What Anime/Manga are you Reading/Watching? Part the Second!

A bit late, but I can't let it stand. In Ga-Rei-Zero, the first episode didn't really click with me at first. However, I do remember throughout the rest of the episodes, it slowly making sense. By the end I clearly remember a "Oh, I see what the did there" moment, but I watched it as it aired, which was many a years and anime ago so I can't be specific at all. Oddly enough, I've been thinking about the anime version a lot recently, for some odd reason it just keeps popping up in my head.

Just a heads up too, not sure if any of you guys enjoy the Blood series ( Blood: The Last Vampire and Blood+) but a new series has just started, Blood C. People aren't really sure where they are going with it, but I'm already starting to see a lot of tie suspicious things that could make this some sort of a sequel to Blood+, especially the two twins in Saya's class... A warning too, CLAMP is involved so the character design is horrible looking, absolutely, truly, god awful.
 
Last edited:
Hmm, interesting. I enjoyed the Blood+ series, and did enjoy the movie as well. I wouldn't say CLAMP characters are horrible looking. Personally I really enjoy Tsubasa, and have enjoyed other CLAMP titles as well. The only problem with CLAMP characters is that they tend to look generic and that they use a lot of the same model types. I guess we'll see how it goes, if I ever watch this new Blood series it'll be after it's localized and dubbed (most likely by Funimation). So.. it'll probably be in about 2 years.

I just finished watching Corpse Princess (aka. Shikabane Hime) and it was a pretty awesome anime. At first I wasn't too sure about how to feel about a main character that used two Mac 10's as weapons. They seem like such a "Meh" weapon choice, but it works somehow. Probably because she isn't the only shikabane hime in the anime and some of the others use cooler weapons. Thankfully, she reverted to whooping ass with punches and kicks later in the series when she doesn't have use of the guns. The main male character is kind of a pansy throughout 75% of the anime, but finally grows a pair at the end which was good to see. Interesting plot twists happen. Though, be warned: The only thing that I did not like about this anime is that it literally has no "ending". The 25th episode ends abruptly in the middle of an epic fight and that is it. No conclusion at all. The final episode (26) steps back in time and tells you a story about 2 characters that died in the first half of the series and the events themselves take place before the first episode of the series. This kind of pissed me off, because this anime was totally awesome to watch, until it ended.
 
Ecks said:
Hmm, interesting. I enjoyed the Blood+ series, and did enjoy the movie as well. I wouldn't say CLAMP characters are horrible looking. Personally I really enjoy Tsubasa, and have enjoyed other CLAMP titles as well. The only problem with CLAMP characters is that they tend to look generic and that they use a lot of the same model types. I guess we'll see how it goes, if I ever watch this new Blood series it'll be after it's localized and dubbed (most likely by Funimation). So.. it'll probably be in about 2 years.
Click to expand...

Tsubasa Chronicles wasn't really all that bad, I guess I shouldn't have been so harsh for -everything- they've done. However, this is their most used animation model. Big, odd feet, ridiculous hair, actually to be very simple about it, it has a look akin to xxxHolic. Not to say they make bad products, just, their character design tends to look wonky, on purpose.

I just finished watching Corpse Princess (aka. Shikabane Hime) and it was a pretty awesome anime. At first I wasn't too sure about how to feel about a main character that used two Mac 10's as weapons. They seem like such a "Meh" weapon choice, but it works somehow. Probably because she isn't the only shikabane hime in the anime and some of the others use cooler weapons. Thankfully, she reverted to whooping ass with punches and kicks later in the series when she doesn't have use of the guns. The main male character is kind of a pansy throughout 75% of the anime, but finally grows a pair at the end which was good to see. Interesting plot twists happen. Though, be warned: The only thing that I did not like about this anime is that it literally has no "ending". The 25th episode ends abruptly in the middle of an epic fight and that is it. No conclusion at all. The final episode (26) steps back in time and tells you a story about 2 characters that died in the first half of the series and the events themselves take place before the first episode of the series. This kind of pissed me off, because this anime was totally awesome to watch, until it ended.
Click to expand...

Episode 26 (Season 2 "episode" 13) is one of those DVD specials, you know how those usually turn out I'd imagine, so really, the true ending is episode 25 (S2E12). It seemed the main point they wanted to end on is that the Shikabane Hime's are alive and will now think and act as if they are alive, human again. Seemed fitting really. They could have pulled more content out of it, but really it would have been in bad taste I think since the main conflict/theme of the show had been resolved. But yeah, would have been nice to of seen what became of Hokuto, but I think the focus there was suppose to be drawn to her "handler" who was in torment over her being wrecked on by Makina, showing a more "human" nature.

