The Blue Dragon's story in Yona of the Dawn almost made me cry.
Good job, show.
Going to reiterate this because I am essentially experiencing the "moe through helplessness" thing except with a cute boy with really alarming superpowers because my god, he's so sad and cute and needs hugs and had the worst childhood ever but he's just so *nice.*
But yes, Seiryuu is best boy. I will brook no dissent on this matter.
Unless Yoichi is mentioned, in which case I will be horribly torn between two conflicting sides of my personality and be forced to compromise with the most awkward handshake ever.
Meanwhile, I have returned to the anime for Prison School after a very long time of being on hold (since the season it aired), and it is still as much my thing as it was before.
i haven't been watching much anime lately but i did finish season 2 of Log Horizon and start season 2 of SAO and i have thoughts and stuff
The second season of Log Horizon is a definite improvement over the first, imo. The first season had occasional moments of 'wow, i didn't see that coming!' but the characterization amounted to little more than running gags, and the gags weren't even particularly good. Season 2 develops Akatsuki and Naotsugu into actual characters, and also lets us see from the perspectives of other characters like Nyanta.
There is also a season 2 gag character called 'Leonardo' who is just constantly roleplaying the TMNT character of the same name, that was pretty great.
As for SAO . . . so far season 2 is certainly better than the first season, but i wouldn't recommend it. The villain is named 'Death Gun' and has the power to kill people in real life by shooting them in an FPS, so that's kind of fun. But the female characters are still relegated to supporting or spectator roles while Kirito is effortlessly good at everything.
Honestly, it's been so long that I'm not entirely sure. I'll probably just start it all over again later on down the road. I appreciated how the raid was basically like a more dramatic version of the goblins or whatever from the first season, except with so much more riding on it. Got a bit corny and dramatic, but it definitely nailed how that stuff has felt to me in the past (in my limited experience), and was all-around fun. It was also I also remember Nureha getting some more screentime, which I was hoping for, and made me feel for her more than I already did.
Part of why I didn't mind the first season so much is because it was very clearly about laying the foundation for a fair chunk of it, but going about it by way of community building and making something out of nothing was fun enough in itself. Plus it was nice how watching the characters solve problems, such as with the food, allowed me to try and make some guesswork happen with them and the world at large and give me that learning with them vibe at the same time. Not perfectly so, of course, since a number of the gags bothered me, felt like pandering, and took important time away from character and world development, but not overly so.
Nureha was another character i felt was much stronger in season 2, in season 1 i honestly didn't have a clue what she was even about
ordinarily i guess upwards of 3 episodes is more foundation-laying than i'm prepared to tolerate, with LH i didn't mind so much cuz the actual business of solving the problems the Apocalypse presented was actually very interesting and creative, you could tell the writers gave it a lot of thought
I don't personally mind extensive foundation-laying. That stuff... is just really fun, at times, for some reason? Not sure how to say it, but I think a clear (and subtle) building of expectations, all while letting me speculate without end about how all of these people will line up, or even how it can feel like a glimpse into how someone architects their background and whatnot is just great to me. For comparison, Akamatsu's notes at the end of every Negima! volume or so (I forget exactly, swear it was him and often though), were very much to my liking.
Nureha was for fun me in the first season because of the mystery; so, opposite reaction for the same reason. Helped by the fact that she came out of nowhere and could more-or-less go toe-to-toe with Shiroe, after all we've seen him pull off. And she's cute.
yes, it does sound like we had more or less the opposite reaction to Nureha.
i don't mind extensive foundation-laying if it's interesting, but there needs to be something to hold my attention besides the anticipation of some future payoff, if that makes sense? LH didn't feel to me like it was just scene-setting, rather it felt like the writers had a concept and were exploring its implications carefully, which was fun
i tried to read Negima! one time but couldn't get into it at all . . . i can't remember much about it other than finding it very much not my cup of tea, i didn't make it past the first chapter
Yeah, I can get that. Generally the stuff in that vein that I like isn't purely that.
Makes sense. All the reasons you could give are understandable, which I've heard a lot over my time. In my case I also had another person to frequently talk about the manga with. That was nice.
Waaaaait, that's the person who wrote House of Five Leaves! I knew I knew that name! And the adaptation is headed up behind the duo behind One Punch Man...?
Not sure about the premise but that's pretty intriguing.
Yeahhhh, the OPM crowd came more easily as opposed to the folks whom I know enjoy Ono, which I find silly since - although I am adoring MP100 - House of Five Leaves has always been relatively high priority on my PTW list. Speaking of, heck yes I'll need to remember to read this.
Also reminding me to check out ROD at soooome point down the line.
To my memory you've said at least once or twice that you find OPM to be a good show, and I try to remember my friends' tastes. And maybe...? Honestly, I'm bad with remembering what anime he does like, for obvious reasons.
OK, mid-season rumblings I have heard: - Orange is very teen melodrama-y but fairly well-written and the direction is legendary. - Berserk is mostly very faithful but aside from the talking scenes, the pacing and animation suuuuuck. - Mob Psycho goes from good to great over several episodes. - The first Yona of the Dawn OVA (or OAD, technically) dropped in the last few days and another is expected at the end of the year, likely in advance of a second season so GET HYPE. 0w0
There is more I am forgetting, I am pretty sure, but the Zeno Arc OVA is mostly what I care about because I am gay weeb trash who likes watching cute boys waste people. >___>;
(Which totally ignores the fact that Yona herself is great and Su-won is truly fascinating but I get ahead of myself here.)
