... Back to watching anime after some years... can't find any tile to my liking

[xxanimefan4_ever]

check out slayers next on hulu. it's the second season of that series and the best.

[arachni42]

Originally Posted by Maerskian

@arachni42

Thanks a lot for your time on this quest

Haha; it is tough since you've seen like 10 times as much anime as I have and don't have simple tastes. I like threads where people give lots of feedback. I'm also glad to hear that you like Tutu.

Hmmm... have you seen Black Butler? It's not exactly a masterpiece but could be an entertaining watch.

Originally Posted by Maerskian

- Madoka :

As all of you said: interesting art/animation in the beginning..... just 2 episodes for the time being; the first minutes on episode one raised my hopes.... while the 2nd one focused too much on the stereotypical mahou-soujo doing whatever she wants smiling & not even breaking a sweat ....

That is exactly what the second episode wants you to think. I'll be interested in reading your reaction to the rest.

[Maerskian]

Time to update & reply again

@Dawnstorm

I get your meaning, here. But I think I'll have to point out a misunderstanding about the show: in Moshidora the girl doesn't play baseball; she's the all-boys team's manager (taking over from her ill friend). The show impressed quite a lot of people. I think it's a fairly formulaic, decently entertaining show. Avarage. That is until the last two (or next-to-last two?) episode when it suddenly becomes outstanding.

Also: the show doesn't actually focus on playing the game so much, as it does on what makes a good team.

Thanks for the advice (really ) . At first, i find the art quite discouraging ( i'm referring to the AniDB typical art ) ... although to be completely honest.... if i had to judge anime series from what i see on AniDB ... i'd hardly pick a couple of titles.
Ok, there it goest to my list as well.

I'm watching series mostly based on how fast i find 'em .... although i'm having some issues with the new 10-bit releases since i watch anime on a Popcorn A-200 .... plus my computer is 8-9 years old (needless to say, i'm no gamer), so for some reason, i still can't recompress 10-bit releases into 8-bit, even if it seems quite easy .... need some more time to figure this out... as it's blocking me series...

Definitely give it a try. It's the only master piece in it's year (I think). I don't know how to explain; it keeps looking like your straightforward collect-the-swords plot, but it's always somewhat off, until the odd pay-off at the ending.

I always thought the art style was an anime take on those woodcuts, but I'm not an expert on either art styles or Japanese woodcuts, so that might not be true. It's part of the concept, though. You'll get used to it, I'm pretty sure.

Dling it as i write; hoopefully it won't be a 10-bit compressed encode .

The best one in recent years, IMO, was A Channel. It's utterly unexceptional, but excellently executed. Its main strength is the use of setting to enhance the mood (give the opening of episode 10 a try to see a good example). And you can tell the animators were fond of their characters. There's only one thing I don't like, and that's how the characters often look like their faces have been treated with furniture polish. (I don't like those glowing cheeks and foreheads...)

Already saw this one when it was aired.
There's a funny fact about this strange genre of slice of life/light-comedy/slow paced series :

Since Azumanga Daioh ( IMHO, of course ), each series closer to this genre were increasingly one or two steps behind AD .... and the next one was slightly worse than the previous attempt and so on ( Minami-Ke , Pani Poni Dash, Hidamari Sketch, School Rumble .... not in chronogical order ... ) ............... until Nichijou raised once again to AD leveles.... or maybe even surpassed 'em....

From my point of view, A-Channel was (still is ) the one at the bottom of the list... and the first one i didn't keep ... unfortunately there's not much to say about this series.... just 2 characters to take the leader roles ( one of 'em being almost mute ) and the others just seemed fillers....

This season, there's Joshiraku. It's adapted from a manga from the same guy who did Zetsubou Sensei, and you can tell by the odd-ball humour. It's slow to be subbed, so I've been watching the raws, too (despite being absolutely bad at Japanese - I never get more than the gist of it).

Yay!!!!! Thanks-a-ton for this one !!!
Got the episodes already.... but still need to figure how to play 'em on my popcorn

I also sort of liked Kill Me Baby; high school girl tries to keep high school girl assassin busy so she doesn't kill people. It's a three-person only show (plus an unused character, but they don't really use her) - literally. The main duo, plus a comic relief ninja. No class mates, no teachers. I shouldn't have been enjoying this, but I was sad to see it end.