Anyway, the manga is still ongoing so we may still see more yet.

Now, back to my Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3.
 
Last edited:
Strid said:
Tsubasa Chronicles wasn't really all that bad, I guess I shouldn't have been so harsh for -everything- they've done. However, this is their most used animation model. Big, odd feet, ridiculous hair, actually to be very simple about it, it has a look akin to xxxHolic. Not to say they make bad products, just, their character design tends to look wonky, on purpose.
Click to expand...

Okay, I can see what you're getting at there. That particular model style would be kind of weird for the blood series, but I'd have to see the first episode to see how it works for sure. It worked fine for XXXholic, tbh I kinda wish there was more to XXXholic. I enjoyed it. When I think of Clamp I naturally think of animes like Chobits, Tsubasa, XXXholic, Cardcaptor Sakura (didn't really watch this one, saw a few episodes back when I was a teen. Didn't seem bad, just a little girly), and Magic Knight Rayearth. All of those are animes I enjoyed, with exception to Cardcaptor Sakura since I never really watched the whole thing. And out of those, I think only XXXholic used that wonky long legs and arms style. If any others had, it didn't seem noticeable enough to hinder any enjoyment from the anime.
 
Finished Birdy the Mighty Part 1 and gotta say I loved every bit of it and am looking forward to starting part 2. Also got into the first two episodes of Desert Punk and man is it funny LOL. Yall have any other recommendations?
 
If you liked those two you should check out my list of anime and pick... probably most of the entries there. I think it's back on one of the early posts in this section, I'll check and edit this to let you know where to look.

Well nevermind on that.. apparently the old list I put up must have been on the orginal thread that was replaced by this second part.
 
Last edited:
Well I took a peek at the opening to Blood C and I gotta say the animation style isn't nearly as awful as I feared it could be. Sure the characters are a little lanky, but no more so than some Tsubasa characters, which was all fitting enough. They aren't nearly as lanky as XXXholic. I even watched a minute of the second episode and it seems okay. The opening itself makes the animation look quite fluid and fitting for the series. It's definitely a different take on the series as far as the art style goes but I believe it will not hurt the series at all. All three art styles are quite drastically different anyway, but the stories will likely remain true to the Blood series. I enjoyed the first two iterations a lot, and this third installment doesn't appear to lessen what has come before it.

Anywho, I finished Blassreiter the other day and it was a very good anime. I guess if I had to classify it as something.. uh.. sci-fi/action is the closest thing I could think of. Oddly enough it's setting is in Germany of all places. This is perhaps the first anime I know of that takes place in Germany and so get's to go to the 5% pile of anime that doesn't take place in Japan or some fantasy world (including space). I'd say it's futuristic, but really it's not. It's actually set in a kind of modern time. If I'm not mistaken, there's a part that shows a meeting in the U.N. with a black man which I assume to be the American President (physical features were very similar to Obama, even if the voice actor was not even close). There is some minor America bashing in a few episodes, but I've seen far more blatant stuff in other animes so It's not like it bothered me any. I guess Japan just can't get over Hiroshima even in this day and age... some 66 years after the fact. (okay, 64 years, since I think this anime came out in 2009) I will say this, though, the one Japanese guy in the whole anime (of course) was one hell of a badass dude.

All in all though this anime was really good and while it led up to a rather anticlimatic final battle (the fight did have some awesome parts but the ending of the fight was what was rather anticlimatic), it ended with a satisfying conclusion about what becomes of the characters.
 
Ecks said:
Well I took a peek at the opening to Blood C...
Click to expand...

Yeah, the animation isn't bad at all, I was just a little off put by the character design. I wasn't going to let that keep me away from enjoying the series though. I'm enjoying it so far, there are a lot of -could be- throwbacks to Blood+, but it seems interesting in its own right as well. Too early to tell, but right now it's looking like the story could pan out really well.

Anywho, I finished Blassreiter the other day and it was a very good anime. I guess if I had to classify it as something.. uh.. sci-fi/action is the closest thing I could think of. Oddly enough it's setting is in Germany of all places. This is perhaps the first anime I know of that takes place in Germany and so get's to go to the 5% pile of anime that doesn't take place in Japan or some fantasy world (including space). I'd say it's futuristic, but really it's not. It's actually set in a kind of modern time. If I'm not mistaken, there's a part that shows a meeting in the U.N. with a black man which I assume to be the American President (physical features were very similar to Obama, even if the voice actor was not even close). There is some minor America bashing in a few episodes, but I've seen far more blatant stuff in other animes so It's not like it bothered me any. I guess Japan just can't get over Hiroshima even in this day and age... some 66 years after the fact. (okay, 64 years, since I think this anime came out in 2009) I will say this, though, the one Japanese guy in the whole anime (of course) was one hell of a badass dude.

