What anime are you watching now?

[Daxter]

Finally got back to watching Boruto yesterday. Denali’s character growth has been very great to see even though there have been entire seasons not featuring him. I am just now at the part of his first mission as captain. The connectivity of storylines is really good too as Sarada’s team has a mission going on that will naturally cross with Denki’s team. Having Kagura involved with the latest arc should make for some good fun too as it is two episodes in, and there have already been various deaths.

[Animedragon]

Over the past few days I've watched the BanG! Dream Movies. All were enjoyable to watch, but were a mixed bag.

Film Live 2nd Stage: A music video featuring several of the bands from the franchise in a music concert setting. It is what it is, the artwork and animation were very good, some of the bands were better tha others but overall the songs were good. Of course, being a music video there was no storyline.

Roselia 1- Promise and Roselia 2- Song I am: Two movies featuring Roselia, one of the better bands of the franchise. Both have excellent artwork and animation and a good storyline telling the story of the bands formation and progress and some great songs. Overall an impressive couple of movies.

Poppin' Dream!: Poppin' Party, another of the better bands of the franchise, along with a couple of other bands are invited to play at a concert in Guam. The storyline contains most of the incidents that would be expected from such a scenario, but manages to be decent story with a fair amount of humour. The artwork and animation are both of good quality, and the music was good as well.

[Varia]

On 11/22/2023 at 4:45 PM, Varia said:

I'm on the verge of finishing the Evangelion T.V show, still need to watch the movies, but I'm going to watch the 2nd-to-last episodes tonight.

UPDATE: I finished Evangelion on Thanksgiving night, not gonna put a review or spoilers here just figured I'd mention it.

[Animedragon]

12 hours ago, Varia said:

UPDATE: I finished Evangelion on Thanksgiving night, not gonna put a review or spoilers here just figured I'd mention it.

So what did you make of episodes 25 &26 ?  Personally I thought them a bit of a bodge and over the past 25 years I've heard loads of different reasons why they were done the way they were.

[Bulletje76]

Watching the Bungo Stray Dogs. I like it. Now starting S2

[Ohayotaku]

Decided to give Apothecary Diaries another try & watched through episode 7. While I’m still not as hype for it as most people I see commenting on it, it’s at least interesting enough I’ll probably stick with through the end of the year anyway since there’s obviously some overall plot now. But I don’t really feel for the characters the way others do or as I do for characters in other series that hit me in the feelz. Dunno, maybe because I’m watching Frieren at the same & enjoy it more. The one area Apothecary Diaries does stand out is visually.

[KaiyaSaysHaiya]

I binge watched Given with a friend a few weeks ago, and it was pretty good! always love to see that LGBTQIA+ representation <33

[Daxter]

Watched two more episodes of Boruto. This Land of Water, it will always be Waves to me, arc is refreshing in not only seeing Denki and Sarada as Chunin, but also in getting Kagura back. I originally thought this arc would be short but it continues to grow to where now, I think it will take up about half of the season, or 13 episodes.

There was a good fight between Kagura, Kawaki, and Tenma and it was ended on plot so there will be room for more. It seems Boruto took the Naruto model but added Shippuden storytelling as the engine. So now you get missions with a very standard premise that open character layers, various story threads going back 200 episodes, and actual weight happening. Naruto did this but the timeframe was very condensed. Boruto has done that too but this is the third or fourth time now to get an arc this massive based around something so trivial.

This is why I will always say if you look at Boruto for what it is and is trying to do, it is a great show. Much better than the original Naruto, but far from Shippuden. The episodes support this too as Boruto has more episodes than Naruto but less than Shippuden. I will be looking forward to hopefully watching more later today.

[Varia]

On 11/25/2023 at 3:08 AM, Animedragon said:

So what did you make of episodes 25 &26 ?  Personally I thought them a bit of a bodge and over the past 25 years I've heard loads of different reasons why they were done the way they were.

I'm hoping you're asking what I thought about the quality of them, because that's what I'm about to answer lol, correct me if not.

I think they were an interesting way to conclude the show with ending it on the central theme of the show, but it felt a bit rushed, and unfulfilling. To be fair, I've only finished the show and have yet to watch the movies, which I hope expand on the conclusion a bit more.

[Ohayotaku]

Shangri La Frontier episode 9 - So funny seeing Psyger-0 acting like the love-struck school girl she is in IRL when her avatar looks more like Alphonse Elric.

 

Glad she was able to at least get on Sunraku’s “friend” list, though he proves to be the typical male protagonist, managing to overthink things while still being totally clueless about her true intentions

And Pencilgon proves that the sexiest girls are at least a little bit crazy.

Edited November 27, 2023 by Ohayotaku

[Daxter]

Watched a couple more episodes of Boruto. I am really enjoying this Funato Clan arc. Solid character moments and the darker death themes happening throughout and not just the start or end is keeping me engaged. Not a lot of action so if you are in it for that, this would not be for you. But if you are a fan of tight storytelling, this arc is right up there with the Victor and Deepa arc which is impressive.