Nice one, thanks-a-lot ..... aaaaand... another one stuck with playback problems


@xxanimefan4_ever

check out slayers next on hulu. it's the second season of that series and the best.

Hmmm... not sure about this one. Disliked ... to say the least... the first season... not too fond of .... anything .

@arachni42

Haha; it is tough since you've seen like 10 times as much anime as I have and don't have simple tastes. I like threads where people give lots of feedback. I'm also glad to hear that you like Tutu.

Thank you for this . I feel kinda guilty by using this thread as some kind of blog so ...

Hmmm... have you seen Black Butler? It's not exactly a masterpiece but could be an entertaining watch.

Nope.... but just added it to my list ; it's not easy to filter names when you've been out some years.... so i'd rather have a list as long as possible.

That is exactly what the second episode wants you to think. I'll be interested in reading your reaction to the rest.

comments on next post

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Maerskian

I'm watching series mostly based on how fast i find 'em .... although i'm having some issues with the new 10-bit releases since i watch anime on a Popcorn A-200 .... plus my computer is 8-9 years old (needless to say, i'm no gamer), so for some reason, i still can't recompress 10-bit releases into 8-bit, even if it seems quite easy .... need some more time to figure this out... as it's blocking me series...

I'd try a player based on the mplayer code base. Give SMPlayer a try. Here's the Windows version. The Linux versions are usually available from your distribution's repositories.

[Maerskian]

Update on series i finished and/or still watching:

-> Claymore Finished .

Has a weak start, but manages to be entertaining afer 5-6 episodes .... it even makes you think something interesting is on the way.... but fails miserably towards the end ... in fact, it leaves the impression that you watched the whole series for nothing... and leaves you clearly waiting for a second season.... i found this quite pretentious considering they din't offer much to keep anybodys hope....

All in all... i feel thankful to Claymore for letting me slip into anime series again, although in a few years, will surely forget about it...

-> Steins Gate Finished

There's mixed feelings on this one. Overall, i must say i liked it.
In the beginning it was hard to cope with the main character and his unnecessary & persistent silly jokes .... plus the harem/ero-game-like environment didn't help much either .... but the sci-fi plot was attractive enough to keep me going.

The moment the main character left aside all those stupid jokes, i was even hoping to be on my way towards some kind of evangelion-like finale ......... but got punched back with a romance/Japanese Novel-oriented ending .... not what i expected.... but oh well.... it was more than entertaining in the middle, liked the work from the seiyuus as well .... so i'm happy with this one, and will keep it .

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Watched 6 episodes and i'm about to go for the seventh when i send this message

... about episode 3 .... well, didn't cause much of an impression to be honest... that made me think for a minute.

Watched so many animes .... and already went through several titles of this "new wave" animes that mix extreme/gory violence with innocent looking characters ( Elfen Lied , Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni , Elfen Lied , Gunslinger Girl, etc... ) ... but never found any of 'em impressive to be honest; liked Gunslinger Girl 1st season ... found Black Lagoon ( well... there's only a pair of innocen looking characters here ) entertaining ... but that's all there is to it.

The type of designs used on these type of series lack the elements needed to have a convicing violence.... all those cuts, mutilations, etc... made effortlessly and poorly animated doesn't reach me at all.... it's like everythng happens just because .... same reason why i can't stand One Piece, where everybody develops new (often silly ) moves & abilities .... just because ( yeah... i know.... those characters took some training sesions.... although just one time..... one in 500+ episodes... that doesn't justify much ) .

... back to madoka :

after episode 3 ... things go back to what it was.... way too predictable, uninteresting mechanized mahou-shoujo like battles ..... mahou-shoujo like reactions .... and Madoka still has to sign up as a mahou shoujo ... an event hard to look forward ....
At least, battles are colourful & nice to watch thanks to those desings & drawings ... but that won't be enough to keep this one.... not to mention that.... for the purpouse of just looking colourful eye-candy backgrounds, could use my time looking at Aya Kato portfolio or Shintaro Kago mangas just to name some ...

Kemono no souja 3 episodes so far.... about to watch ep 4 in a few minutes

Nothing remarkable so far .... not bad, not exceptional .... in the league of so many classical-style series for all the family .... but there's a long way to go, so let's see what comes next.


