What series are you quarantine binge watching right now?

[Last Sinner]

Originally Posted by 0cean

I don't recommend binge watching that one. It could lead to depression. It's one of those shows that can really get under your skin. Even though I can't think of a second show that manages something like this. Maybe Narutaru, but it's been so long, I've forgotten why I'm terrified of it.

Depression...seriously?! Kon did take you for a mindbend, admitted that humans were the true horrors of the universe and that the females of anime can never exist in reality. But Kon could make you laugh at the same time.

Originally Posted by Haak

Well there's virtually no chance of me watching it at any rate higher than 1 ep per week anyway but thanks for the heads up. I still need to catch up on this season's anime. XP

Name one thing from this season that is remotely close to Paranoia Agent. I can't remember a season in the last decade I kicked to the kerb faster than April 2020. Except for maybe April 2019.


My binge watches? Hakumei and Mikochi, Mardock Scramble and Amanchu S1. Hopefully I get the state of mind to get through something else soon. Because when you find two titles that become top 10 of all time for you, it's damn hard to move onto something else. Amanchu ended up being a good choice overall since it was nigh impossible for anything else to reach the heights of the other two.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Just completed Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou (Girls' Last Tour) over the last few days. I've been aware of the series since its original broadcast in 2017, but never got around to viewing it while it was current.

It seemed completely appropriate to watch a post-apocalyptic story in these current times. I don't regret it one bit. The show reminded me heavily of the original Kino no Tabi, which remains head-and-shoulders above the recent second season (I was disappointed in that production overall, despite a few decent episodes). And Girls' Last Tour was easily the best "philosophical" anime I've watched since Houseki no Kuni.

[SeijiSensei]

I consider Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryouko one of the gems of 2017, indeed one of the best shows I've watched in the past few years. It's so simple yet often so profound. (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhZLL8-zWwE.) There are two manga volumes which complete the story after the anime ending. I hardly ever read manga, but I'm glad I read these books.

Shadow Star Narutaru has the most deceptive first episode I've ever seen. It's a very disturbing show, one that I was sorry I had begun showing to my then 12-yo daughter. In particular

Spoiler:

a middle-school girl is raped by another girl using a test-tube. The bully threatens to kick the girl in the groin and shatter the glass.

[Last Sinner]

Girls Last Tour is in my top 10-15 of all time. It should be heart-crushing given the world has effectively ended. Yet that duo ends up showing what was good about humanity and the things that made life worth it. I'm not surprised it's relatively unknown. Made in Abyss had the attention of the relative masses in the latter part of 2017 then Devilman Crybaby somehow became the magnet in early 2018 along with Violet Evergarden.

Speaking of early 2018, after starting it tonight, I will get through Scum's Wish this weekend.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I consider Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryouko one of the gems of 2017, indeed one of the best shows I've watched in the past few years. It's so simple yet often so profound. (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhZLL8-zWwE.) There are two manga volumes which complete the story after the anime ending. I hardly ever read manga, but I'm glad I read these books.

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

Girls Last Tour is in my top 10-15 of all time. It should be heart-crushing given the world has effectively ended. Yet that duo ends up showing what was good about humanity and the things that made life worth it. I'm not surprised it's relatively unknown. Made in Abyss had the attention of the relative masses in the latter part of 2017 then Devilman Crybaby somehow became the magnet in early 2018 along with Violet Evergarden.

Well, the biggest hit for me from 2017 was Houseki no Kuni. It was an absolutely wonderful production, not just in terms of its 3-D animation and cinematography, but also for its intricate sound design. But the even bigger bonus was the story, which inspired me to delve even further into parts of Buddhist philosophy I had only known in passing, but am now more familiar with.

I'd highly recommend it for those who haven't yet watched it.

Both Houseki no Kuni and Girls' Last Tour are deeply and profoundly concerned about what constitutes life's meaning. The mangaka for Houseki no Kuni approached the question from a Buddhist perspective, tapping on her own experience in having studied in a religious school.

It's interesting to learn that the mangaka for Girls' Last Tour was influenced by Haruki Murakami in her youth. I can see how that experience has rubbed off her (but I do worry about her mental health, because her casual art suggests a high degree of suicidal ideation). But, for me personally, Girls' Last Tour reminded me more heavily of the Myth of Sisyphus, as portrayed by Albert Camus.

Existence has no inherent meaning on its own, and to be alive is to be engaged in a constant, meaningless struggle, not unlike the ultimately futile task of pushing a heavy boulder up a slope only for it to roll down the other side, requiring you to repeat the task over and over again. But the struggle itself is what defines existence and reminds you that you're alive, so that is why you'll continue to do it anyway.

The anime leavens this apparently depressing outlook with the Japanese concept of ikigai, where a life goal that's aligned with all your personal values is what makes existence meaningful. And that's why the show as a whole becomes so much more gentle and yet profound in the end.

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

I will get through Scum's Wish this weekend.

I loved Scum's Wish. But popular opinion on it is extremely divided. I felt it ended the right way, but not everyone will agree. I wish you luck.

