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What are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)


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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11537
PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 11:56 am Reply with quote
Finally got around to finishing Cyberpunk Edgerunners and it was as good as everyone says.

Blood-, this would be a fine time to make good on your promise to eventually watch Link Click, as its second season just kicked off on CR. Already it's got me by the throat with the cliffhangers. Very Happy

Also recently finished up the 3rd season of Bai Yao Pu (aka Fairies Album) and can't wait for the 4th. Here's my description of it the first time I brought it up so I don't have to type it all again. Smile
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 24032
PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:23 pm Reply with quote
Gina, considering I was...

a) drunk

b) high

c) off my meds

...when I made that promise, it's rather unsporting of you to bring it up. However, I am nothing if not a rogue of my word so yes I will eventually SAMPLE Link Click at some point. God knows when... I am literally DROWNING in anime... DROWNING!!!
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11537
PostPosted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 7:45 am Reply with quote
But it's such a weak season! Anyway, actually promise is probably too strong a characterization of what you said, so I'll let you off the hook. I just really think you'd like it. Very Happy
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 24032
PostPosted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 7:59 am Reply with quote
It is a measure of my respect for your taste that I will sample it. As for it being a "weak" season... I'm juggling 26 currently airing shows and that doesn't take into account my physical and digital backlog! I really need a 1,000 year lifespan...
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11537
PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2023 8:24 am Reply with quote
Finally finished up the first season of the remake of Bastard!!. Gods, it's just so stupid I totally loved it. The dialog is hilarious (I'm going to kill you. Whatever it takes, I'll kill you. I'll kill you in your past life, I'll kill you in your afterlife, I'll kill you." Said while missing one arm and the lower half of his body.), especially when Dark Schneider is ego-tripping, which is pretty much all the time, except when he's dead or feeling someone up. The Greek chorus of ministers wailing doom every ten minutes is pretty funny too.

And it's really something to look at. The spectacle is amazing, with sakuga galore. I love the character designs of pretty much everyone, even the jowly villain Abigale. And while I find Nei's outfit, what there is of it, rather impractical, she looks damn fine in it, and I like how she carries herself when she's not being felt up by Dark Schneider at ridiculously inappropriate times. She really is a beauty. As is DS. I mean, he's always going on about how he's the handsome hero, but he's not lying, and his runaway ego and narcissism do have a solid foundation in facts.

It's obviously not a series for everyone, with all its politically incorrect sex and violence (though the frequent nudity is equal opportunity, as DS doesn't mind showing off the goods when his clothes get disintegrated by attacks). I mean there's a lot of basically problematic material in this, but it's so tongue-in-cheek I just can't be mad at it. Oh, and the OP by coldrain is fire. Looking forward to the next season. Very Happy
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11537
PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2023 11:12 am Reply with quote
Binged the 2nd season of Bastard!! Hell's Requiem. It was ok, but not nearly as much fun as the 1st season. For one thing, not enough Dark Schneider. He was totally awol for the first two episodes! His dialog wasn't as witty, mostly consisting of "I'm handsome," "I'll kill you," and "Don't die, you belong to me." Gara and Nei were also sidelined for most of the run. It felt like they were killing time to stretch it to 15 episodes when it should've been about 8 or 9, with way too many "______ is dead!!" fakeouts, that got sort of boring because you knew whoever was supposedly dead wasn't. I mean sure, shounen tropes and all that, but c'mon. This was approaching DBZ levels of padding.

Like there was a weird bit toward the end where all the magic Shoguns were trembling in their boots, all "But how can we fight if we might die?" Well, y'all have spoiler[already been killed once, so what are you worried about? Don't you still have your resurrection worms infesting you]? And I just laughed when they're asking spoiler[previously dead Kall if he's ok, and I'm like, "No sweat, I don't even have a scar from where I ran my sword through my chest!"]

Of course the Big Bad Anthrasax is still alive and well, so I guess there will likely be at least a 3rd season. I'll probably watch it. Smile

Also rewatched Ajin. Despite the CGI animation, which is still pretty impressive for 2016 as far as body language and facial expressions, it really is a good series. I just wish all the characters didn't have practically the same name (Kai, Kei Nagai, Kou Nakano, Kouji (though he mostly went by Tanaka, not to be confused with the Tainaka couple), Kito, Kida, Kuroki, Kishi, Kouma and Kotobuki.).