BT'x & Fuuma No Kojiro : Watched the first episode of each series ..

think i'll need time to get used to the mood of older series .... so crude for a comeback.... plus it doesn't look as it'll be much better in the future .... as much as i loved the original saint seiya series + hades arc... not to mention Kurumada's designs.... truth is, the rest of his works are quite lame.... hope i'm mistaken with these two....

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While looking for this thread's recommendations, came across some (initially) interesting titles i'm trying to get hold of :

K-on! : yeah, i'm aware sackett named it earlier ... but needed one more push on this one.... and that was a comment remarking that, asides from one video in the middel, this is not a series revolving around music.... and mostly being azumanga-luckystar-like .

Binbougami ga! ... not sure if it'll be worth trying ... but somehow could have potential

Jormungand Supposedly another "Black lagoon"-like anime


Dororon Enma-kun: Meeramera Comedy with a slight touch of old-school & ecchi

Ristorante Paradiso At least seems original

Hen Semi

Kami-sama no Memo-chou Kinda jigouko-shoujo looking ?

Kuragehime

that's it , more updates coming soon

[Maerskian]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I'd try a player based on the mplayer code base. Give SMPlayer a try. Here's the Windows version. The Linux versions are usually available from your distribution's repositories.

Problem is i'm using a Popcorn A-200 media player connected to my 50 inch plasma screen to watch anime . My old computer don't have problems playing these files.... ( not those at 1080p obviously, i'm getting 720p releases ) ... but doesn't even have a decent video output, so can't use it for playback purpouses.

I plan on buying an up-to date HTPC , but that'll be on a year or so... not right now.

[Sackett]

You got to episode 6 and you still think Madoka is normal magical girl fare?

Spoiler for Madoka Episode 6:

The cute weasel mascot ripping the souls out of girl's bodies and turn it into gems is normal?

Oh well... to each their own I guess.

[totoum]

Originally Posted by Sackett

You got to episode 6 and you still think Madoka is normal magical girl fare?

Spoiler for Madoka Episode 6:

The cute weasel mascot ripping the souls out of girl's bodies and turn it into gems is normal?

Oh well... to each their own I guess.

Also

Spoiler for episode 5 and 6:

The normal mahou shoujo mechanics would have had its title character actually be a magical girl by now instead of preventing that from happening,not that madoka doesn't want to but homura keeps her from doing it.
There's also the fact that Sayaka's values would be highly respected in a normal magical girl show and here they just come across as foolish

[Maerskian]

@Sackett & Totoum

No, not saying Madoka is a regular Mahou Shoujo anime .... it's easily the most risky out of all of 'em, and i'm thankful to everybody that insisted on this one, since i'd have skipped it without second thoughts.... but it turns out that, wheter you like it or not, is one of those series you (at least) need to watch.

My comments comes from comparing Madoka to all genres, not just mahou-shoujo series... among those, this could easily be the one.... but still, seems like isn't reaching my "to keep" standards yet.

After watching episode 7 all i can add is that i liked the almost silhouette animation for the battle there... a change of pace in the art style is quite welcome .

Madoka still has to sign up as a mahou shoujo.... and there's just 5 episodes left ... but according to the Intro/AMV-spoiler... it'll happen.... oh my... still can't make head or tails out of the reason why most anime series have such Openings full of spoilers

[Tempester]

Originally Posted by Maerskian

... but according to the Intro/AMV-spoiler... it'll happen.... oh my... still can't make head or tails out of the reason why most anime series have such Openings full of spoilers

Spoilers

Spoiler for not really a spoiler

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

[Sackett]

Okay. Glad you think it's worth finishing then.

It will be interesting to see your reaction to future episodes.

PS: In case you didn't figure it out this anime was sold as a "happy magical girl story" in all the previews and initial marketing. I mean... just consider the Official Trailer. Have you ever seen anything more deceptive?

I guess that made my reaction different, since it wasn't sold to me as a "dark" magical girl story.

[CeDeR]

Have you already watched the berserk movie? or the latest Hellsing OVA?
also

Broken Blade (bunch of movies)
Denpa Teki na Kanojo
Hunter x hunter 2011 (remake)
Fate/Zero (two seasons)
Trigun: Badlands Rumble (bad ass movie if u liked trigun)

And yes we dont get good mature anime anymore...

[Dawnstorm]

Originally Posted by Maerskian

From my point of view, A-Channel was (still is ) the one at the bottom of the list... and the first one i didn't keep ... unfortunately there's not much to say about this series.... just 2 characters to take the leader roles ( one of 'em being almost mute ) and the others just seemed fillers....