[MeoTwister5]

Well finally finished all available seasons on BHA and OPM. Will watch either Dororo or Vinland Saga next. Which of them would be better to start as change of pace after the madness that was One Punch Man?

[SeijiSensei]

Vinland Saga has more generalized gore and mayhem (they are Vikings after all) than Dororo if that helps. Often Dororo's companion Hyakkimaru fights various demons and supernatural beasts in some intense battles.

VS is more "realistic" in that it has none of the supernatural phenomena which underpin the plot in Dororo.

YouTube

https://youtu.be/yZ-sz5Vyl1s

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YouTube

https://youtu.be/hHvXpLvkwsA

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[TinyRedLeaf]

Well... I just binge-watched all four episodes of the 2003 OAV, Hitsuji no Uta, having only just discovered that it was created by the mangaka (Kei Toume) who also wrote the currently airing Yesterday wo Utatte.

...and colour me very surprised. "Lament Of The Lamb" is so tonally different from "Yesterday" that it wouldn't have occurred to me that they were by the same author.

I had stumbled on this OAV in 2009 completely by chance, and according to my journal, I liked it instantly. I don't think I was being honest, haha, because the only thing I remembered about it till tonight was the image of a cherry tree, and the lingering message: "What lies beneath the cherry tree?" I didn't even remember that it was about a couple of siblings cursed with vampirism!

That said, Toume's approach to vampirism is nowhere like the shallow excuse of a popular meme that litters mainstream TV anime today. Rather, it reminded me heavily of Anne Rice and I briefly wondered whether Toume could have been inspired by "Interview With The Vampire". There is a certain erotic fascination to "Lament Of The Lamb" that you won't likely find in contemporary anime — the fact that it was an OAV probably allowed it to deal more freely with the mature subject matter.

In any case, it's far more likely that Toume was inspired by Motojiro Kajii, the Showa-era poet-author who penned the famous short story about corpses buried beneath the cherry tree. The story is so influential that it has become deeply engrained in the Japanese cultural zeitgeist.

[MeoTwister5]

So ended up starting Kaguya-sama: Love is Wat after realizing that I needed some easier to watch after all the stuff I see on a constant basis as a medical frontliner.

So after 2 episodes in I have to ask... is this how France and Germany felt back in 1916?

[TinyRedLeaf]

Finally caught up with Drifting Dragons.

I had misgivings about watching or supporting a show that appeared to romanticise whaling. In the end, I still have some misgivings about it, but I can at least say it's not as bad as I feared.

The world-building in this fantasy is top-notch, and does a very good job in showing how its ecosystem works, and the complex relationship between hunter (the drakers) and prey (dragons). There is an implicit message of inter-dependence, and a respect for the life taken in the hunt.

I especially like the fact that, in a crew full of men, the only four women on board the Quin Zaza dragon-hunting airship fulfil the most critical roles: the lead draker, the pilot, the chief engineer, and the main character, Takita (voiced by Sora Amamiya, aka, useless goddess Aqua), the heart and soul of the crew.

[MeoTwister5]

So I'm binging DanMachi right now. Just finished season 1, will start season 2 next week.

On for non-anime... I'm going through the R-Rated Harley Quinn series which probably one of the most hilarious shows I've seen in years. It's so unapologetically violent and irreverent.

And, surprisingly, I'm also enjoying the heck out of the She-Ra remake on Netflix.

[Dawnstorm]

I've just watched Madlax for the first time. Given that I loved Noir and liked El Cazador de la Bruja it was high time I got around to it. It's the most plot-focused of the trio and does a spectactular job at the set up and bringing the plot strains together, but for my taste they drew out the conclusion too much and the very end was a little strange. The soundtrack was great (but you expect that from Yuki Kajiura).


I realised once again that I miss Bee Train. They haven't really done anything since Hyougemono, have they?

[SeijiSensei]

Not that I know of, no. I was surprised to see them as the studio for Hyouge Mono since I associated their work with the trilogy you mentioned.

I'm rewatching Flip Flappers and admiring it even more this time around. Studio 3Hz did great work on that show and Princess Principal. I see they're not involved with the PriPri movies, and I don't recall seeing any other series by 3Hz lately either. According to their Wiki page, they were supposed to be releasing a new series in collaboration with P.A. Works based on a video game, A3!. They had various corona hiccups, but I see ten episodes at a well-known torrent site. Didn't seem to make much of a splash here in the States. I might give that a try after Flip Flappers.

[Last Sinner]

Finally got the right mood to get through Scum's Wish over a few nights. I'm glad I did. For a cast so very loaded with generally initially unlikeable characters for the greater part and for being so against the grain for a title involving romance, it was very refreshing. I respect it for managing to make a plausible outcome which is likely not what a lot of people would have wanted but what the characters generally deserved/became better for.

[SeijiSensei]

Well it turns out A3! is actually being streamed at Funimation. That said, despite its illustrious origins, I could only watch 2 1/2 episodes. It was clearly adapted from an otome game with one female surrounded by a bunch of men. The idea of a show about a theatrical troupe was encouraging, but limiting it to a bunch of male actors left me cold.