What anime are you watching?

[Taiso]

I took in Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms a couple of nights ago.

It's really pretty fucking great, but if you're expecting action, you'll be sorely disappointed. The animation is pretty good but the heart of this story is tied very much to accepting the cycle of life, dealing with grief and loss and being able to accept the decisions you've made.

It's also concerned with preserving things that should be either left to die or that should be allowed to fade into memory and legend. The message is clear: if we preserve institutions and fantasies because we don't know what we'd do without them, we not only become trapped by those static ideas, rooted in a past that no longer applies to our present circumstances, but we become paralyzed and unable to move forward because we fear a life without them. It will also run the risk of putting us in a position where we will hurt others in service to ancient ideals.

It's very much a movie about the cost of one's conviction, a message that is resonating very greatly with me right now, given some of the other things I'm reading and watching these days.

Sometimes you have to let go. In fact, most of the time, letting go is not only the correct choice, it's the ONLY choice.

I'd give it a 4 out of 5. The pacing can be dreadfully slow at times despite being rife with time jumps. This movie is, sometimes, meant to be 'experienced' rather than considered. If that makes any sense.

 

[Taiso]

I watched the first episode of Ubel Blatt and felt let down.

The manga is so gorgeous to look at and the anime is just so ugly and a lazy production.

The first episode gave me the impression that this is a budget release the studio was contracted to work on, rather than a passion project by its animation team. If you want to know what a true love letter is to an anime's source material, check out Delicious in Dungeon.

Ubel Blatt's biggest problem, as adaptations go, is that it can't be faithfully animated without a ton of censorship. It is burdened by the same adaptation challenges as Berserk, which also faced serious alterations in the transition to another medium.

I wouldn't call the manga for Ubel Blatt a 'masterpiece' but it is an outlier in terms of what is currently popular in the mediums of anime and manga and that, alone, makes it worth a look. I don't think it's sophisticated enough that the seinen snobs would rate it very highly but it's too dark for it to be comfortable with the isekai and LITRPG crowds.

I will probably watch the entire series but given the poor production values, I will probably end up disappointed. Baner of an OP, though.

 

[Taiso]

The production values pick up significantly with episodes 2 and 3 of Ubel Blatt. The pacing is a fever dream, though. Things just...happen and you're expected to keep up. This show does not care if you understand what's going on or not. It just figures you'll catch on eventually...or won't.

A dramatic departure from the pacing of the manga, where things make a whole lot more sense.

The censorship in the anime is a huge buzzkill, though. I understand why so much of the content had to be cut for the adaptation but it essentially defangs the story. I'd definitely call it exploitative at times, but I grew up reading Heavy Metal and I have media literacy.

It's not that I need to see these things in the anime. It's just that the people behind this production lack the imagination to present the information from the censored scenes in another way.

 

[Tron]

Last month i did finally finish off watching part three of megazone 23 i'll just say my least favorite part of the trilogy still it was fine.By the way has anyone ever buy from cdjapan ? I see there selling the macross dyrl 4k set at a good price.

 

[Taiso]

I've bought from CDJapan but not in a very long time since I have a Kinokuniya Books within driving distance and they can usually special order anything I want as long as it's fairly recent. Older stuff is a little dicey in terms of availability.

If you're worried about reliability, rest assured that CDJapan will not send you shit quality. I've never received anything from them in less than stellar condition. They're the ones I got my Dragon's Crown soundtrack from, as well as various volumes of the special editions of Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt mangas.

Unless their quality has gone to shit in the last few years, I wouldn't be concerned.

 

[Tron]

I've bought from CDJapan but not in a very long time since I have a Kinokuniya Books within driving distance and they can usually special order anything I want as long as it's fairly recent. Older stuff is a little dicey in terms of availability.

If you're worried about reliability, rest assured that CDJapan will not send you shit quality. I've never received anything from them in less than stellar condition. They're the ones I got my Dragon's Crown soundtrack from, as well as various volumes of the special editions of Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt mangas.