All in all though this anime was really good and while it led up to a rather anticlimatic final battle (the fight did have some awesome parts but the ending of the fight was what was rather anticlimatic), it ended with a satisfying conclusion about what becomes of the characters.
Click to expand...

I enjoyed this one too, but it has been a while. I don't really recall any blatant anti-American sentiment, but I do remember America was a bit of an obstacle for the agency. Kind of an F.B.I vs. Police Department role, stepping on toes. What I'm getting at, this shouldn't keep anyone from enjoying the show. It all makes sense, and is in a proper line. As for the president in the show being Obama, it could have been their way of showing approval or disapproval for him, but at the time the show wrapped up, Obama was not yet elected.

I agree though, the final battle was really anticlimactic, but that tends to be the trend in most animes these days. A lot of the series was kind of hit or miss too. I found myself skipping it a few weeks at a time here and there, but the overall scope was good.

Anyway, on to what I've been watching, aside from currently airing shows, I've been catching up on some anime from the early 2000's. I took a bit of a break from anything anime for a few years then. Just finished Witch Hunter Robin and about to start Overman King Gainer. I've had them on an external HDD since '02 oddly enough, just forgot all about the folder they were in.
 
Last edited:
I've started watching Casshern Sins. So far I'm not overly impressed. I don't like the art style and I haven't really seen anything compelling me to watch this anime further, but I probably will watch it to the end to see how it pans out. I'm still pretty early on in the series, I think I left off on the 6th or 7th episode. But what I've seen so far of the anime hasn't really impressed me much. I guess I was expecting something better than what I've seen so far.

If/when I finish it I'll post my final thoughts.
 
Ecks said:
I've started watching Casshern Sins. So far I'm not overly impressed. I don't like the art style and I haven't really seen anything compelling me to watch this anime further, but I probably will watch it to the end to see how it pans out. I'm still pretty early on in the series, I think I left off on the 6th or 7th episode. But what I've seen so far of the anime hasn't really impressed me much. I guess I was expecting something better than what I've seen so far.

If/when I finish it I'll post my final thoughts.
Click to expand...

Loved that one, but I couldn't tell you why. It was just, eh, interesting I guess is the best way to put it. The deeper you get the better it is, but that said, it's definitely not for everyone, not even past Casshern fans.
 
I haven't picked up on Casshern since I left off with it. Maybe someday.

Instead I started and finished watching Needless. I really liked this anime and I suppose if I had to categorize it, it would be Action/Comedy. The story in this anime is kind of extraordinarily slow paced and doesn't truly pick up until the final episodes. That being said, there are some really cool action sequences and most of the animation during those sequences is reminiscent of Gurenn Lagan. Which is awesome. However this anime definitely does not take itself seriously and there are tons of repeated gag jokes and quite a few times that they break that 4th wall. It's just what I needed, I think I laughed just about every episode during something silly, even things that weren't actually jokes but animation mishaps (ei. Someone being naked in one scene and immediately after they have their clothes back on). Gets a thumbs up from me. Not the most awesome story telling, but that really wasn't the focus of the anime to begin with. I got a chuckle after every time Adam Blade says anything involving the phrase "Learned it!".
 
And now I've finished 2 more anime since last I posted.

Murder Princess and finally the last portion of Soul Eater.

Murder Princess is perhaps the shortest anime I've ever watched, aside from maybe Afro Samurai, at only 6 episodes. I'm so glad it was on Netflix. It was waaaaay overpriced in stores and well.. everywhere, period. However it was actually pretty decent for such a short story. I enjoyed the characters and how the whole thing panned out. It's a good little quick series, with some good action sequences and, like I already said, a good story for being so short.

Finally, my Soul Eater part 2 Blu-Ray came in... and I proceeded to watch the whole damn thing in like 2 days. Totally awesome. I love this anime and I think it's one of the best I own. I just wish my friends would have wanted to watch it. All of the characters have their own very quirky tendencies when they aren't being in completely serious moods. Which to me is what makes this anime stand out above the others. Where bad-ass characters are usually always bad-ass and tend to have one kind of attitude. These characters on the other hand have a wide variety of attitudes while still keeping the general character intact. I loved the ending too, while it was kind of shocking at some of the scenes that happened, it wasn't unexpected given the heritage of certain characters but was still awesome to see. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.

