What Anime have you just finished? Your thoughts?

[llj]

Witch Hunter Robin -- A couple of weeks ago one of the posters in here said they were getting around to watching it. Guess he/she gave up? Well, I just finished it.

I'd heard mixed reviews on it for years (decades at this point--forgot it came out in 2002, it seemed much more recent in my memory) and Shuko Murase series tend to be a very acquired taste as he uses a very dry storytelling style and his shows have a certain look to them that went out of fashion pretty quickly.

It's not a bad show. The plot is pretty vague and if you strain too hard thinking about it, it doesn't really make a lot of sense in the end. The first half of the series is an episodic police/FBI type procedural which sets up Robin's workplace as something like Ghost in the Shell's Section 9. These episodes are pretty slow and formulaic, but some people might prefer these episodes in the series to the 2nd half. In the 2nd half it turns into a cloak and dagger type spy series where Robin goes on the run from various factions. I'm a sucker for "Characters on the run from authority figures" shows so I dug the cloak and dagger stuff, but I didn't strain myself too hard thinking about it and just enjoyed the ride, because in retrospect there are a lot of things that happened that really have no reason to actually happen, other than to inject some thrills into the series. The ending is your classic Shuko Murase ambiguity.

Of his 3 shows as series director, I think Ergo Proxy is probably his best, but that one had its issues as well. Still there are episodes in Ergo Proxy that rank among some of the best anime TV episodes of that decade, and Witch Hunter Robin, while entertaining, really doesn't have any singular standout episodes in its favour. I did like it better than Gangsta though.

[pleaserecycle]

I finished Giant Robo.

I loved the art. From the mechanical designs to the background art and cityscapes, the retro-future aesthetic was beautiful. There were many standout moments, but the train scenes in the first episode were especially awesome. I think the story would've benefited from a few more episodes, but overall it was an immensely enjoyable experience. I never finish anything - ever - so I'm really happy I kept watching. I hope this is the first of many finished posts!

I'm always open to suggestions, but please no gore or excessive blood. I'm thinking Lupin Part 1 or Future Boy Conan might be next.

[gloomranger]

Originally Posted by llj

Witch Hunter Robin -- A couple of weeks ago one of the posters in here said they were getting around to watching it. Guess he/she gave up? Well, I just finished it.

Oh, that was me!

Originally Posted by gloomranger

Finally diving into Witch Hunter Robin.

I actually finished it a couple of weeks ago. I really liked Witch Hunter Robin. It’s a cool, underrated gem. It’s like The X-Files if it were set in Japan, but instead of aliens - - it’s all about witches! It’s a bit more subdued compared to other series’ of it’s ilk. Rather than lean on action sequences, director Shūkō Murase focuses his efforts on characterization. The monster-of-the-week is often times a sympathetic creature driven to extremes by acquiring strange powers and subsequently being hunted for them. Even the eponymous Robin must come to terms with her role as a hunter; especially when she herself becomes one of the hunted.

out of five stars

[Batman1980]

Citrus



3.5/5

Wish it was a bit longer but apparently since this is lesbian anime, chances are there will be no season 2.

[starsteam]

Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of Macabre (such a generalized title).

"Maniac" essentially comes off feeling like a second season to "The Junji Ito Collection". It shares many of the same flaws, mainly failing to truly capture the feel of the source material. The animation is slightly better, but it doesn't really help. I personally think animated adaptions of Ito's work may benefit more from developing their own style rather than attempt to copy his. Though as with "Collection", my own reasoning for why it doesn't work well is because of the format. Reading a manga at your own pace, flipping the pages and seeing some horrifying imagery, and spending a few minutes taking it in before proceeding. It's a different experience than the linear presentation of motion pictures where you have no control. Images appear and leave the screen before your mind gets the chance to grasp it. You can't appreciate it the same way. Though it doesn't help when the animation can't really duplicate those designs either.