And watched Her Blue Sky last night. It was very different from what I was expecting, which was a story about a girl who dreamed of becoming a bass player in a band. Well, it was about that, though "dream" is less accurate than "might as well, if it gets me out of this town." Mostly it was a story about her older sister and her life choices, with a supernatural twist thrown in. Not that the younger sister didn't get her due - I mean the story centered on her, but she was centered on her sister and her sister's former boyfriend. Anyway, I really liked it a lot and would recommend it. I guess I have to watch Anthem of the Heart now to complete the trio. Oh no. Wink
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Ggultra2764
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Joined: 21 Jan 2004
Posts: 3950
Location: New York state.
PostPosted: Wed Sep 20, 2023 1:21 pm Reply with quote
Currently watching the first season of City Hunter. Up to episode 13 of it right now. Definitely a product of its time with Ryo's lusting for any attractive woman that gets his attention and mainly decided to dabble into it as I know of retro fans regarding it as a classic of the era, though feels largely one-note so far (and guessing will stay that way with its episodic plots). Odd thing I took notice of was the mood shift of the series as the first several episodes were more into serious, hard-boiled crime-action with Ryo willingly killing off criminals and then switching over to slapstick comedy when Kaori becomes Ryo's partner and the more lighter tone compared to its earlier episodes.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11537
PostPosted: Sat Sep 23, 2023 12:44 am Reply with quote
Just started watching Vampire Hunter, a 4 ep '97 Madhouse OVA off a Capcom game. In the first two minutes we got a battle royale among humans, vampires, werewolves, mummies, zombies, lizardmen and sundry other supernatural folks, so it looks promising! Very Happy I'll let you know how it turns out when I finish it.
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Errinundra
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Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6569
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Sun Sep 24, 2023 4:31 am Reply with quote
I've just watched the 2nd episode of the first season of Maria Watches Over Us & I have just had one of those moments where a series totally wins you over in a single scene: in this instance a piano duet between the main character, Yumi Fukuzawa, and her senpai Sachiko Ogasawara who, shall we say, is trying to win her over. The duet is awkward but it's such a wonderful scene I've already watched it about 4 times over.

Maria Watches Over Us owes a lot to Dear Brother but it's still very different; in the same way that Bocchi the Rock! owes a debt to K-On! but is very different (and much better).

If the first 2 episodes are anything to go by, Maria Watches Over Us might be quite the treat.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 24032
PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2023 9:00 am Reply with quote
@ Errinundra - you've reminded me I really need to watch my Maria DVD sets one of these days. I took care of a bit of viewing housecleaning and finished up Birdie Wing season 2. I don't load up on sports titles generally but this franchise somehow makes even golf seem fun. I'm also watching my Buso Renkin DVDs years and years after I first bought them. I can't really recommend the show unless you are in the mood for "cheesy fun." Papillon certainly is... fabulous. I normally listen to shows subbed but to increase the cheese factor, I'm listening to the dub. "I'll splatter your... guts!" Laughing
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11537
PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2023 3:49 pm Reply with quote
Finished up Vampire Hunter. Mixed feelings about it. Having not played the games, it was very disjointed and most of the time I had no idea what the plot was or what was happening, as it leapt from a vampire lord (in outer space? another dimension?) hiding the sun, to a guitar-shredding zombie, to a traveling pop idol catgirl and a werewolf, and at last to the titular vampire hunter Donovan (I don't think we even learned his name until the 3rd episode), outfitted like a cross between an Inca priest and a Buddhist monk. He hates himself you see, for being half human, half Darksider (evil), and suffers a great deal of angst over his lot in life.

On top of that, we get a couple of Chinese sorcerer zombies also trying to destroy all Darksiders, and a looming civil war between various Darksider clans, all while an alien fire giant/sun god attacks the Earth just because he's itchin' for a good fight. Simultaneously the Earth is also being attacked by Shakõkidogū-inspired Daleks whose mission is to Exterminate! all living things and start over because they don't like anybody fighting.

So. It was a lot of fun! Good music! Lots of blowin' stuff up real good! I love the late 90s aesthetic, and the angst should've been right up my alley, but it was really hard to get engaged with because of how scattershot the whole "plot" was. I mean, how am I supposed to feel all verklempt at Donovan's existential crisis when he's meditating on top of a bunch of spear points poking bloody holes in his ass?? oO More like wheezing with laughter.

