(04-01-2014, 11:09 PM)GameWizard001 Wrote: I got hooked into Sword Art Online.
Think of this show like part Reboot meets The Matrix. Everyone is trapped inside an MMORPG by the creator of the game. The players have a virtual realty headset that is directly hooked into their brains. They all know it's a game but if they lose all their HP they die in the real world. I'm about half way into the first season and time progression is they have been in there for roughly 2 years. They can level up and earn skills, make parties and such. The only way to survive and escape is by clearing all 100 levels and their bosses.
I both hope that each season has a full arc and conclusion just incase it ever just gets cancelled but they also leave it open to keep going if they wanted to.
Thankfully both Netflix and Hulu Plus have it so I'm watching it off Netflix because no commercials. They even have a Japanese and English audio choice so you can either watch Japanese with subtitles or English Dub so that makes it nice incase you prefer English Dub like I generally do, although Naruto Shippuden in Japanese is actually better as far as the sound of voices goes. English Naruto just sounds so screechy and annoying that you don't care what situation he is in you just want him to stop talking.
I'm putting it out there, SAO is stupidly overrated. The second season is also stupidly boring to boot. The setting takes a rather annoying turn in that season and gives way to a much more generic and annoyingly overdone bad guy. Dot hack sign told the story better over a decade ago from today.
Is it just me or is every episode with the least amount of Index appearances the best in the show named after the said character? One of the worst characters in any show, ever.
I've also come to the conclusion that on top of wanting to see preteens naked the Japanese people watching these must also love them some female domination. The amount of scenes where male characters are pummeled, bit, slapped and bitched at by the female characters is ridiculous.
(04-01-2014, 11:09 PM)GameWizard001 Wrote: English Naruto just sounds so screechy and annoying that you don't care what situation he is in you just want him to stop talking.
I've never watched the English dub but I always imagined he sounds kinda like he sounds in this:
Okay, I know I'm complaining a lot about the show but... The first 5 minutes of episode 11 in Index season 2. What on earth were they thinking? This has got to be one of the most absolutely retarded episode openings I've ever seen in my life. Honestly, even King Star King was this friggin' brain numbingly stupid.
Just... Come on. Leave the little girls alone. Leave the pervyness aside. Stop ridiculing every single other character in the series that isn't Index and making that wench look like the victim. And who on earth measures ANYTHING by going on their knees and hugging the thing being measured?
During embarrassing moments like this I hate myself for even liking this show... Can't we just get to the good parts already? And no, I don't mean sexying up the kids when I say that. I ain't a pedophile, unlike the apparent demographic of this show.
Cross Game is pretty great with some down to earth and relatable characters. Not a big fan of baseball, but the matches kept me interested and they didn't stretch out any of the segments and managed to avoid padding. This is probably due to a large focus of it being on the drama, which never piles on too thick and it just being the right amount to really care about the characters (with Aoba being my favorite). Probably my favorite sports anime.
Should probably watch more episodes of Space Dandy at some point. Didn't care for the first three episodes as the show just basically consisted of boob and 4th wall jokes that overstayed their welcome with the show's only good purpose being that it's nice eye candy.
Well I just finished reading Steins;Gate and I gotta say it is amazing, everything about how the characters mesh together and their interactions is hilarious, and the plot is so well written, the only thing I had trouble with was that the choice system in this visual novel isn't the traditional "here are your options" style. You just get a lot of emails and and sometimes phone calls from your friends throughout the story, you can choose to ignore the call/text or you can pick up the phone/respond to the text. This all can affect the game, more so the phone calls the texts don't really matter to much, but the phone calls can have a major impact on the game on whether you ignore them or pick it up.
Other than the weird way of affecting the story it was an amazing visual novel and I highly recommend it, and actually if you don't wanna have to download a translation patch and such that usually comes with getting a visual novel, the developers actually released an English version of this, it's $40 by the way.
Thoughts on 2014 Spring Anime So Far (Not counting second seasons/Continuations/Spin offs)
Baby Steps - It's a pretty bland anime about tennis so far that's not doing anything new in its genre and the execution leaves a lot to be desired. You can tell what's going to happen and the show doesn't even have good animation or decent character designs to keep you interested.