Lastly I am currently watching Kaze no Stigma, and I like am having mixed feelings about this one right now. Some parts are interesting and yet other parts feel so generic, and further still some parts just lack any emotion. For example, members of a guys former family die in front of him and he doesn't really seem to care at all. Like.. zero reaction. I'll stick with it though, it's still more interesting than Casshern was.
 
I finished up Kaze No Stigma about a week ago. It was better than my first impressions lead me to believe, but still left some things to be desired. It has an interesting take on magic use and the characters themselves flesh out quite a bit as the series progresses. It's suppose to sort of be a romance anime, but it isn't quite as involved as other romantic/love story animes I've seen. The two main character's relationship does grow a lot closer by the end of the anime, but it's not exactly as if they are completely in love with one another. Still, it was a decent anime and had some interesting storytelling.

Secondly I watched Hero Tales and thoroughly enjoyed it. It helped that it has the same animation style as Full Metal Alchemist, though I thought Hero Tales came out after the original FMA series, but Hero Tales's animation wasn't quite as polished and fluid as FMA though it still wasn't bad. I think it was definitely the first anime I've seen concerning a tale about heroes relating to the Big Dipper constellation. Characters were interesting and diverse and the story was just as interesting. A lot happens in the first half of the anime so much so that I though I was closer to the end at one point but only ended up being on the 13th episode, halfway through the series. It was a good watch.
 
Thanks for the review on Kaze no Stigma. It has long been on my "to watch" list but I keep putting it back in favour of other series. Hopefully it won't be too long now before I decide to finally watch it lol.

I'm recently continuing my trend of re-watching series I have seen once or more many months ago. After finishing re-watching Full Metal Panic and Negima I am currently watching Clannad again. This is mostly due to the fact I traded in my dubless copies of After Story (second season) for the new English dub of version a couple of months back and so I want to watch both seasons all over again in English this time^^ It is a good quality dub after all, not quite like the travesties of Queen's Blade and Kanokon that Media Blasters dubbed.

Inbetween the rewatching of older series I did watch a few new (to me) series in Asobi ni Iku yo, Fortune Arterial, Durarara!!, Myself;Yourself, Evangelion 2.0, and Venus Versus Virus. I can see what you mean now Ecks about Venus Versus Virus where you posted a review many months back and said it wasn't all that great. I agree wholeheartedly :p
Evangelion 2.0 however is just totally awesome and is a worthy sequel/remake to what was an incredible franchise already. Bring on 3.0 now!
 
Couldn't have voiced how amazing Evangelion 2.0 was any better. This whole reboot to the series so far has been amazing. I want 3.0/3.33 and 4.0/4.44 now! (I have 1.01 and 2.22) Not sure what the difference was other than perhaps there are more special features, though it would be interesting if there is actually more animation too.

And yeah.. I watched one or two episodes of Queen's Blade, largely because well.. the female toons were hot and all. But after that I couldn't watch the rest, the voice acting sounded too bland and there was really no good story or connection to the characters, since everything was fan service/straight nudity or bondage. Seriously that series might as well just toss in tentacle rape and sex because it's practically a senseless hentai anyway. I take that back, I've watch hentai with better stories than Queen's Blade.

And also, on the subject of Venus Versus Virus, It had potential.. I'd say it's like blowing up a gigantic balloon only to have it pop in your face rather than being able to tie it up and enjoy it.
 
Last edited:
Aurorastar said:
Durarara!!
Click to expand...

A wonderful, wonderful anime that everyone should watch really. It really is one of those shows that just has it all, and it's all well done at that. Unfortunately Cartoon Network picked up the rights to air the dub and I feel this will do nothing but hurt the value people find in this anime. So far the entirety of the English version has been just totally lost in translation and the voice acting is just abysmal. It seems Aniplex had zero concern with their English VA cast even remotely matching the set tone, mindsets, and characteristics of the original characters. It truly is amazing how something so great can just be totally ruined.
 
Strid said:
A wonderful, wonderful anime that everyone should watch really. It really is one of those shows that just has it all, and it's all well done at that. Unfortunately Cartoon Network picked up the rights to air the dub and I feel this will do nothing but hurt the value people find in this anime. So far the entirety of the English version has been just totally lost in translation and the voice acting is just abysmal. It seems Aniplex had zero concern with their English VA cast even remotely matching the set tone, mindsets, and characteristics of the original characters. It truly is amazing how something so great can just be totally ruined.
Click to expand...

