Finished KimiUso now.

 

That ending sure packed a punch.

Though I predicted this development since, like, the very first episodes, when it actually came my heart couldn't help but to crack.

 

This series was really fun to watch.

It was very emotional, it had likeable characters, good pacing, and a really bittersweet ending, the kind that I love.

 

The music was also really good for an anime. Discarding the fact that the reproductions weren't the greatest thing in the world, I still felt like when all the elements were piled together, everything was conveyed properly.

 

Arima's last performance was superb.

I'm a bit sad he didn't get to play with Kaori more than once throughout the series. Even though they showed her in his last performance as sort of a metaphor, I kind of wanted to see them together more.

But the way they handled it wasn't bad either.

 

I can't say I'm at all displeased with this series and I understand why so many people love it, I definitely became a fan of it.

I'm giving it a 9/10. 

The reason why I'm not giving it a 10/10 is just because I felt like there was something missing. The show overall was solid, but when it came to character development, I felt like only Arima and Kaori had a good closure, which is fine and all, but there were many things going on around Arima that were kind of left hanging, even if their development was implied. And of course, I can't help but think the whole "lie in April" thing was as cheesy as it could get, even if in the end it felt nice, it was really predictable.

 

But this is a 9/10 that feels close to 10/10 since I enjoyed it so much so there's that too.

 

Lastly, the best character was Nao

 

Definitely one of the better anime 2014 had to offer. (best one is Hanayamata )

[SanadaShadow]

Alright, I just finished Kaichou Wa Maid-sama.

I have to say, I really liked the feel of the whole series, kinda old-school-ish with a lot of comedy and romance. I didn't really like Misaki very much, though. Right to the end, she pissed me off (though my anger was far more subdued). However, I have to say that the ending really deserves praise.

I don't usually see a confession at the end of animes like these, and I find that really annoying, personally.

That was really brave of whoever decided to make it happen.

 

I didn't like two main things about the anime, though; One, They never really expanded on Usui, he was just that random perfect rich boy. Two, why did he love Misaki? It really doesn't make much sense to me, considering all the other girls he could've chased. Is there some manga or something that does expand on it?

BTW, the above lines are not spoilers IMO, because I don't think it really matters if you know it's gonna disappoint you there or not.

Oh, and Three, I don't like how they ended it without showing at least one episode of them as full-on lovers. I mean, I don't want them to keep going on and on and on like Kimi No Todoke does, but just one extra episode...

Anyways, it was fun, but it's not something I'd rate too highly.

 

Also, an additional point I forgot to mention on why I didn't like Chuunibyou: They really didn't expand on the characters enough. In animes like Working!!, it seems almost natural, not forced even one bit. In animes like Hagure Yuusha No Estetica, it seemed kind of forced and didn't really make too much sense. In Chuunibyou, it really seemed like they were just going for the two mains and using everyone else as tools for sympathy or jokes... I mean, at least everyone except the Napping Queen seemed like they'd have excellent stories, especially chuunibyou victim #2 (Mori Summer). This isn't a spoiler, right? However, she just steps in and gives advice, or is generally annoying. On top of that, the "familiar" happens to be maybe the most misunderstood one... But no expanding on that story, of fucking course.

[Nosebleed]

Kaichou wa maid-sama really deserves a sequel.

After the anime ends the whole plot switches attention to Usui pretty much and you learn everything about him.

The anime really failed at delivering on that end, they just made him completely perfect when he has such a good backstory.

Also Usui and Misaki's dating life is great and it's a shame they didn't adapt it past the confession.

Overall though, the anime stands well on its own feet. But once you read the source material, you realize how much more it could have done.

[Kosakyun]

Meh, I don't really care for drama in this kind of series. At least the ecchi content was nice in the TV series, but it gets even more erotic in the OVAs. I do like the twins, but only to a minor degree. I mostly enjoy this anime because of how well the ecchi scenes are directed.

 

I could hardly care as well, but then boom. I had expected it, but my thingy made me go with the flow again. So I guess it depends on the person yet again.

 

Kaichou wa maid-sama really deserves a sequel.

 

This. Four years in and I'm still hoping that they continue it. I watched it back at 6th grade and I would go and squeal whenever something happens between them. It was really a great show. But shit, no sequel. I didn't read the manga because I had hoped for a sequel. Too bad that not all prayers are heard.

