What Anime and Animation are you currently watching?

[alexvss]

Shangri-la Frontier. A gamer addicted to trashy games joins the best VR game for a change (not without creating a ridiculous character ofc).

This is so good. I thought about just watching the first episode because I like seeing the beginning of things, but now I believe I’ll watch until the end (if it doesn’t jump the shark). Many “to-watch lists” have been placing this in the top 5. Now I can see why.

The animation quality is on another level. Not only is it the best of the season until now, but it is one of the best overall, especially the fight scenes. The story, although not even close to revolutionary, is quite good and managed to keep me hooked. It is goofy and trashy and cringy, just like the protagonist’s tastes, and that kinda is its appeal. I still don’t know if he’s going to get stuck in the game, but that’s what happens in VR isekai.

Recommended.

 

[alexvss]

Ragna Crimson. In a dragon-infested world, where dragon hunting is a very important occupation, the worst dragon hunter receives an extraordinary power (from his future self) to fight the beasts.

This is also a season entry that was hyped by “to-watch lists”. Sadly, I was disappointed. The dragons are very ugly and poorly animated. The animation overall is not great. And the story is kinda meh.

I like the worldbuilding though. To kill a dragon, they either freeze their blood instantly by slashing them with silver blades, or they expose them to the sun, which makes them go into combustion. It’s a mix of werewolf and vampire lore.

The battles, on which the dragons use their blood as weapons, are not well animated and look better in black and white.

The manga is better.

 

[alexvss]

Tokyo Revengers S3. The Tokyo Manji Gang faces Yokohama’s Tenjiku, the gang that Kisaki Tetta joined right after his expulsion.

More of the same. Tokyo Revengers has a cheap formula, but it works. It’s very addictive; it really makes you wanna know what happens next. And I really enjoyed this season’s pilot. It starts right after the last season left off. We get to know the officers of the Tenjiku gang, and they seem very badass. Asian gangs are suckers for ranks, most of them resembling the military, and this anime features that a lot (I’m a sucker for it as well). I wonder how the Manji Gang will defeat so many OP villains. Maybe they’ll have another gang join them, or maybe Mikey will just beat everyone’s ass.

The OP features the same song from the last season, and that’s a huge no-no. I’m a sucker for good anime OPs and EDs, so I was craving for a new song.

 

[Jeffbert]

JUST started The World God Only KnowS; which is a high school comedy/romance about aboUt who has little interest in anything other than computter games, who meets a demon out to capture LOOSE SOULS. Now in season 2.​

 

[J Riff]

Boxxo
Watched all Eps of Major and Ace of the Diamond, as prelude to the actual MLB playoffs. Pretty good, but AOTD has seemingly ended unresolved, which is mildly annoying.

 

[alexvss]

A new adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's magnum opus, AKIRA, has been announced. Otomo himself will direct it, once again.

I think this is totally unnecessary. There is absolutely no need to readapt a timeless masterpiece such as AKIRA. But, if Otomo himself is involved, there is still hope... I guess.

 

[HareBrain]

I think this is totally unnecessary. There is absolutely no need to readapt a timeless masterpiece such as AKIRA. But, if Otomo himself is involved, there is still hope... I guess.

The success of One Piece's live-action adaptation, thanks to similar involvement from the creator, means it's not an automatic fail. But agreed, I can't see the point of this. There might be a point if they were going to go for the full manga story, but I understand this is a single film, so that won't happen.

That said, I did quite like the fan-made live action trailer from a few years ago.

 

[alexvss]

Under Ninja. Kuro, a seventeen year old living alone in a rundown apartment, works as a ninja in Japan, where more than 200,000 ninja work in the shadows, even in the present day.

This is great! The first episode was well-directed. It starts in the “future” and then the flashbacks show you how the main character got there. This is not special per se, but it was done very competently. And the humor lands for me.

The same author did I am a Hero, and it shows. His protagonists are Japanese versions of The Dude. The protagonist is pretty much the same guy: scum in the eyes of society, but doesn’t give a damn. He is so low in life that even his name, Kuro, was wrongly given to him after his mother misinterpreted something his father said. Also, he has a girlfriend who’s as low as him.