"Maniac" isn't a complete bust. It adapts two of my favorite Ito stories, "The Hanging Balloons" and "Long Hair in the Attic". While Balloons didn't quite capture the atmosphere of the manga, some of the imagery still gave me the creeps (which is good). Long Hair benefits from this format though, as the audio and movements add another layer. It's possibly the highlight of the series to me.
We also get one of the better chapters of Tomie, Photo, and it just made me think that they would be better off adapting Tomie in full. The demented nature of the world and its characters outweighed the animation. I was left wanting more.

Another strength "Maniac" has over "Collection" is the overall better selective of narratives. Many of the stories were interesting enough to want to follow along even if the approach isn't as good as the original. Out of the 20 stories featured in this season, 9 have yet to be published in English by Viz, though a handful of them should be in the upcoming story collections Tombs and Soichi. One story, Layers of Fear (from The Abyss of Horror), even made me vocally react during its gruesome climax. So there are some instances where these moments are still effective in animated form. I do wish I could have gotten to read them first however.

"Maniac" probably isn't good enough to convert new readers, but it could still be a curiosity for existing fans. Ultimately it is best to just stick to the source material though, as its a imitation that doesn't hit the right marks.

Still waiting for Uzumaki.

[AddMovies]

Not exactly finished but i recently caught up with Blue Lock.

[Batman1980]

Plunderer

4/5

Good start, really hope we get season 2

[Bolo Seagull]

I watched 'Mezzo Forte' and enjoyed it. It was very silly, with lots of bad guys acting stupid and the suspension of disbelief in terms of their ability to make totally convincing robo replicas of people. This OVA is (in)famous for its 2 explicit and violent sex scenes, which lessened my enjoyment of the OVA. The first one, a dream sequence, added nothing to the narrative; the second one I can see its purpose in the plot a bit, but its harshness was a little out of place in an otherwise lighthearted romp. I would've enjoyed it better without these scenes.

There's some good action, with the showstopper being the big shootout in the bowling alley. The main villainess is a fun hissable badguy and the whole thing keeps its pace up and tells a fun pulpy story. Glad I finally got around to seeing this.

[dig311dug]

Mieruko-Chan.... 4/5 stars. Great concept, hopefully it's explored more in a potential season 2? 50% slice of life, 40% horror/supernatural, 10% ecchi (kind of shoe horned in there).

[Piggles]

Originally Posted by Bolo Seagull

I watched 'Mezzo Forte' and enjoyed it. It was very silly, with lots of bad guys acting stupid and the suspension of disbelief in terms of their ability to make totally convincing robo replicas of people. This OVA is (in)famous for its 2 explicit and violent sex scenes, which lessened my enjoyment of the OVA. The first one, a dream sequence, added nothing to the narrative; the second one I can see its purpose in the plot a bit, but its harshness was a little out of place in an otherwise lighthearted romp. I would've enjoyed it better without these scenes.

There's some good action, with the showstopper being the big shootout in the bowling alley. The main villainess is a fun hissable badguy and the whole thing keeps its pace up and tells a fun pulpy story. Glad I finally got around to seeing this.

The ova is awesome, better than Kite imo. The tv series, however, is shameful.

[Tylerfan]

So last night, I finished Vandread, an imperfect but pretty enjoyable mecha series.

My favorite part of the show was maybe the goofy-ass background music. (Speaking of music, I also liked how they used "What a Wonderful World" in one of the earlier episodes. Hell, the original broadcast of said episode used the original Louis Armstrong version

[Show spoiler]

What A Wonderful World Vandread - YouTube

)

Overall, I give it a 3.5/5

[Nothing371]

I finally got around to watching Weathering With You for the first time last night and it was simply a joy to behold in HDR. I wasn't expecting much after several negative comments I read on here in previous years, but the colors and the detail were vivacious. The presentation looked great, but I haven't compared it to the BD disc upscaled.

I understand the complaints that this film was similar to Shinkai's other works but I enjoyed it very much nonetheless. Just realized that his only movie I'm missing right now is the Garden of Words. I have all of his other works on disc from Gkids and I see that one was released in Dec '20 by Sentai. It has me wondering if Gkids would get the rights to do a matching (slip spine) in the near future, and also if Your Name has any potential to receive a 4K UHD release?? Kinda sad that I missed the boat on the steelbook case for it.