[SanadaShadow]

I never knew there was such high demand for it. By the way, I was right in assuming there was a manga or something for Kaichou No Maid-sama?

[solidbatman]

Picked Katanagatari back up. Fantastic show with gorgeous visuals and fun characters. 

[sub-zer0]

Chaika second season,wonderful! Shocking truth : 

The ending is really rushed...I mean seriously...the most powerful mage in humanity's history...the Taboo emperor...was killed as soon as he spawned...so your saying someone intelligent enough to invent technology and magic can't even plan properly when he had 500 years?.....

 

 

I'm going to start watching Kiseijuu, time to start watching some of that good stuff, it's a shame that most animes from fall 2014 are still being subbed... can't enjoy all of it, hopefully they will finish it soon....

[Abyssal Monkey]

Chaika second season,wonderful! Shocking truth : 

The ending is really rushed...I mean seriously...the most powerful mage in humanity's history...the Taboo emperor...was killed as soon as he spawned...so your saying someone intelligent enough to invent technology and magic can't even plan properly when he had 500 years?.....

 

Not to be mean, but what did you expect from what was probably an anime only original ending.  Wikipedia says that there were 12 books released, and this series probably went through maybe 2 before massive derail a la Full Metal Alchemist. The only difference between them was that Full Metal Alchemist actually pulled off a decent ending to the story.  Even if they did go through all 12 books, thats an average of 2 episodes a book which means they cut A LOT.  Even some of the more fast paced series do a minimum of 3 per book minimum.  Index does an average of 4.3 or something like that, while MADHOUSE being super faithful to works does 4-6 episodes per book. Honestly, I enjoyed their attempt to close a series, but they just left too many wires hanging.  Disclaimer: I haven't read Chaika, so this is mostly pure speculation from experience.

 

I just watched DizzySubs version of DxD last night, and it was hilarious.  Also, watching Akeno I think it was call Rias a cunt (spoken baka) was amazing, and I loved the translation. I got exactly what I wanted and was exceeding surprised at how well they improved in some areas over the light novels.  

In the books, I honestly felt that Issei's mental trauma of his first girlfriend killing him was kind of a blind side.  They never focused on it at all, and it just appeared around book 10.  In the anime, they are clearly attempting to make it far more relevant earlier on, and I honestly approve.  Also, I like how they are focusing on Rias's trouble with Issei calling her Buchou.  I don't remember the forced stop of the train from the books, but whatever, they are fulfilling the same role as before for the impetus of Azazel to train them, while introducing Tannin.  I'm sort of disappointed they cut the entrance ceremony to the house where the mother completely maternalizes and goes full high class on Issei, maybe that's how they will start episode 2.

I'm also incredibly surprised at how far off my chronology was.  For whatever stupid reason, I thought the Gasper Arc which was book 16 was somewhere in this season 

 

Also, animation up to book 7 might as well be confirmed, they dropped the mention of Norse Mythology.   

[Kenshin_sama]

There's a number of shows I'm thinking of watching next right now, but I'm at a bit of an indecision as to which to pick. Here are the ones I'm most interested in right now.

 

ef: A Tale of Memories

Baccano

Aria the Animation

Nodame Cantabile

Spice and Wolf

Nana

 

I'm gonna watch all of these at some point in time, but I'd just like to know which one I should get to first.

[Abyssal Monkey]

There's a number of shows I'm thinking of watching next right now, but I'm at a bit of an indecision as to which to pick. Here are the ones I'm most interested in right now.

 

ef: A Tale of Memories

Baccano

Aria the Animation

Nodame Cantabile

Spice and Wolf

Nana

 

I'm gonna watch all of these at some point in time, but I'd just like to know which one I should get to first.

Baccano is pretty good, and I personally think it is the best on the list.

ef makes me just want to read the visual novel instead, so no comment.

Aria is super chill and relaxing, so save it for when you need hardcore down time.  Well at least that's how my friend described it.

Spice and Wolf is a travesty compared to the books.  Sorry, but they rushed the second season and cut an entire book just to get to a kiss scene which made me hate the director.  Anything that cuts an entire arc out of a story to rush for the fans "climax" is seriously compromising the story in some way.

I can't say anything on Nana or Nodame Cantibile, as I know literally nothing about them.

[Kenshin_sama]

Yeah, I was thinking of something more along the lines of Baccano as well. Thanks, I'll give it a go.