It's a bit sad to hear that, but I can't honestly argue against anything you said. I can totally see that interpretation. (One thing I might add: I personally think A-Channel's legacy is more Ichigo Marshmellow than Azumanga Daioh.)

I wonder what you think about Working! (if you've watched it).

Also, I quit on K-On about 4 to 5 episodes in. People say the second season is better, but I wouldn't know. I found it... bland (and considering I like A-Channel so much, I don't know why; many people compared the two shows.)

***

@Madoka:

... about episode 3 .... well, didn't cause much of an impression to be honest...

Actually, to me episode 3 wasn't a game changer; it's just the episode where the pacing picks up. To me, the early episodes were ruled by the Shinbou/Kajiura combo: both are at the top of their game, with Shinbou being unusually disciplined and Kajiura once again creating a style distinctive to the show (rather than repetitive of her past efforts). Also, there was Sayaka who basically summed up two seasons' worth of mahou shojou lessons in episode 2. And, of course, Kyubey.

The show isn't perfect, but it's one of the four master pieces (IMO) in 2011 (the others being Hourou Musuko, Steins;Gate and Usagi Drop).

Thinking of Shaft reminds me of Denpa Onna; you might give that one a try.

Also, maybe Ben-to. I find it brilliant in the beginning, though it starts to take itself too seriously in the middle, and while it gets better near the end, it never quite recovers. Still, it's worth a look. (It's about a battle royale for half-priced food.) [ETA: Oh, you've already seen it. This thread is massive. I miss things.]

K-on!

Be sure to tell us what you think. I'm especially curious (see above).

Binbougami ga!

I can't tell whether I like the show or not. It's... odd. Definitely give it a try; it's ideosyncratic enough to have potential.

Jormungand

Quit after one episode, but haven't actually given up on it. Season two in Fall, I hear. So who knows? It appears to be a strange combo of deathly serious and comedy silly. Not sure what to make of it.

Dororon Enma-kun: Meeramera

Not my style, but definitely interesting. Give it a try.

Kami-sama no Memo-chou

There've been a couple of mystery shows around that time; it looks promising but it ended up boring me. I quit at episode 7, and that is a very rare place for me to quit. It means that I tried hard to like it for the potential I saw, but it was ultimately not to my taste.

Shows in that genre I liked better:

Dantalian no Shouka: Episodic, with each episode having a slightly different style. There seems to be a greater mythology that ties the show together, but that part wasn't that well executed. I didn't really get the ending. The episodes, though, were great.

Un-Go: It takes a while to get going, or maybe I took a while to get used to it, but once you're in, it's quite good. There's a movie/OVA, which is episode zero. Be sure to track that down, too, if you watch the show. It's the best thing about it, IMO.

Finally, Tasogare Otome x Amnesia was surprisingly good. I didn't expect much, but it was actually coherent and a well told story. It threatens to leave off near the middle, but it makes a pretty strong comeback. Very nice colour play.

Kuragehime

Ooh, definitely watch that. Just be aware that it doesn't really have a satisfactory ending, leaving several threads up in the air. It's still well worth watching. One of my favourites in that year.

[zarqu]

Originally Posted by Maerskian

.... eyes-popping .... SHIGURUI ... eyes-still-popping

Haha! The last time I visited this thread, I had already typed out a post praising Shigurui (since you had already seen Texhnolyze and liked it). Then I just thought: "This guy has seen so much, so no way in hell hasn't he seen Shigurui already".

As for what has been suggested: You say you don't like Hellsing. I take it you mean the TV series? In that case I can only second the Hellsing Ultimate OVA series. It's nothing special, just very good over-the-top and badass action. Or well, it's special in the sense that it's among the most enjoyable action series I have watched.

[Maerskian]

Back to my regular update... this time took me a little longer to come back, but

wanted to finish/ go further into some series in order for my words to carry more

weight.

@Tempester

Finally, i understand what you meant there

@Sackett

Okay. Glad you think it's worth finishing then.

It will be interesting to see your reaction to future episodes.

PS: In case you didn't figure it out this anime was sold as a "happy magical girl

story" in all the previews and initial marketing. I mean... just consider the

Official Trailer. Have you ever seen anything more deceptive?

I guess that made my reaction different, since it wasn't sold to me as a "dark"

magical girl story.

