Noone has mentioned Baki? I am watching the new Netflix series, pretty interesting. It is an over the top fighting anime with good production values. Some crazy stuff going on
I have watched 8 out of 26 episodes. There's gonna be a season 2 soon.
Thanks for this. I am watching it now and up to episode 4 or so. It’s crazy sure, but it’s part of the appeal. Just enough gore for me too without being too much or over the top feeling, so far anyway hehe.
Have you watched the fight of that Yakuza boss versus Spec? Probably episode 6 or whereabouts.
Holy shit
I think that's the one I'm about to watch next actually. Baki's stroll in the park and such with the g/f is where it left off. Spec is a freaking nut case though so I'm really looking forward to the episode!
Edit - any other recommendations that are similar to Cowboy Bebop? Kinda sci-fi western at all? Something more recent maybe? I'm also really enjoying Seven Deadly Sins and Rising of the Shield Hero so anything similar to that I'd probably enjoy as well. No rush on response needed as I have several episodes of them to continue with as it is and limited time still due to work and family life.
couleur wrote:
Everything I don't understand is a mental disorder.
couleur wrote:
If the illegals are drowning its their fault for attempting to cross the river in the first place. Especially the children. /s
russ80 wrote:
Who cares about gameplay. It's one of the few next-gen looking titles out there so BRING IT ON.
Edit - any other recommendations that are similar to Cowboy Bebop? Kinda sci-fi western at all? Something more recent maybe? I'm also really enjoying Seven Deadly Sins and Rising of the Shield Hero so anything similar to that I'd probably enjoy as well. No rush on response needed as I have several episodes of them to continue with as it is and limited time still due to work and family life.
Something similar to CB would be the lesser known Outlaw Star. Would recommend Trigun as well. Both were made in that time period so you won't have any problem in getting used to the gritty art style.
And Samurai Champloo is a must for Bebop fans. It's from the same people, so it's very similar. Not sci-fi, but the overall feel is the same. And it's inspired by hip-hop rather than jazz/blues.
"Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed nonage. Nonage is the inability to use one's own understanding without another's guidance. This nonage is self-imposed if its cause lies not in lack of understanding but in indecision and lack of courage to use one's own mind without another's guidance. Dare to know! (Sapere aude.) "Have the courage to use your own understanding," is therefore the motto of the enlightenment."
Continuing my movie-binge (for series, I'm slowly working my way through Death Note again). Next on the list was:
Paprika
9/10
Satoshi Kon was a genius in so many ways. The visuals are jaw-dropping, the music is simply perfect, all the story elements and themes can keep a film critic and arm-chair philosopher busy for weeks, etc.
Not gonna lie, I did wipe off a couple tears at the end, knowing we will never see anything more from him. It's been 10 years, and it pains me to think how much we're missing out on because of cancer.
Now I have to add Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue and Paranoia Agent to my 'near future' list of watchables.
The episodes with L were pretty good, suspenseful, thrilling, well thought out. After Ep26 tho things went downhill fast. There were moments when things were so blindingly obvious it hurt my brain.
15 years ago I remember not liking the later episodes, but watching them now I have a newfound hatred for them. Once L dies the series becomes so banal I had trouble forcing myself to finish it.
Sure, the last episode itself is pretty satisfying, but that 10 before it are a chore to sit through.
I couldn't get into Bakuman but i have a hard time in general with (non seinen) anime/manga with a real like setting it just bores me if there isn't any kind of kind of supernatural elements/sci fi/fantasy or whatever element.
I really loved everything from Satoshi Kon btw his work was just outstanding i even have a hard time thinking of what's my favorite movie/series from him maybe Paranoia Agent or Paprika.
Also, just saw above that you added Perfect Blue to your watch list, it's amazing but don't watch the trailer for it. Just a warning.
__________
Also, I don't know if I've said this to you before but you should really look into watching Bakuman if you haven't already. Its manga is by the same writer and artist that made Death Note.