And I just realized I’ve been watching too many similar anime (or, at least, anime that feel the same). I know it’s cliché to say this but… Under Ninja just hits different.

 

[alexvss]

Undead Unluck. A suicidal girl that curses anyone who touches her with unluck teams up with an immortal to find the perfect way for them to die.

Another great entry this season. The idea feels fresh, and the humor lands. The power system is very interesting. The undead guy cuts his limbs and uses his infinite blood as propulsion, so he can fly. Oh, and of course there’s an evil organization that hunts people like the two protagonists.

Recommended.

 

[alexvss]

Spy x Family S2.

This season’s first episode was a filler episode, but it was great nonetheless. Normally, you know when an episode is filler because of its low quality, but I know this one is filler because I read the manga. It will pass as coming from the manga for some people.

Spy x Family really is special. Even the fillers are great!

The new OP is my least favorite though.

Highly recommended. The most wholesome anime there is.

 

[Swank]

Undead Unluck. A suicidal girl that curses anyone who touches her with unluck teams up with an immortal to find the perfect way for them to die.

Another great entry this season. The idea feels fresh, and the humor lands. The power system is very interesting. The undead guy cuts his limbs and uses his infinite blood as propulsion, so he can fly. Oh, and of course there’s an evil organization that hunts people like the two protagonists.

Recommended.

Leave it to the Japanese to find a way to see all the sexy humor in teenage suicide.

 

[alexvss]

Leave it to the Japanese to find a way to see all the sexy humor in teenage suicide.

They're great at sexualizing, that's for sure

 

[alexvss]

A new Netflix original cyberpunk animation series releases on Thursday. It's a French series (Ubisoft is in France) based on Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, which I haven't played. Looks dope. I'm a sucker for cyberpunk so I'll definitely be giving this one a go.

 

[alexvss]

Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix (Netflix Original). In a cyberpunk world, a terrorist is captured after a failed heist, so now he has to work for the government… Suicide Squad style.

A great “anime” by Ubisoft. It’s supposed to feature characters from Ubisoft games but I only identified one so far (from Assassin’s Creed). There are also a lot of scenes that are animated like video games. Oh, and about the heist that I mentioned: they were stealing a video game cartridge.

I’m a sucker for cyberpunk, and cyberpunk I got. Not only the aesthetic, but the philosophical aspects of cyberpunk are all there.

Metacapitalism is taken to another level. After a nuclear war, a corporation became so big that it absorbed everything. The company is called Eden, and so is the city, the burger shop, the TV channels… If you work, you don’t receive a salary; you receive Universal Basic Income, because you can only work for this corporation.

Oh, and the fallout created mutants that roam outside of the city. Because why not?

The introduction is just genius. If you’re not sure about watching this, or if you don’t like cyberpunk, just watch the opening sequence and see how they’re able to introduce the world in such a great way. After that, give the rest of the pilot a shot. It’s very well-structured. There’s a great plot twist that I really didn’t see coming. And then, what the hell just give the whole series a go!

Strongly Recommended.

 

[Jeffbert]

PLUTO プルートウ Premieres tomorrow; wonder if all 8 episodes will be immediately available or just 1 each week?

 

[HareBrain]

PLUTO プルートウ Premieres tomorrow; wonder if all 8 episodes will be immediately available or just 1 each week?

They're all there.

 

[alexvss]

They're all there.

I read the manga and I can't recommend it enough. I'm still to watch the anime though--wonder if they'll do justice to the source material.

 

[Jeffbert]

Interesting that the author pulled plot elements from all over the MIGHTY ATOM corpus. I expect no less from the anime.

 

[alexvss]

Interesting that the author pulled plot elements from all over the MIGHTY ATOM corpus. I expect no less from the anime.

He pulled so much he had to credit the original author as co-author.

 

[HareBrain]

I'd never heard of Mighty Atom (but then, I'd never heard of Pluto until the Netflix trailer).

On E3, and it's OK. The second half of E1, with the composer, was easily the best bit so far. Otherwise it's been generally quite interesting but sometimes not believable. The animation is mostly fine I guess, but some of the 3D is decidedly ropy. I'll give it another couple of episodes at least.