Already finished with this one, so will reply in the next message, anyways .... i

was wondering myself how distorted my approach on Madoka could be since i just

started watching it after being recommended on this thread.... would it be different

if i just watched it randomly ? .... knowing myself, i'd surely have dropped it

after 3 episodes or so...

I never watch (watched) trailers or AMV's for anime since i mostly dislike 'em ...

so usually, just checked anidb.... and ... oh well, with such description, picture &

sub-genres, surely wouldn't give this show any chance, so thanks everybody for this

one

@CeDeR

Have you already watched the berserk movie? or the latest Hellsing

OVA?

Didn't even knew about these new Berserk movies but ...... this is quite a sensitive

matter:

For me Berserk is way too high on my standards, ranking easily as my favorite

title for action/adventure/magic/etc etc .... and yep... i'm basing my opinion on

the manga since the series just show the beginning... and changed way too much tiny

details ( violence asides, they even changed the European-style hammers for japanes

ones on the tv series .... ) . Even with that, i still got a nice taste from the TV

series.... and fear this new adaptation so much i'm not even sure i'd dare to watch

it.... already read some discouraging comments on it by the way.

As a side note:
I always thought to myself ( still do ) that... if someday i win some of those

big-ass lottery prices... i wouldn't buy a big house, expensive cars etc.... not too

fond of that lifestyle anyways... but instead, think i'd pay Kentaro Miura and a

personally selected crew of Japanese & Russian animators ( and all type of classy

staff of course ) to make the best possible adaptation for Berserk.... and of

course, finish it ..... just focus on that. Would throw away most of my mony on it

LOL !

Hellsing

As much as i enjoyed watching Alucard doing his thing on the final episodes ... i

disliked everything else on the original series. Precisely, the only thing i like

was a couple of scenes of him going berserk ( finally withouth those IMHO annoying

guns ) ...

I raised my hopes with the new ovas & the massive praise of 'em .... but then again,

i found the same animal.... annoying characters with annoying names & Alucard the

vampire .... with guns.... at this point, i must specify i particularly deplore

strictly-gun action .... bores me to death.... like more the sword/fist or even

magical type for action matters.

Broken Blade (bunch of movies)

Added to the list, thanks !

Denpa Teki na Kanojo

Not too fond of short ovas/movies .... unless they're extremely

surreal/experimental/etc.... but will give it a try.

Hunter x hunter 2011 (remake)

Didn't enjoy the first series ... or so i remember.... is this one different enough

?

Fate/Zero (two seasons)

??? ... has this one something to do with Fate / Stay night ?
Never liked that one.... but what always amazed me was that it had TONS of fans

worldwide

Trigun: Badlands Rumble (bad ass movie if u liked trigun)

Guess it's not for me then.... forgot to point before that i'm not into gun/action

oriented series

And yes we dont get good mature anime anymore...

Actually, after starting some of nowadays series ... i though the amount of low-rate

anime was unusually high, so googling around came across many opinions pointing out

that very fact... that we'll never see more Lain/Texhnolyze/Monster/etc etc etc...

type-series anymore at this rate.... so this thread was like one last try for me to

find something.... watchable to say the least.... and hey, it's been quite

successfull so far

@Dawnstorm

It's a bit sad to hear that, but I can't honestly argue against anything you

said. I can totally see that interpretation. (One thing I might add: I personally

think A-Channel's legacy is more Ichigo Marshmellow than Azumanga Daioh.)

Will make a reference to this on my next message... but even if i put A-Channel at

the bottom and didn't keep it... it's still better than other on this genre... at

least, they tried.

Not sure how it compares to Ichigo Mashimaro ( loved it BTW ), although you're right

... it's not so Azumanga either .... maybe more on the League of Minami-Ke (

antother nice one... not so high on my list, although a keeper for me ) ?!?

I wonder what you think about Working! (if you've watched it).

Didn't know this one, so ... it's on my list as well , thanks

Also, I quit on K-On about 4 to 5 episodes in. People say the second season

is better, but I wouldn't know. I found it... bland (and considering I like

A-Channel so much, I don't know why; many people compared the two shows.)

Cough cough .... will talk about it later.

Actually, to me episode 3 wasn't a game changer; it's just the episode where

the pacing picks up. To me, the early episodes were ruled by the Shinbou/Kajiura

combo: both are at the top of their game, with Shinbou being unusually disciplined

and Kajiura once again creating a style distinctive to the show (rather than

repetitive of her past efforts). Also, there was Sayaka who basically summed up two

seasons' worth of mahou shojou lessons in episode 2. And, of course, Kyubey.

