Ohayotaku

My own anime journey spans 4 decades it all started for me in the late 70’s/early 80’s when I saw Star Blazers (the Americanized version of theoriginal Space Battleship Yamato) while getting ready for grade school. From the subject matter, to the story continuity to the art style, eveything about it stood apart from the other “cartoons” that airedaround it (primarily Hana Barbera & comedic shorts like Loony Toons, Tom & Jerry, etc. ) I became so fixated with it I would even set my alarm clock for 6 am over summer break so I could watch it & go backto bed afterwards. Even when it went into reruns (they only had the first two arcs: Journey to Iscandar & The Comet Empire) I made it a point to watch every weekday when it aired. I remember seeing thedubbed version of the Galaxy Express 999 movie on tv around the same time & noticing it had the same style of characters. Battle of the Planets(Gatchaman) would also air sometimes before orbetween sporting events to fill air time, but I neverreally got into it. Over the years that followed , Iremember various other “cartoons” with similarities,some of which I now recognize as anime, thoughsome technically weren’t. Examples: Voltron, Mazinger Z, Thundercats, Beast Wars (TransformersCGI series), Mighty Orbots, Cyber 6, & Escaflowne.The one besides Star Blazers that had the biggestimpression on me was Robotech. That one getssome hate from hardcore otaku because it was 3 unrelated mecha anime (Macross, Southern Cross &Genesis Climber Mospeda) that were splicedtogether. But I enjoyed it & even read the novelizations that bridged them. My family didn’thave cable tv growing up, so my exposure was limited to edited/Americanized versions. My next phase started in the mid 90’s when I had my first full time job & started exploring anime on VHS tapes. Memorable titles from that phase includeProject A-ko, Ranma 1/2, Slayers, Tenchi Muyo, Nadia-Secret of Blue Water & Irresponsible Captain Tylor. Moved on DVD with titles like Outlaw Star, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop & Saber Marionette J. Thatwas also the phase when I started exploring subtitled anime more. Around 2010 my interest in anime waned. DVDs werestill petty expensive & increasingly things seemed tobe shifting to streaming. I lived in a rural area at thetime & although we had cable tv, a lack of reliable high speed internet made streaming not a viable option. I still enjoyed anime, but didn’t spend much time on it. Then around 5 years ago, my life underwent a pretty big shakeup. In the aftermath, I moved into town &started watching more anime again as a way of trying to recapture nostalgia. However, the increasedfreedom of streaming led me to explore a wider spectrum of what anime has to offer. I’ve found a number of anime, sometimes a single episode other times an entire series that seem to resonate with what I went through or where I am right now. Plus many others that addressed complex topics. Of course there’s plenty of the more escapist variety as well. I’m not sure where things will go from here, but seems highly unlikely I will ever completely outgrow my love of anime Edited December 8, 2021 by Ohayotaku About the only thing I’d add to this previous response is that I’ve always been fascinated with animation as a medium because of it’s ability to give form to worlds that only exist in imagination. Even when dealing with a realistic topic/subject, art style & character designs can add a level to it not found in the natural world. While this is not exclusive to Japan, the sheer amount of anime that is created on a seasonal/annual basis & the variety of genres explored seems many times greater than what other cultures produce when it comes to animation. Granted certain genres have been over represented & there are too many knockoffs without any originality in tecent years, but I still feel anime is the best representation of the medium’s potential.

A Couple of Cuckoos - yeah, this was an easy one-and-done for me Somehow managed to cram every harem trope imaginable into the first episode

A bit of a PSA/advisory to anyone considering Skeleton Knight in Another World. The opening scene is a very disturbing attempted rape by a group of bandits. Considering that the scene is replayed later in the ep as the course of events, really can’t help but see it as needlessly gratuitous. Fortunately the 2nd ep didn’t have anything like that & was actually pretty wholesome with the MC accepting a quest from a little girl who wants to help her mom & obtains a Pokemon-esque mascot character along the way. The 3rd ep is pretty typical for this sort of anime demonstrating that murder, rape, slavery & torture are standard practice for the bad guys & no mercy is shown to children. But fortunately it’s not as detailed as that first ep. And the MC disposes of them with extreme prejudice. Does seem like there will be a certain level of fan service as the female lead is pretty oppai, but again fairly standard stuff. I’m kind of on the fence with it. Despite being pretty violent, the MC’s personality is comically over the top (what I imagine Ainz Al Goown would be like if his human/player personality had remained dominant & same VA as Veldora from Reincarnated as a Slime with his trademark laugh).