It's awesome!
Right now the only new animes on my watch list are that Sakamoto series you mentioned above, and Kimi no na wa because that's the only one missing from my Makoto Shinkai collection.
Tokyo Godfathers is already downloaded, and PB is definitely "coming soon". Don't worry about the trailer, I'm still in the "re-watch" phase, so I know what's up.
Not sure I'm really in the mood for Paranoia Agent tho. Sure, as usual with Kon it's brilliant social commentary and amazing direction and art, still, not in the mood.
EDIT: watched the first episode of Sakamoto. Not for me I guess. It's more of a shoujo anime and the humor didn't land for me either.
Question about Baki - Is the one with Spec vs the Yakuza boss part of the "first" season of the series? It seems that there are talks about a previous tournament and so on where Baki was champion. I'm just wondering if I am missing any of the actual anime episodes/story or are those references purely from the manga or books or something?
Just got introduced to Oliver now. The show is pretty cool/fun.
couleur wrote:
Everything I don't understand is a mental disorder.
couleur wrote:
If the illegals are drowning its their fault for attempting to cross the river in the first place. Especially the children. /s
russ80 wrote:
Who cares about gameplay. It's one of the few next-gen looking titles out there so BRING IT ON.
There was a previous anime around 15-20 years ago. About his rise to fame and power, dealing with his parents and the first big tournament.
I remember I enjoyed watching that. But that was so long ago.
I still have the op song for that in a random playlist.
Well, I don't know what else I was expecting. It's always good to remind myself why Shinkai Makoto is my favourite living anime director (emphasis on "living", since Kon Satoshi died).
It's not perfect. The pacing is a bit off, the song scenes felt out of place, like they were from a series instead of a feature length movie, and some characters and plot details could have been expanded upon a bit more. But...
Anyone familiar with Shinkai's work knows his art style. And ho boy, does he shine in this one. Every single frame is a piece of art.
I mentioned before how 'Voices of a Distant Star' was my introduction to proper anime, and I still believe that it was his art that sold me on the medium. Yes, in his early works, the characters look rough. As in ROUGH! If I remember correctly, even in 5 Centimeters Per Second they still felt kinda off even though they showed significant improvement.
But even in his earliest animations, the environments and mundane objects are recreated with such loving detail and care that one can only be at awe at this man's art. And though The Garden of Words was good, in this one I felt like he finally nailed the design of his characters too.
Ok, so the art is jawdroppingly beautiful, that's to be expected from this guy.
As for the story, I had flashbacks from Spirited Away, Mushi-shi and Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo.
The moments dealing with the Shinto elements of the story, like the fieldtrip with the grandma, the shrine in the caldera, passing through the border between different times, etc, all reminiscent of SA and MS, while the comedic scenes where they are messing with each others' lives felt very much like TWKS.
Good thing these 3 animes are among my all time favourites, so I can hardly complain.
Oh, and the fact that the ending is not a downer like 5cm/s is a huge plus.
Ok, so there's little point in praising the visuals any more. It just keeps getting better and better. Have to make an exception for the lighting this time though. It has always been amazing (the rocket launch scene in 5cm/s is still one of the (if not THE) best looking moment in animation I've ever seen), but he went over and beyond on the lighting here.
Given the subject matter it's not surprising, quickly changing grey and rainy moments into colourful and sunny in mere seconds was always going to be breathtaking if we allow him to do his magic. But damn, those fireworks...that was something else entirely.
As for the story...let just say that it was more interesting and exciting in Your Name, but this smaller one was told better in this movie. Because of the lack of complicated time-stuff and obscure Shinto mythology, this was easier to tell I guess. Plus the longer run time allowed better character development, the song-scenes were used much better (not sure I'm 100% sold yet, but cannot deny that they felt way less out-of-place here), etc.
Over all, Your Name is still very much the superior movie, mostly for the same reasons. It's simply more interesting. The telling was done better here, but not enough to outweigh the story itself.