The show isn't perfect, but it's one of the four master pieces (IMO) in 2011 (the

others being Hourou Musuko, Steins;Gate and Usagi Drop).

Will talk about Madoka later, but at least i must say that Steins Gate made

it to my keep-list ... sadly enough it had potential for more, but it was quite

entertaining at least.

Just added Hourou Musuko to my list .... although after reading the

description at AniDB ... ain't sure what should i expect here... comedy? slice of

life ? .... a cross of several genres ? ( no pun intended )

Thinking of Shaft reminds me of Denpa Onna; you might give that one a

try.

For some reason the art on anidb made me remember that show about a squid-girl ....

supposedly to be a great comedy... but seemed way too repetitive & naive in the end.

Added to the list as well

Binbougami ga! , Jormungand , Dororon Enma-kun: Meeramera .... still need to get a

playable rip on these ones ....

Dantalian no Shoka
Un-Go
Tasogare Otome x Amnesia

And all of 'em added to my list, thanks for these ones

Kami-sama no Memo-chou & Kuragehime

Well, still on my list ... but will need some time to get to 'em


@Zarqu

Haha! The last time I visited this thread, I had already typed out a post

praising Shigurui (since you had already seen Texhnolyze and liked it). Then I just

thought: "This guy has seen so much, so no way in hell hasn't he seen Shigurui

already".

Shigurui probably means the same to me as Berserk on its genre .... there's no

samurai anime series like this one ... would probably spend my lottery money on

an extended version of this one as well LOL ....

As for what has been suggested: You say you don't like Hellsing. I take it

you mean the TV series? In that case I can only second the Hellsing Ultimate OVA

series. It's nothing special, just very good over-the-top and badass action. Or

well, it's special in the sense that it's among the most enjoyable action series I

have watched.

My problem with hellsing is that i can't stand mostly each & evey character, his

annoying names ... not to mention the usual useless-girl .....
Not fond of guns either.... and as far as style goes.... seeing a vampire dressed

with that hat & using those guns.... make it way too boring.... maybe i'll watch the

final ovas one of these days, hoping Alucard goes bersersk there as well.... meaning

he'll get rid of the guns & that hat ... will start growing his hair and finally

looking as he should be... ....

[Maerskian]

And now... the promised update on what i've seen/i'm watching so far:

Finished
--------

Madoka Magica :
Maybe the most expected review i guess ...

Well... i must agree with most of what has been said so far... definitely worth watching, a most deceiving start ... but with a nice ending. Will summarize the high/low points right now... but in the end... ( didn't expect it, to be completely honest ) .... will keep this one.

On the good side:

- As already said... it's (undeniable ... way too many cliches here... excessively focused on the sole figure of magical girls even defying logic ) on the mahou shoujo genre.... but ( i think ) it's the first one to establish the "mahou shoujo deconstruction" sub-genre, so +1 for being a pioneer, and hopefully a future reference.

- Second half of the series definitely catch you.... or not. This could be a good or bad point, considering it takes 6,5 episodes to start running. First half of the series can discourage most people, episode 7 just give you a hint of what's about to come ...

- Colorful battles, even emulating cut-out & silhouette animation & even some CG-matrix-style , with tons of imagery on the background so you can't cope with everything on the first watch... unless you hit the pause button again & again; this adds an always important re-watch value.

- Animation flows smoothly enough.

- Nice & great plot twist. Deeply Mahou-Shoujish .... it lives up to its genre to the very end.... all the story & possible chances are heavily filtered through mahou-shoujo standards ... . Not nice for those that would rather something a little more.... logical. Personally, i liked it ... and must praise the very fact that they managed to fit the mahou-shoujo standards on a existentialist-leveled plot twist in the end... it even makes sense.... in a mahou-shoujo way LOL

On the dark side:

- Plain generic character designs, out from some ero-game/romance doujin ... mostly boring & forgettable

- 6.5 episodes to start running.... 2-3 more to reach the "need to watch everything in a row" point. It's a pity they wasted so much air time on such a short show.... but that's how it is.