Unless their quality has gone to shit in the last few years, I wouldn't be concerned.

Ok i was checking i never bought from them before.I looked around for feedback on cdjapan and the response was rather mixed if anything at all.

 

[Taiso]

I am sure CDJapan doesn't have a 100% perfect seller rating (or whatever) but people are also huge faggits so they tend to complain about everything. I can only share my personal experiences and those have been all good as it regards their service.

 

[LoneSage]

I don't know anything about Bubblegum Crisis aside from always wanting to buy the DVDs at Best Buy 25 years ago but never doing so. A few nights ago I saw a video about AD Police Files, which is a three episode OVA. It's a dark, grim, depressing cyberpunk future that feels a bit like Ghost in the Shell with its theme of blurring the lines between humanity and machines.

The third episode is about a cop who gets turned into Robocop addicted to drugs and ends up going out of control. The only human part of his body that remains is his tongue, which he bites to remind himself that he's a man and still exists.



Anyways, a shame it was only three episodes, and not even 40 minute episodes but just 22 minute ones.

Getting back to Bubblegum Crisis, AD Police Files is a prequel to that which takes place five years before. I was thinking of finally getting around to watching BC and anything else in this franchise. Any opinions on any of the BC series?

 

[Yamazaki]

Just realized Netflix brought out a Garouden anime adaption.


Too bad it looks like shit....

at first I didn't even realize it was Garouden. Just thought it shares the same name.

 

[max 330 megafartz]

I don't know anything about Bubblegum Crisis aside from always wanting to buy the DVDs at Best Buy 25 years ago but never doing so. A few nights ago I saw a video about AD Police Files, which is a three episode OVA. It's a dark, grim, depressing cyberpunk future that feels a bit like Ghost in the Shell with its theme of blurring the lines between humanity and machines.

The third episode is about a cop who gets turned into Robocop addicted to drugs and ends up going out of control. The only human part of his body that remains is his tongue, which he bites to remind himself that he's a man and still exists.

View attachment 83611

Anyways, a shame it was only three episodes, and not even 40 minute episodes but just 22 minute ones.

Getting back to Bubblegum Crisis, AD Police Files is a prequel to that which takes place five years before. I was thinking of finally getting around to watching BC and anything else in this franchise. Any opinions on any of the BC series?

Bubblegum crisis is really really fucking good and has such an over the top 80’s style to it. You will not be disappointed

 

[BeefFieri]

Getting back to Bubblegum Crisis, AD Police Files is a prequel to that which takes place five years before. I was thinking of finally getting around to watching BC and anything else in this franchise. Any opinions on any of the BC series?

BC is amazing. It's a must watch and an all time classic like Akira, Dragon Ball, and Ghost in the Shell.

Good job watching AD Police first. Watch Crisis then Bubblegum Crash. Haven't seen Crash yet, it's the sequel but the bluray is on backorder so I'm still waiting to watch it. There's another spinoff called BC Tokyo 2040 but I heard it's not as good as the old stuff.

Watch out for dem Boomers.

 

[Average Joe]

Bubblegum Crisis is peak anime.

 

[Yamazaki]

BC, Dominion Tank Police etc. are a jump back into a time where life as a youngster seemed easier and happier.

at least on a subjective level.

 

[Tron]

I am sure CDJapan doesn't have a 100% perfect seller rating (or whatever) but people are also huge faggits so they tend to complain about everything. I can only share my personal experiences and those have been all good as it regards their service.

Good to know then i made a account there yesterday and order the macross dyrl 4k set.

 

[Taiso]

Good luck. Let us know how it goes!

 

[OMFG]

A bit late to the party, but I've recently started to watch Armor Hunter Mellowlink. It's pretty good and has that Mad Max/Lone Wolf vibe in the similar universe as Votoms.