Great filmmaker. Has me excited for Suzume now. You can tell that one will also have a similar atmosphere and tone.

[Tylerfan]

Watched Kaguya-sama: The First Kiss That Never Ends two days ago at the cinema.

Admittedly, as of now, I’ve only ever seen one full episode of the anime (and while I have seen several clips, my experience with Kaguya-sama has majorly been through the manga) but this didn’t stop me from buying a ticket.

Needless to say, I can’t wait for the next season to be announced. I adore this series to bits.

3.5/5

[mysticwaterfall]

Originally Posted by Nothing371

I finally got around to watching Weathering With You for the first time last night and it was simply a joy to behold in HDR. I wasn't expecting much after several negative comments I read on here in previous years, but the colors and the detail were vivacious. The presentation looked great, but I haven't compared it to the BD disc upscaled.

I understand the complaints that this film was similar to Shinkai's other works but I enjoyed it very much nonetheless. Just realized that his only movie I'm missing right now is the Garden of Words. I have all of his other works on disc from Gkids and I see that one was released in Dec '20 by Sentai. It has me wondering if Gkids would get the rights to do a matching (slip spine) in the near future, and also if Your Name has any potential to receive a 4K UHD release?? Kinda sad that I missed the boat on the steelbook case for it.

Great filmmaker. Has me excited for Suzume now. You can tell that one will also have a similar atmosphere and tone.

My biggest problem with WWY is the ending. It makes very little sense.

Your Name can be easily imported in 4K. I got the Japanese version when it came out (has English subs) but there are a variety of options now, the easiest one to get is probably the UK version on All the Anime or Zavvi.

[ben6543]

Finished S1 of Chainsaw Man

[Nothing371]

I watched Castle in the Sky last night for the first time.

Cons: The number of the times they say "Laputa". Ugh, grating.

Pros: Everything else. Beautiful musical score was the most noteworthy. The movie was magical. My biggest reaction is that this felt like an early to mid 90's Final Fantasy game with the airships and its themes. In fact, I'm thinking they directly derived the initial FF XI Online endgame 'sky' area from the movie. For 1986 this film was incredibly ahead of its time. The production values are off the charts. As usual, the drawing detail and the world immersion were second-to-none. The third act suffers a bit, as is quite common with almost any movie. The pacing, forced conflict, and resolution & wrap up. But this movie is an early-form masterpiece.

[Piggles]

Magical Girl Raising Project - 9

Really enjoyed it, like Fate/Stay Night x Higurashi!

[gwfb5]

The Future Diary - A really nice anime to start the year on. Interesting premise, good characters, good animation, and a deliciously dark tone.

Pop Team Epic - Took an episode or two to get into it, but it eventually hooked me. The way it mixes different animation styles reminds me of The Amazing World of Gumball.
Not sure I care for every episode playing twice with only minor differences, like swapping the main character's voices with men.
I would have skipped them, but sometimes a skit would have different dialogue, or they'd swap one skit with a new one, so you have to watch both versions.

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan - This was so sweet and wholesome.
Gorgeous animation, really likable characters, and simple slice of life stories.
Now I need to go back and rewatch the OG series, watch the movie, and track down the chibi-series.

Jormungand - Just finished the 2nd season of this, and it was pretty damn good from beginning to end. Lots of guns and fun.

[Piggles]

Originally Posted by gwfb5

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan - This was so sweet and wholesome.
Gorgeous animation, really likable characters, and simple slice of life stories.
Now I need to go back and rewatch the OG series, watch the movie, and track down the chibi-series.

This was the last series I watched at the end of last year, I liked the main series + movie but I didn't care much for this. I would've preferred if

[Show spoiler]it had stayed a light rom-com the whole way through, and Haruhi stole too much of the show.

The 2 chibi-series are great, though.

[Tylerfan]

Just finished Pokémon: The Movie 2000. Pretty enjoyable. Never before or since will you get to experience a film where Donna Summer and Weird Al play back to back ever again (speaking of the latter, his song only plays for like 40 seconds tops. that's not enough. should have played more weird al)

I give it a 3/5