I think at this point he found the right way of telling good stories with good characters. The only thing he should work on a bit more is his endings. They always felt a bit tacked on, there's a big exciting SPECTACULAR finale, then fade to black, everything grinds to a screeching halt, characters going back to their lives, then another supposedly emotional reunion of the star crossed lovers, the end. It kinda worked in 5cm/s and Garden of Words, because they were "not meant to be", but in this last two...eeh.
I personally don't know how to do it right, but at this point, these endings didn't quite work for me. Everything leading up to those moments are just amazing. But my enthusiasm kinda deflates a little during those "back to normalcy" moments.
I've seen TWKS about 5 times, and even as a 35 year old grown ass man, I still cried at the end when I rewatched during quarantine. Sure, watching these two movies' endings I smiled a lot, because the characters are good enough that I'm rooting for them, but it just doesn't tug at my heartstrings as some other movies do.
Imagine a country sized city, with several layers stacked up on each other "Coruscant-style", with a distinctly "utility-only with a hint of steampunk" aesthetic. Now imagine all that several decades after the apocalypse.
I got some severe Mushi-shi vibes from this series, but instead of magical bugs and parasites, it's all about exploring a post-singularity world literally falling apart. The civilisation in this world is so far gone, that during the 12 episode runtime, the 2 main characters only meet 2 other humans.
The entire series is just these two girls riding around on their Kettenkrad, looking for food, supplies and trying to find their way across the ruins. Apart from when they find some company, their entire dialogue is just musings on what they encounter, trying to figure out what they were for, or the "smart one" trying to knock some sense into the "dumb one". It's basically another "cute girls doing cute things" anime, but with the twist of the setting.
And unlike Bethesda games, here it all really "just works".
The premise should be impossible to pull off. Only two characters, talking only to each other, most of the time about nothing in particular. Yet it works.
The world in incredibly bleak, the atmosphere is depressingly oppressive, but the way the characters are drawn (borderline chibi), the way they interact, I was smiling more often than not while watching this.
Another parallel with Mushi-shi I'd say is the music. Not the same style or anything, but in both animes the music is so integral to the over all feel that altering it in any way would be a crime.
It manages to work for both tones the anime works with.
If you take only the bleak, apocalyptic ruins, the music fits.
If you listen to the two girls talk about nothing in particular, the music fits.
And it's all the same style, it doesn't change in different situations, it just blends the tones so god damned well.
Highly recommended!
Spoiler:
After finishing the anime, and looking into how the manga concluded...I kinda wish they would have finished the entire story in animation as well. It's completely up to the reader, "is it sad or a happy ending?" , and it would have worked so well in the anime as well.
I simply had to finish the story. It was only 2 books, they managed to animate the first 4. I guess 4 more episodes would have been enough, but apparently the writer finished the last book just when the series aired (at least they weren't as stupid as the GoT showrunners and thought they can write just as good as Martin).
Now I'm sad. I really want to see the whole thing done in animation with the great music.
So, it's about a lot of things. Bullying, disability, social anxiety, making amends, family, love, suicide, forging friendships, change, forgiveness, etc. It juggles a ton of topics, and never drops any of them.
To be more precise, it's about a deaf girl getting bullied at school, because kids are little shits, until things go just one step too far, and the class singles out the biggest bully as a scapegoat so the rest can feel better about themselves. Then the bully blames the deaf girl, and torments her until she transfers schools, but he is now a social outcast. This causes him to develop severe social anxiety, starts feeling sorry for himself, and later in high school decides to look for the deaf girl and try to make amends.
I won't try to analyse all the psychological issues and social interactions on display as I am not equipped to talk about all of them (the main character's social anxiety struck a chord though), but of all the new animes I watched recently this one warrants a second viewing for me (Your Name came close, but ultimately never got around to it).
No supernatural shenanigans here, no mechas beating the crap out of each other either, just school-kids dealing with their physical and mental issues, one day at a time.