 

[Taiso]

I love you guys, I really do, but we should just rename this thread 'What Old Anime Are You Currently Watching?'

No homo.

RE: Bubblegum Crisis and related.

Crisis is good.

Crash is skippable.

The original AD Police 3 part OAV was okay. The episode 'Sage references is the clear standout. Maybe for anything related to this franchise.

The AD Police TV show and 2040 are nostalgia bait, but I give AD Police credit for trying to expand on a part of the story's world that is ripe for exploration.

 

[Average Joe]

Been watching Frieren and it is quite fantastic.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but the slow and contemplative pace thus far has been rather welcoming. There's been brief spurts of action, but clearly the focus is meant be about the moments of levity and self-reflection between those moments.

Absolutely beautiful animation with some truly stellar accompanying musical pieces; might be one of the better modern examples of these two elements working in harmony to emphasize a mood/feeling.

 

[BeefFieri]

I love you guys, I really do, but we should just rename this thread 'What Old Anime Are You Currently Watching?'

Is there any anime worth watching that was made after like 2010?

 

[Taiso]

Beff:

See below. This response was to Average Joe but you might find something worthwhile in it. Or not.

The OST for Frieren is by Evan Call and it's an absolute masterpiece. It's ridiculous how good it is.

I see Frieren as being about the meaning of one's life in a world that ages while you do not. Primarily that and not wasting opportunities to be a bit more selfless. Himmel is a guy that is okay with dying. He wouldn't be 'the hero' if he was afraid to die. That acceptance of his own mortality is precisely what makes him so influential to everyone he travels with. Even Frieren is moved by his knowing his place in the world, even though she doesn't realize it until he's long gone.

One of my favorite parts of the series is when Frieren and her new companions go to this town where they're celebrating the heroes on their holiday. There's a statue of them in the center of town and everyone's having a good time. Frieren asks one of the townies if he thinks they'll still be celebrating this day in a hundred years and he says 'oh yes, definitely.' Then she asks 'what about a thousand?' and he says 'Well, I don't really know about that. Who can say?'

Then in other towns, people are already forgetting. I remember the episode where they find Himmel's statue in a forest and it's fallen into a state of neglect. It's literally the exact opposite of what the other town was doing.

There's a very interesting examination of history, memory and the value of good deeds. These people will never know how close they came to being killed by demons. There are a lot of relevant analogies to our own lives to be found there.

And no, I'm not talking about this in a spiritual sense. The demons could be analogies to any threat that has been staved off in the past that current generations don't seem to have any real appreciation for. As loathe as I am to invoke any part of Godwin's law, nazis are a perfect analogy.

To me, Frieren is a Berserk tier story and I don't say that lightly. I know people have called it a slice of life fantasy but I think that is totally wrong. It's subtle but it is very much about connections, bonds and the value of one's actions.

 

[SouthtownKid]

Been watching Frieren and it is quite fantastic.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but the slow and contemplative pace thus far has been rather welcoming. There's been brief spurts of action, but clearly the focus is meant be about the moments of levity and self-reflection between those moments.

Absolutely beautiful animation with some truly stellar accompanying musical pieces; might be one of the better modern examples of these two elements working in harmony to emphasize a mood/feeling.

It's so good, and completely different than what I would have expected.

 

[Taiso]

Now you fagets need to watch Delicious in Dungeon and Orb: On the Movements of Planets.

You will see.

EDIT: And Vinland Saga.

 

[Tron]

Good luck. Let us know how it goes!

Success,i got my macross dyrl 4k set recently from cdjapan looks like i will be giving them more business in the future.The set is two disc on UHD and bluray and it has english subtitles for both.Picture quality is very good and it puts my bootleg i have on dvd to shame.

 

[konrad]

Dragón ball.

 

[Yamazaki]

Good to know then i made a account there yesterday and order the macross dyrl 4k set.

CDJapan used to be one of the biggest music and co sellers from Japan for an outside audience.

not sure if that changed.