Lucky for me I watched the Japanese version of this hehe. But yeah, while I like English dubbed anime all the same I do agree there are many poor dubbed series out there that could have been so much better if they just didn't tinker with them so much. It iritates me when companies take quality anime series and "change" them into something they think would be more acceptable for the viewers with regards the "whole lost in translation" thing. 4Kids built a reputation doing that and it built them a lot of hostility from people faithfull to the original work (Tokyo Mew Mew, PreCure/Pretty Cure, Yu-Gi-Oh etc)

I watched a fandub of Durarara!! and I can't say there was much in that which wouldn't have been understood by your average viewer of the show, so why change/localise it? At least, I understood it anyway and i'm probably as average an anime fan as you'd get. Oh well, I guess this is just one of quite a few series that get the lucrative dub treatment only to find it worse off in the end and make people feel the studio just wasted their time. That's just something that will always happen, and it's just a shame it seems to have happened to such a good series like Durarara!!.
 
Okay, so I've been on a bit of an anime kick recently. I actually just finished up the third series I was watching about 20 minutes ago. So far since my last post I've watched Linebarrels of Iron, Demon King Daimao, and The Sacred Blacksmith. I loved all three.

Linebarrels of Iron.. well lets see here. Mecha anime with an unlikely teen hero, sounds pretty cliche, but I like they way this anime was done. It's one of those animes where the variety and depth of the characters make the anime enjoyable. And the fact that every mech was different or had some kind of different purpose doesn't hurt either. Action was top notch for cg mecha fights that were relatively fast paced. The "drama" and comedy aspects were also nicely done, even if they were slightly cliche.. but oh well. The anime was goooooood.

Demon King Daimao on the other hand was a much shorter anime at 12 episodes. However it was highly entertaining with hilarious comedy mixed in with an intriguing magical world, cool fight scenes and fun characters all topped off by lots of gorgeous fan service that.. actually didn't come off as being overly gratuitous even though there was lots of it. It's definitely mostly 'adult' humor, which I love. So it was great.

And I just finished The Sacred Blacksmith today. Another fantasy style anime, though was more realistic (as realistic as magical demon swords and demons can be) than D.K.Daimao. Dealt with knights and such. Had a great cast of main characters and supporting side characters. And it's interesting to see a katana being swung around with magic swords and other more traditional medieval swords. It was another short 12 episode series, but it packed a lot in those 12 episodes.

Next up is to watch the Linebarrels of Iron: OVA. I watched the first half of it.. but unfortunately was so tired (and drunk) that morning I passed out sometime during it. So.... time to watch it again.
 
Linebarrels of Iron was great, I agree. At first I was turned off by the lead character but after he settled in and stopped being such a tool, it was great. I really wished they'd do another season of it, though I'm not sure where they could take it since it ended rather well.
 
Finished Linebarrels of Iron OVA, good stuff. Basically ep1 all about the little cutesy american scientist girl (forgot her name) and a bunch of pervy stuff, while episode 2 was like a continuation from the end of the series.... with pervy stuff.

Then I stumbled upon an anime called Dancing In The Vampire Bund. And then I completely, accidentally managed to ruin the entire anime for myself. Somehow, I started by watching episode 1, and then I went to watch the next episode thinking it was the second episode and then the 3rd. Stopped, continued watching it again the next day and watched 3 more episodes. I was kind of thrown off because some stuff that was happening in these episodes didn't quite mesh with what I had watched the day before, but I chalked it up to maybe it was just one of those animes that skips around in the timeline as you watch it. Well after watching six episodes I check the episode list on Netfix and realize that last 3 episodes of the series have already been watched.. I had watched them on the first day. *big sigh*
I was enjoying this anime though, but I already know how it ends now and have only watched half of it.

It's a love story between the queen of the vamires, who appears as a little girl before puberty yet she's thousands of years old (or maybe hundreds), and a young man who has lost some of his memory (though he's fairly badass). From what I saw, I will conclude that this is a very good anime and perhaps may even have a second season in the works. I will give this one some time before I decide to watch it again, completely.

Friday I managed to watch all of Highschool Of The Dead in a single sitting and while I was expecting it to be not so great considering what I remembered reading about it on here when it was first being aired in Japan, I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself really liking this anime, while yes.. the ending did leave much to be desired because the story doesn't truly end, everything else was enjoyable. I was thinking the fan service would be sufficating, something like Queens Blade, but it wasn't nearly that bad and uh.. wasn't bad at all. <_<; Ahem.. the only thing that slightly bugged me, was how at first it was all about hitting the zombies in the head and shooting them in the head but come near the end of the series zombies were going down by being sliced, shot, stabbed, and whacked in places other than their heads. It was a good, fun anime though. Was kind of refreshing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top