[Animedragon]

17 hours ago, Varia said:

I'm hoping you're asking what I thought about the quality of them, because that's what I'm about to answer lol, correct me if not.

I think they were an interesting way to conclude the show with ending it on the central theme of the show, but it felt a bit rushed, and unfulfilling. To be fair, I've only finished the show and have yet to watch the movies, which I hope expand on the conclusion a bit more.

Yes, that's what I was asking. The movies do try to expand the conclusion a bit more.  It seems to me that they've spent the past 20 or so years releasing movies to try and find a proper conclusion to the story.

[Animedragon]

I finished rewatching Insomniacs After School today. Overall I enjoyed the series as much this time round as I did first time round. I think that this is one of the best new anime this year. As is often the case there are rumours circulating about a possible second series, but I'm not so sure a second series would be a good idea.

[Ohayotaku]

Attempted watching the new My Hero Academia OVA episode, but the subtitles are out of synch, will try again later.

Got current on Dr. Stone. The showdown between Senku & Ibara was really tense with the advantage shifting multiple times, making the resolution really gratifying. Wonder what they’ll do with 3 more eps left in the season.

 

[Animedragon]

I finished rewatching the first season of Chihayafuru this evening. The story is about a group of high school students who play karuta, a card game based on the 100 poets anthology and quite popular in Japan. On the face of it it sounds like it would be quite a dull series, but it isn't, the storyline is really good and is very well paced. The artwork and animation are excellent and it has a good cast of characters each with their own distinctive personalities and each undergoes quite a bit of development as the series progresses.
Overall I found this series to have a very engaging storyline as it follows the contestants through the highs and lows of playing Karuta at competition level, which can be very demanding.

[Varia]

On 11/27/2023 at 10:00 AM, Animedragon said:

Yes, that's what I was asking. The movies do try to expand the conclusion a bit more.  It seems to me that they've spent the past 20 or so years releasing movies to try and find a proper conclusion to the story.

Oh that's great! I've only got my hands on one of the movies and need to get my hands on the rest.

[Daxter]

Watched some more Boruto yesterday and this Funato Clan arc continues to be executed well. Some predictable twists with unexpected turns happened which helps continue the excitement. I am now convinced half of the season will be dedicated to this arc which is really good to not only reward the anime audience, but allow for a more engaging story.

[EnviousEnvy]

Currently watching Chainsaw Man because I have insomnia and can’t sleep. 

[Daxter]

Still catching up on Boruto, but the Funato Clan arc remains solid. The Seiren fight was cool, though it feels like a watered down Neji vs. Kidomaru fight. More of Kagura’s backstory and seeing the relationship between Metal and Hebiichigo is a nice foundation for this arc too. Time will tell if Chojuro does something meaningful.

[Ohayotaku]

Started watching Yuzuki-san Chi no Yonkyoudai. Would recommend to anyone who enjoyed Kotaro Lives Alone, more upbeat while still delivering the feelz. 

[Animedragon]

I've now finished watching the second series of Chihayafuru. With the school karuta club established and up and running this series follows the club members as they compete in individual and team tournaments and it's not all plain sailing for them. The storyline continues to be well paced and while it focuses on the games it does so in a way the conveys the excitement of the players and the gameplay without it becoming boring or tedious. We also get ot see some real character development.
Overall the series continues to be a very enjoyable one to watch.
Although karuta is a card game it is classed as a sport because it is played competitively. However, unlike most sports there are no professional players and there is no prize money for the winners of the tournaments, all they get for winning is a certificate and, if it's an important enough competition, a trophy.

[Soramee_]

I just watched the 10th episode of 16bit sensation another layer and yeah it just keeps getting better and better. i don't wanna spoil because you seriously need to see this anime. it's such a masterpiece

[Animedragon]

4 hours ago, Soramee_ said:

I just watched the 10th episode of 16bit sensation another layer and yeah it just keeps getting better and better. i don't wanna spoil because you seriously need to see this anime. it's such a masterpiece

I'm intrigued by the premise of 16bit sensation and it's on my list of series to watch, when it finishes airing, I have no patience these days to wait a week or so between episodes!   I've seen a few reviews of it and opinions range from "it's a masterpiece" to "it's total rubbish", I've seen a few clips on YouTube and it looks like for me it'll end up somewhere in-between those two extremes, but time will tell (there's sort of a series related joke somewhere in that comment ).

[Daxter]

I watched some more Boruto this weekend. I can safely say this Funato Clan arc is the best side arc of the series. I have not seen this level of investment in a side arc in the franchise since the Sora arc in Shippuden. At this rate, only two episodes of the season will be left when it is done. I saw the legendary Boruto crying meme, but it definitely did come at a sad and dark time. 

[Ohayotaku]

Migi & Dali episode 11 while none of this week’s revelations/ developments were particularly surprising, the way they played out still felt shocking. And with 2 more episodes left it seems likely there will be at least a few more twists before the end. With it’s surreal & macabre tone, the series frequently approaches the level of horror instead of just mystery. I definitely consider it one of the season’s under appreciated series.

Edited December 12, 2023 by Ohayotaku