I was considering setting that one aside because it was a bit dull, but dang if it ain’t the most wholesome romcom I’ve seen in recent memory, which does have it’s own appeal. Though I must confess I’m also smitten with Yuu’s mom

Ascendence of a Bookworm - watched the recaps for seasons 1 & 2 and got current on season 3.

Heroine Tarumono! Kiraware Heroine to Naisho no Oshigoto (aka Heroines Run the Show) - finding this to be pretty charming so far. Country bumpkin highschool girl gets a part time job as a gofer for an idol boys duo. Despite projecting an amicable public image, out of the spotlight they’re both pretty anti-social & are constantly bickering. Not sure if it will develop into a romcom triangle, but she’s already helping them develop more empathy for others. Currently more SoL with a combination of comedy & drama. My only complaint is Inori Minase seems to have made her voice higher pitched & more nasal for the MC which can be a bit grating.

I primarily use Anime News Network https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ MAL also has a news section https://myanimelist.net/news And Crunchyroll https://www.crunchyroll.com/news

Not sure about terminology, but it’s used to represent chuckling under your breath or tauntingly/mischievously. (usually at someone else’s expense)

@kitsu 2 possibilities that come to mind A Letter to Momo Gegege no Kitaro

Glad you decided to make it official

Have you seen Gou & Sotsu? Seems like a remake at first, but is actually a sequel.

Healer Girl officially passed the 3 episode test. Combination of CGDCT/SOL & Musical. Reminds me of Aria but a bit more energetic & not as imaginative or dreamlike.

@132ponk Do you remember if the kid was a boy or girl? Were they the main character?

Temps in the 30s & 40s all day. Actually sleeting right now. And now it’s snowing

Welcome to the forums, hope you enjoy it here Funny that I’d also gotten away from watching anime around 2010, but have been making up for it recently (still have a sizable backog though )

Of titles you mentioned I feel like Vanitas was the most solid. My biggest complaint was I wasn’t particularly fond of any of the characters. Vanitas in particular is intentionally obnoxious, but I’m more sympathetic towards him after learning some of his backstory in the 2nd cour. I feel like that there is a lot of potential for worldbuilding that hasn’t been realized yet & if it gets a continuation I would check it out. Tribe Nine: yeah that “incident” kinda came out of nowhere but honestly didn’t pack much of an emotional punch. And the series itself didn’t seem to have any real structure to it. I guess it was trying to be cool more than anything, but didn’t work for me even though I finished it. Love of Kill: again characterization was a weak point. The ML’s persistent unwanted advances made him pretty creepy & the FL didn’t have much of a personality, though it fit with the traumatic amnesia. It started to look promising when it started digging into their backstories & how they were connected to each other, but found the ending anticlimactic. Probably wouldn’t watch a 2nd cour/season. My favorites from the season were AOT (even though we have to wait until next year for the finale. And Demon Slayer (though the last fight relied too heavily on @$$pulls). As far as new series, I enjoyed My Dress-up Darling although it would have benefitted from less ecchiness IMO. A lot of folks were disappointed that it didn’t focus more on the technical aspects of cosplay, but the focus was much more on Gojo & Marin’s developing relationship. And liking what you like no matter what others think/say (a pretty relatable theme when it comes to anime & manga). The final ep went a long way in making me want to see the story continue. I also enjoyed Miss Kuroitsu of the Monster Development Department. Though it’s probably more of a niche title as a parody of series like Kamen Rider/Ultraman/Power Rangers. Though it does demonstrate some heart as well with some lowkey feelz mixed in with the comedy.

Maybe Vivi Flourite Eye Banner/Crest of the Stars

I would recommend Hakatta Tonkatsu Ramens & Akudama Drive if you like series with large “eccentric” casts. Baccano, Black Lagoon, Golden Kamuy & Steins Gate would probably work too.

Got those Gojo Satoru eyes

Welcome, glad you found your way here I’m in my 50s and show no indication of ever outgrowing it Not as active in manga & videogames as I once was. My taste in music is pretty much I know what I like when I here it, even if it’s cheezy Anyway, hope you find things that interest you here.