I can sort of attest to Orange, although it worked in its favor for me, not that I can't see why it'd be off-putting to others. I've also heard the same for Berserk. Mob Psycho 100 is actually pretty great, especially after like episode 3 or so where it really picks up. Last two episodes I've found very enjoyable, and it's a rather relatable show that manages to make me root for and sympathize with everyone, even the nitwits. So I dig it.
^ Admittedly, I first noticed Yona waaay back because I thought she looked just so huggable, alongside the setting and character stuff. Then I heard she and others are great, so I'm like, well that's nice.
Also to add on to the above: I may post mainly comedic things with regards to MP100, but that's mostly because it's easy and I can be pretty lazy; the humor is varied and nice though there's much more to it than that, with the characterization and character dynamics sticking out to me.
Apparently there is an elaborate gag in, I think, the third episode, which just takes the show to the next level, but I have kept myself from being spoiled on it precisely because I want it to be novel for me.
So I've complained about this elsewhere already, and if you're following me you know what I mean. One of the most tedious aspects of fandoms, especially anime (and video games), are the sorts of fans throw a fit when they go in acting like show A will be like show B despite that very clearly not being the case, and act like show A tries to be show B. It's not even criticism but is nonetheless passed off as such too often in my experience. This was prompted by some very basic reviews from MAL and elsewhere on New Game!, and how people somehow expected Shirobako out of it. Which I find bizarre, since about the only similarities are that it involves cute professional women. The former's OP is notably different from the latter's, never mind that the two are different in length, Shirobako isn't nearly as cutesy, etc. Granted I have not (yet) seen it but this isn't, like, rocket science. Although my experience with both of these is limited, I think it's akin to going into Hibike! Euphonium expecting K-On!, given my understanding of the two.
And all of this is equally annoying as the people that actively watch slews of shows they don't like (emphasis on slews, since I know I've enjoyed one "bad" show a season), or decidedly not aimed at them, then complain about something being hot garbage. The entitlement, I swear.
^ The other way around, really, with the two Kyoto Animation shows you mention, although apparently the former has better character writing than people give it credit for? Either way, people going into New Game! expecting "the next Shirobako" rather than "eccentric work break antics with yuri subtext" really are looking in the wrong places.
In my experience it's more slanted thataway, but I have seen the reverse enough to be tired of it too, granted. I'll get to them both in time because I am a sucker for cute girls. For what they try to do, they both sound like they do it fine enough.
Though, yeah. It's just a comfy show with cute professionals (and geez do I want more "cute people doing cute things" past high school), workplace silliness, and some decent amount of yuri subtext. Well, save for Kou and Rin, who are all but there.
Just finished the twenty-scond episode of Yona and I was all "YAAAAAAY" until the last twenty seconds or so when I literally could not breathe because 0______0 and this show really knows how to hold my attention.
Comments
Togashi is better. Even if he is Schedule Slip Incarnate.
Good job, show.
GPOM.
Going to reiterate this because I am essentially experiencing the "moe through helplessness" thing except with a cute boy with really alarming superpowers because my god, he's so sad and cute and needs hugs and had the worst childhood ever but he's just so *nice.*
...I'll stop squealing now. >/////>;
*snoozes on*
Unless Yoichi is mentioned, in which case I will be horribly torn between two conflicting sides of my personality and be forced to compromise with the most awkward handshake ever.
The second season of Log Horizon is a definite improvement over the first, imo. The first season had occasional moments of 'wow, i didn't see that coming!' but the characterization amounted to little more than running gags, and the gags weren't even particularly good. Season 2 develops Akatsuki and Naotsugu into actual characters, and also lets us see from the perspectives of other characters like Nyanta.
There is also a season 2 gag character called 'Leonardo' who is just constantly roleplaying the TMNT character of the same name, that was pretty great.
As for SAO . . . so far season 2 is certainly better than the first season, but i wouldn't recommend it. The villain is named 'Death Gun' and has the power to kill people in real life by shooting them in an FPS, so that's kind of fun. But the female characters are still relegated to supporting or spectator roles while Kirito is effortlessly good at everything.
ordinarily i guess upwards of 3 episodes is more foundation-laying than i'm prepared to tolerate, with LH i didn't mind so much cuz the actual business of solving the problems the Apocalypse presented was actually very interesting and creative, you could tell the writers gave it a lot of thought
i don't mind extensive foundation-laying if it's interesting, but there needs to be something to hold my attention besides the anticipation of some future payoff, if that makes sense? LH didn't feel to me like it was just scene-setting, rather it felt like the writers had a concept and were exploring its implications carefully, which was fun
i tried to read Negima! one time but couldn't get into it at all . . . i can't remember much about it other than finding it very much not my cup of tea, i didn't make it past the first chapter
i dunno, i guess i just wasn't sufficiently curious about her in the first place.
Not sure about the premise but that's pretty intriguing.
that does look interesting, i'll be sure to check it out. thanks for calling my attention to it!
- Orange is very teen melodrama-y but fairly well-written and the direction is legendary.
- Berserk is mostly very faithful but aside from the talking scenes, the pacing and animation suuuuuck.
- Mob Psycho goes from good to great over several episodes.
- The first Yona of the Dawn OVA (or OAD, technically) dropped in the last few days and another is expected at the end of the year, likely in advance of a second season so GET HYPE. 0w0
(Which totally ignores the fact that Yona herself is great and Su-won is truly fascinating but I get ahead of myself here.)