Haikyuu - While this is doing nothing new in its genre (sports) as well, this show proves that you don't have to ino order to be good You're introduced to two very likable characters who have to work together in the same volleyball team despite being rivals. The charm comes from the interactions between the characters, which I look forward to seeing more of. It also helps that the scenes and stylistic changes between look great, which I'm sure Production IG wanted to stand out after the success of Kuroko Basketball.
Captain Earth - This eye candy of an anime was produced by Studio Bones that features great animation with some mech designs that are pretty neat. That being said, I'm not really as interested in the story as some others are, especially since it seems rather bland thus far as the show seems to be doing some build up that lacks engagement. I want to enjoy the series, but everything about the story so far is just so unsubstantial. I'll give it more time.
Mekaku City Voice Actors - To those who don't know, my favorite animation studio and director is without a doubt Studio Shaft and Akiyuki Shinbo (who most either love or hate). Despite this being a work by them, I was hesitant due to the roots of the show being connected to Vocaloids, which I could never get into personally. Around the midway point in the first episode though, my worry was put to rest and I suddenly became engaged in the conflict that the MC was put into and I want to now see more, especially with the MC and the PC's interaction. Stylistically, this show looks good thanks to Shaft and the original character designer.
One Week Friends - Before you start thinking "Oh, it's 50 First Dates", I'd recommend giving this show a shot as it's one of the best to premier thus far. It's a very adorable story that manages to feel very genuine and not contrived like the premise may first seem. I'd say one thing that helps is that the artstyle and atmosphere in the show reminds me of that of Usagi's Drop, which felt very humane and endearing. The show doesn't play up the kids and idiots either, making it one I'm really looking forward to more of.
Ping Pong - Ahh, director Yuasa! His unconventional directing style gives the show it's own special flare that blends in with the matches quite well, making it an experience like none other sports anime. Smile and Peco (the main characters) also seem to have an interesting relationship with one another and I'm looking forward towards more of this show, especially with the introduction of the Ping Pong player from China.
The Comic Artist and Assistants - Typical fanservice shit that's unfunny and dumb in a amusing way. Good thing each episode is shorter than an average one.
The World Is Still Beautiful - Along with One Week Friends and Ping Pong, this is in my top three new shows to premier this season, which surprised me as I didn't expect much first going into it. The show does a good job of worldbulding that doesn't rely on loads of exposition that would be bore people and instead manages to make it quite engaging as you see Princess Nike and the Prince interact, who both come from different backgrounds. With the second episode, it already has landed my favorite scene so far that involved a captivating and beautiful scene where Nike was at a belltower and it was filled with a great amount of emotion and love. Check it out.
No Game, No Life - Honestly, I can view the series being a complete trainwreck or something special depending on what direction the story heads into, but I liked the first episode well enough to keep watching more and hope for the latter. I'm really curious as to what the conflicts are going to revolve around and the last bit of the episode where the MC doesn't want to go to the real world is making me engaged to see what his comparisons between the real world and the fantasy world he is in are.
Maybe it's because I recently finished Sword Art Online and both take place in a different world that is not theirs and follows different set rules, but I'm worried that it may have Desu Ex Machina BS and have plot points that go nowhere as they just browse the fantasy world. Hopefully it isn't, but that's one of the things that came to mind.
After now watching the second episode, I can see it going downhill though. Seems like just a pandering mess that takes a lot of focus out of the main story, which was basically what the first half of the episode was. I'll still follow to see how it comes along.
Daimidaler - PENGUIN DICK PENGUIN DICK PENGUIN DICK. Oh, and awful animation that anime from a decade ago can surpass. Absolute shit.
(04-18-2014, 04:21 PM)Mass Distraction Wrote: I really need to rewatch that show. I've never seen all of the episodes and after reading the manga I got sad when it ended.
I'll make a final decision once I'm done watching, but I was thinking about picking up the manga. I do really like the girls, especially the one who seems to be hated by all cats. I just want her to be happy! She's the kindest out of all of them.
(04-18-2014, 04:21 PM)Mass Distraction Wrote: I really need to rewatch that show. I've never seen all of the episodes and after reading the manga I got sad when it ended.
I'll make a final decision once I'm done watching, but I was thinking about picking up the manga. I do really like the girls, especially the one who seems to be hated by all cats. I just want her to be happy! She's the kindest out of all of them.
Oh yes, Sakaki was definitely my favorite character too. I do suggest getting the manga, there's only like three parts and those can be found relatively cheap.