And in case it wasn't blindingly obvious: it is highly recommended! If you can spare 2 hours during your very busy lockdown schedule, this can fill that void beautifully.
@Zmed: I remember reading the manga years ago but the female character's mom really pissed me off.
I recently watched Mob Psycho and was blown away by the animation level and choreography of the fights. This is how you show a teleporter use their powers
@Zmed: I remember reading the manga years ago but the female character's mom really pissed me off.
I don't know how it is in the manga, but in the movie I can totally understand how she's portrayed. Single mom, one daughter is a layabout, not going to school, running away, etc. Another daughter is deaf, and taking care of kids with disabilities takes a huge toll. Plus there's grandma, they didn't put her in a nursing home, she's taking care of her too. If some snot nosed little shit started making my deaf daughter's life a living hell, costing me no small amount of money to replace several hearing aides, I'd be holding some serious grudges too.
Plus the entire movie was all about people growing and changing for the sake of relationships and for themselves.
For me the most annoying character was the bully girl. While the guy grew up learning his lesson, she did not, and is a miserable piece of shit as a result. Even at the very end she is just barely starting out, while the others are either already better people or well on their way.
EDIT: that video was the most anime thing I've ever seen.
I think I'll watch Welcome to the NHK next. It was on my to-watch list from way back.
After that I guess it's time to finally give Nodame Cantabile a try. 15 years ago when I was using anidb as a way to search for stuff to watch, it was always the highest rated series there, and it is still in the top 10-ish range. Someone suggested it here, so thanks for reminding me.
Yeah, I understand that but a lot of her actions rubbed me the wrong way because as an adult a lot of the way she handled things were done so immaturely but I guess that was the point of her character. An unprepared single mother having been dealt a bad hand lashing out on others whether it's justified or not. Come to think of it, I didn't like the lead character in the manga either so it was a case of me just forcing myself to finish the manga. I was reading with the hope the lead girls runs far away from the guy and her mom
Don't know if the scene was in the film but that bully girl and the mom have a slapfight with each other. From all that I've read, the manga is better in the sense that it gives enough breathing room to events and doesn't skip on character development of side characters as well. Everyone including the bully girl become better by the end. Sadly the lead girl doesn't run away from those idiots.
I see so many fights in anime done so poorly or unimaginatively so when a well done fight unexpectedly pops up, it's very appreciable. Here's a great example of a grounded fight which is the polar opposite of Mob Psycho. Short, no flashy moves, not dragged and to the point:
So, it's about a lot of things. Bullying, disability, social anxiety, making amends, family, love, suicide, forging friendships, change, forgiveness, etc. It juggles a ton of topics, and never drops any of them.
To be more precise, it's about a deaf girl getting bullied at school, because kids are little shits, until things go just one step too far, and the class singles out the biggest bully as a scapegoat so the rest can feel better about themselves. Then the bully blames the deaf girl, and torments her until she transfers schools, but he is now a social outcast. This causes him to develop severe social anxiety, starts feeling sorry for himself, and later in high school decides to look for the deaf girl and try to make amends.
I won't try to analyse all the psychological issues and social interactions on display as I am not equipped to talk about all of them (the main character's social anxiety struck a chord though), but of all the new animes I watched recently this one warrants a second viewing for me (Your Name came close, but ultimately never got around to it).
No supernatural shenanigans here, no mechas beating the crap out of each other either, just school-kids dealing with their physical and mental issues, one day at a time.
And in case it wasn't blindingly obvious: it is highly recommended! If you can spare 2 hours during your very busy lockdown schedule, this can fill that void beautifully.
Just another interesting anime with a shitty non conclusive ending.
Just another interesting anime with a shitty non conclusive ending.
Hey, you do you.
For me it was about the main character getting over his feeling of guilt (does he deserve to have friends?), and social anxiety (looking people in the face), and the deaf girl dealing with her self-hatred (realising that not everything is her fault).