But the best part was the morose little girl who followed Donovan around, mostly just clutching her headless doll and dourly observing everything. She did make me laugh out loud after one particularly teen-angsty, nihilistic bout of buzzword philosophizing from him, and she gives him this priceless, I am so done with all this shit look. Very Happy



I just loved her so much.
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Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4920
PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2023 7:20 am Reply with quote
So like 2 and a half years ago I started watching World Trigger. I was enjoying it quite a bit until my enjoyment hit a brick wall made of a super lame filler story arc. I recently got back into World Trigger though. I skipped the episodes that I had left on the filler arc (which was only about a few) and continued from where the actual canon story continued. It was a bit difficult to get back into World Trigger at first because man that cast is enormous. All the characters kept talking about a No.X role this and No.X rank squad that that it was difficult to keep up with the dialogue because I had forgotten most of the names and a lot of the history and personalities of these important side characters. But as I watched it all started coming back to me and I also started enjoying the show again. So much so that I'm now on the 3rd season.

World Trigger is cool. It has mostly just been tournament arcs, but they don't feel like usual shonen action tournament arcs. This feels more like a sports anime which I guess mostly is just tournament arc galore but it has a different vibe to it there. Like you got all these roles, equipment and strategies. Since the equipment is standardized everyone knows what to generally expect from each other so it more comes down to strategy and working as a team. The battles are really fun and dynamic. Everyone has to think on their feet and seeing skilled combatants like Yuma utilize abilities in unorthodox ways is really cool. I like that the commentators are just other Border agents and it's a new set of commentators for each match. It's a good way to more efficiently utilize the big cast.

What's cool is how after fighting each other in a match these characters then go hang out together. They train together and give tips to each other. They become friends instead of fierce rivals which makes sense since they fight for the same side, but I feel like many other writers would have opted for more hostile relationships to create more drama. I really like World Trigger's approach here.

All in all, I'm liking World Trigger and the sour taste of that bad filler arc is long forgotten now. Though maybe Chika hasn't forgotten because I still feel like her neutral face looks like she ate something sour.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11537
PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2023 9:58 pm Reply with quote
Wrapped up Ao no Orchestra S1. Not sure if I'll follow S2 if it appears in my lifetime. It wasn't bad or anything, actually quite good and the music was well done. It was just pretty slow moving and the break in the last third didn't help that.

I have to say it definitely brought back some memories though. I was in band in high school (drums/percussion) and there was a big deal concert kinda like the end of AnO, except it was made up of kids from all over the area, like 2 or 3 kids from each school. I guess they were short on percussionists, because I got sent. We had just one practice together the evening before the concert. The tympani and cymbals were fun and I did ok on that, but I was sooooo out of my depth on tubular bells and especially xylophone that it was just pathetic. All the other kids were really good, like AnO caliber players, and then there was me winging it for dear life. I nearly passed out from the stress and embarrassment of being so terrible. So recalling that while watching AnO was kind of a nightmare. Anime dazed"
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Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4920
PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2023 6:50 pm Reply with quote
Ah man, season 3 of World Trigger had me on the edge of my seat! So many cool moments. Everyone has a plan underneath the plan, but only a ninja can see that. I hope we get more World Trigger at some point, it did end with a "To be continued". But even if it does I have a feeling that I'll have forgotten who's who, what's what and why's why. It does have a looot of characters with a lot of intertwined little relationships between the side characters that is a big part of appreciating its large cast. Forgetting all those little details is gonna make it very difficult to get back into World Trigger if it comes back.
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Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4920
PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2023 10:31 am Reply with quote
Haikyuu To The Top has commited capital crime. The previous seasons had these these awesome animated commercial breaks (eye catches? I think that's the correct term, but with them being animated it always make me doubt). There was a lot of variety and each showcased the personalities of the characters involved. They were great and they were funny. This 4th(?) season of Haikyuu has replaced those with these lame animated animal mascot thingies. They suck. I remember some people didn't like how the 4th season apparently changed the character designs and I personally haven't even noticed the difference, but I raise my fist in righteous fury for what they did to my animated eye catches.
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