- Mahou-shoujo logic to the very end... everything is seen through the eyes of a magical girl perspective... as i said, this will be bad for those that have a problem with that... i didn't

All in all, would say Madoka shares more points with Steins Gate than Evangelion.... in fact, it's mostly the same thing although in the most Mahou-Shoujish way possible.

Mitsudomoe 2nd Season:

Yes! ... i came through this one almost by accident.... in fact, i skipped the first season by accident and started with the the 2nd one without even realizing until i reached episode 5 .... shame on me .

Long story short: It's GREAT !!!! I hardly laugh watching anime, even if i like what i'm watching.... but must confess i couldn't help it a couple of times.
Seems like an upgraded version of Kyou No Go No ni, that was ok, but not on the same level. Character designs are kinda old fashioned, so couldn't possibly ask more.

Currently enjoying first season

Dropped
--------

BTX: nothing great to say about it.... way too rude on everything: battle moves, plot ....
The eternal Kurumada-flaw ( Typical Seiya-like character beaten to pulp again & again... although everybody praise him & point him as a special being after that and let him pass ... )
Way too many robots on screen for my taste, and boring battles with 80s rudimental animation & poor effects ...
Boring & discouraging in any possible way... with exception of some background orquestal sample melodies in the vein of Saint Seiya .


K-On Couldn't bear more than 2 full episodes. As pointed, this one is bland..... way too bland, way too naive in a deep japanese style. Did quick previews on the rest of the series and yes, as i read on some AniDB comments, this series is more focused on a group of girls sittin on table talking & going out from time to time rather than their musical career ... but the humor here is way too naive... or gentle. Not much SD effects here, nothing out of the mundane is said... a couple of typical cliches here & there... and that's it.

Maybe it's not the worst series i've ever seen ( there's a deep pit with tons of names for that ) ... first-timers introducing to anime could take a liking to this ( or anything else, let's be honest ) ... but IMHO it will hardly cause any impression on people that already watched a fair ( let's say 500+ at least ) number of series.

Shiki

Watched 7 full episodes, and did a quick-watch on the rest.

Nothing good to say on this one either: many generic-looking character designs of nowadays animes ( some of 'em were ok or even nice ) , too bland for its supposed to be genre, lack of charismatic characters IMHO ... and worst of all: very poor animation & effects, something crucial on any series depicting any type of violence.... since ropey animation just make you laugh/cry at any scene with some sort of violence. Current Naruto Shippuuden is a perfect example of it : right now they're animation one of the greatest ninja wars of all history.... but animation is so lame, poor, static ... that everything seems like a bad joke .... most backgrounds are ok, but that's not enough.

Shiki lack too much on this crucial point ... and even worse: the plot is unnecessarily slow ( needless to say at this point, i love slow animes ), characters actions and thinking process looks even kinda retarded... although i think this feeling is encouraged by the poor animation... and several other choices on the creative department ... so 1 plus 1 makes this series twice as hard to swallow.


Ongoing
-----------

Katanagatari

Now i finally understand why this one was pointed as something worth giving a try. Definitely, is hard to put in a few words the reason why...

Seen 6 episodes already ... and will follow through the end... although, right now doesn't seem a keeper, but it's entertaining enough.

It has his own ups & downs:

- On one hand, characters design is quite plain ... concerning the use of lines, but on the other hand doesn't follow the typical stereotypes and that's nice.

- As said, character designs are simple.... not too impressive... not standing.... but on the good side: animation is smooth, and the fact they used a more simple design surely helped .

- The fact that each episode's lenght is twice a regular one is great and leaves you with a different sensation... almost like it has a more relaxing atmosphere than usual.

- This show has ( should say had ) lot of potential.... but they waste too much air time with meaningless matters ( check episode 2 and all the air time they used talking about catchphrases ), introducing naive villains... honestly, most maniwa corps members looks like an excuse to introduce poor jokes, bland lines & ropey moves... or just move locations, show anything else... or just introduce some filler... this is quite clear each time the face a "real" foe, like any sword owner.

The female main character is hard to swallow ( for my taste ) and the male one isn't exactly one to nominate for the Charisma awards, although isn't an obnoxious one like his partner in crime; his sister is quite nice, but doesn't get too much air time.... and there's a big spoil at the end of episode 6 that makes clear that won't get to see her much more.... great !

- Sword's owners are precisely the most interesting part... too bad they intentionally skipped one battle, although it's forgivable since it helped Shichika's sisters to gain some air time.... even if it was sharing the scenario with those aforementioned filler-maniwa characters.