The movie tied those bows up pretty neatly.
Sure, there was no traditional antagonist, someone needed to be defeated. Just regular people dealing with social issues, and the movie handled those things amazingly well.
Yuri wrote:
Don't know if the scene was in the film but that bully girl and the mom have a slapfight with each other.
Yeah, that fight is in the movie, and I can only repeat myself. Totally understandable.
The girl just survived her suicide attempt, and some nobody is throwing her on the ground, screaming at her, pretty much physically assaulting her. I'd kick the shit out of anyone doing that crap too.
Maybe the situation is different in the manga, but in the movie it's...wouldn't say justified...but fuck it, it's justified.
After watching some videos about the adaptation differences, I guess the only real downside with the 2 hour movie runtime is that all the side characters were not developed nearly enough. And it seems most people also think that the movie ended at just the right place, and the manga drags it out a bit further, kinda unnecessarily.
Unlike GLT, I don't feel like I need to know how things end, because the movie ended satisfactorily. And if what people are saying is true, the manga's ending just fizzles out, while the movie had a bit of catharsis to it.
@Zmed: Going off by memory but the only character I felt sympathy for was the deaf girl. The way the mom was written and acted throughout the manga was like an overgrown teenager stuck with arrested development. Anyway, I do agree the bully girl deserved the slapping but the way the mom went about the whole situation was immature. It got needlessly dragged out but I guess that was the point to contrast this with how the mom grew a bit later on.
Regarding the ending, I wonder about that. I feel like the people saying the movie ending better is the fans of Kyoani, a company known to have some rabid fan following. Given that you liked the film, you should take the time to read the manga as well. Just checked, it's around 65 chapters so shouldn't take you too long.
@Stormwolf: Read the manga. As is always the case with open ended anime or films, read the source material for a conclusive ending. That is of course if you're lucky and it has been translated otherwise
@Zmed: Going off by memory but the only character I felt sympathy for was the deaf girl. The way the mom was written and acted throughout the manga was like an overgrown teenager stuck with arrested development. Anyway, I do agree the bully girl deserved the slapping but the way the mom went about the whole situation was immature. It got needlessly dragged out but I guess that was the point to contrast this with how the mom grew a bit later on.
Regarding the ending, I wonder about that. I feel like the people saying the movie ending better is the fans of Kyoani, a company known to have some rabid fan following. Given that you liked the film, you should take the time to read the manga as well. Just checked, it's around 65 chapters so shouldn't take you too long.
Hmm, in the anime the mother wasn't really developed.
She shows up maybe 5 times. Once when they give her the money for the hearing aides (maybe there was more in the manga, in the movie we can only see a bit of blood on the other mom's clothes from the torn out earring, so they must have fought there too, pretty nice "show, don't tell" moment), then when Yuzuru runs away and she's out looking for her, dragging her away from the main character, then the birthday cake scene where she starts to tolerate his presence, and then at the end where she prostrates herself in apology at the hospital, leading up to the slap fight with Ueno.
Apart from that, the rest are just little background appearances and the pretty much passive fireworks festival scene where she's just...there.
So I suspect she's another victim of cut content. In the film she didn't really do anything where I couldn't say "yeah, she may be lashing out, but I kinda understand why".
I MIGHT pick up the manga, should be a good read while I eat lunch, but I don't feel the need right now. After watching the movie twice, I'm pretty satisfied with how they did it.
If you want to watch something new, I suggest Texhnolyze. The most nihilistic anti-nihilism show I've ever watched. It starts deliberately slow but towards the end things come together in the most spectacular and brutal fashion.
For something similar in tone, there's Casshern Sins (2008 reboot) which is slow (will test you if you aren't used to scenes where characters just stare randomly in silence) and doesn't reach Tex's level but still worth a watch.
Right now I'm busy with NHK, and after that I still have the rest of Mushi Shi and Nodame Cantabile to watch, so it will be a while before I can afford to add new things to the list.
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Just a warning.