There's more positive random points/approachs through the series, like some side-characters, or even one of the maniwa corps, the flow of the series at some points.... but can't help to feel a certain sadness for everything this show could be and definitely won't ...


Mitsudomoe 1st season Enough said


Kemono no souja

10 Episodes so far ... and not sure what to do with this one at this point.
It's clearly on the league of "classical" tell-tale animes for all the family, not showing too much violence even on violent scenes, with a way too gentle/naive main young character, a couple of insultingly dumb ones here & there, a really bad-bad character on the long road to come.... etc... .

Don't get me wrong: this type of animes are nice from time to time, and already seen many classical anime series. Problem is, that usually this type of series lack innovation and can be way too repetitive for people that, like me, walked a long way already.

As many classical series, character designs are simple/plain and animation is just... enough to get going

Backgrounds are drawn in a way too different style, and at times the moving characters doesn't blend in ... that's a bad point considering nowadays potential, and definitely makes this series looks cheap.

Looks like the plot is segmented in several arcs. After 10 episodes, i have the impression that they aren't doing a good job keeping the intensity on each one, too much air time wasted on random events .... and then, lack of development on what could be more important... this looks like a deadly combination.

At this point, will need to ask you all if this series is worth watching until the very end. Don't have a problem swallowing 30 or so low-leveled episodes if the series finally develops into something greater ( Full Metal Alchemist comes to mind ) ... but if this is going to follow the path of most classical animes.... think it'll be enough to do a quick-watch on my computer...

Fuuma no Kojiro

2 Episodes so far. Far from great... way too many flaws... as rough as many old animes in any possible department.... but for the time being, will keep watching although it'll be just for nostalgia's sake.

[Dawnstorm]

Originally Posted by Maerskian

??? ... has this one something to do with Fate / Stay night ?
Never liked that one.... but what always amazed me was that it had TONS of fans

worldwide

Fate/Zero is a prequel to Fate/Stay night. As such, you know what sort of plot framework to expect. But the comparison isn't fair. I watched Fate/Stay night after Fate/Zero and... let me just say the difference in quality is unbelievable. On all levels. Fate/Zero is a lot better.

Just added Hourou Musuko to my list .... although after reading the

description at AniDB ... ain't sure what should i expect here... comedy? slice of

life ? .... a cross of several genres ? ( no pun intended )

I'm never sure what counts as slice of life, these days. To me, if it focusses on plot or character development, it's not slice of life.

I'd say Hourou Musuko is drama. The focus is on how transgender kids figure out their identity. It does have comedy moments, but they're more comic relief than the point of the show. Cross dressing is not an excuse for jokes in this one. It's part of the gender confusion soup, as the kids are looking for their identity.

For some reason the art on anidb made me remember that show about a squid-girl ....

supposedly to be a great comedy... but seemed way too repetitive & naive in the end.

Added to the list as well

Heh. I thought Ika Musume was entertaining but nothing special. It has spots of brilliance, but they are very rare.

Denpa Onna has nothing whatsover in common with that one. It's actually got a plot that sort of fizzles out after a certain event. But at least 3/4 of the show are great.

It's a show that lives from character quirks, but the characters aren't defined by their quirks. Great animation and music.

[Sackett]

Glad to hear what you though of each show.

Also glad to hear you liked Mitsudomoe, I didn't realize you were looking for something like that.

I'll think a little more if there is anything else I can think of to suggest for you.

[Dawnstorm]

Can you tell I'm having fun in this thread?

@B Gata H Kei

Originally Posted by Maerskian

hmmmm.... way too ecchi oriented to me.

Missed that.

Did you actually watch the show, or are you going on the concept? I passed that one on for a long time, for precisely the reason you quote. Then I watched it, and found I was wrong. It's really quite charming, the way the main character tries and fails to be "dirty".

[VampirePaladin]

Originally Posted by Maerskian

- As already said... it's (undeniable ... way too many cliches here... excessively focused on the sole figure of magical girls even defying logic ) on the mahou shoujo genre.... but ( i think ) it's the first one to establish the "mahou shoujo deconstruction" sub-genre, so +1 for being a pioneer, and hopefully a future reference.

As a magical girl fan I just want to point out that it is FAR from the first to do the mahou shoujo deconstruction sub-genre. As in the genre can be considered over a decade old.