Everyone should watch Gintama eps 204
So, I was checking chartfag for the latest update on the Spring 2011 anime list, and perhaps the Summer list as well (it's not out yet, though). Then I decided to do a review (no, more like an overview) of the anime series I've watched recently.
I remembered circling a lot of series I wanted to watch near the beginning of the Spring season, but now I end up only watching a couple of them. I was so excited because so many series I like are getting an anime adaptation. There's Toriko, Sket Dance, Ao no Exorcist, and Gintama. Add Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, Nichijou, and Deadman Wonderland, and I have seven already. Compared to the Winter 2010 list (pretty much nothing except for Fractale and Gosick), that's a lot.
Currently though, I only watch Denpa Onna, Ao no Exorcist, and Gintama. Deadman Wonderland was off the list first because I haven't kept up with the manga and I suddenly lost interest. Toriko was off next, because it's made by Toei and that's enough reason for me. I still can't get over them doing One Piece (much like Deen doing Hetalia) because it's just full of fillers and rather slow plot development, not to mention the colours are just too garish for my eyes (they look splendid in the manga artwork, though). Although, it must be hard doing such a long-running anime series for eleven years (500+ episodes). I was gonna watch the Toriko x One Piece collaboration (very handy that they're both from Toei) which was the first episode of Toriko, but RealPlayer decided to be a bitch and didn't want to run properly. I deleted it and now I can't watch any .rmvb files. So I watched the second episode (which was where the manga storyline starts) and was disappointed in it. Kinda. The flow was alright, but I still don't like the colours. Plus some scenes were too hyper for my tastes (the Fork and Knife one, the Numahebi one...). I guess the colour problem occurs whenever you try to do an anime adaptation of series like One Piece and Toriko where there are a lot of... things not found in the real world (those two authors sure know what to do with their imagination). It's like, you know, how the Galala crocodile in the second Toriko episode is maroon-red because if you use green or brown that'd be just plain boring. But if you read the manga, you won't have to be so concerned with its colour because it's just grey and black. Though I can blame my unimaginative mind for this.
Next I watched Sket Dance up until the fourth episode. It was okay; the OP is too catchy for my tastes but the ED more than makes up for it because it's by The Pillows (FLCL anyone?). In the manga, there was a mini-arc about the Kaimei High School Band Tournament, and there were loads of The Pillows references; so knowing the ED was done by them, it made the anime even more awesome. I didn't continue watching it, though, since it's pretty sub-par. Personally, I think it fails to capture the 'Sket Dance' vibe of the manga. Some jokes were pretty slow with the boke-tsukkomi thing. I think the manga is funnier and more enjoyable to read. Sket Dance is awesome because it's basically Gintama set in high school (well, not like 3-Z of course. And Sket Dance's mangaka was an ex-assistant of Gintama's mangaka). Seriously, I doubled over and rolled on the bed while reading it. The serious moments and plots were also very well done. I think Sket Dance really deserves the anime adaptation and the popularity it's been getting. When I first read it, I was asking for more, but at that time Sket Dance was just kind of a one-off thing; it didn't appear again until some time. Now look at what has become of it O_O I'm thrilled!
Then I watched Ao no Exorcist. I have to admit the first thing that draws me in was the art (same reason I read the manga; Katou Kozue is just too brilliant!). Since I am very backlogged with my manga reading, I thought I'd just watch the anime first. I haven't seen that much plot yet but I'll keep watching it for now.
I watched Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko for the same reason: the art. I first knew of this series from a hentai doujinshi I downloaded because the cover was soooo pretty <3 I'm glad the anime artwork is also very well-done. Also, it was because of the title (I mean, Electricity Girl?). I was really hoping this is not of the similar vein as Kampfer, Lotte no Omocha and the like. Turns out it's more of the Bakemonogatari vein; the timing, sheer absurdity... I like it when the main character has some brains and actually use it. He doesn't go all "WTF is this girl wrapped up in a futon?" and shout hysterical, cliched reactions, but he's mature enough to keep up with Erio and 'entertain' her (kinda like Araragi-kun in Bakemonogatari). Definitely following this one ohoho~
And of course I watch Gintama. It being Gintama is reason enough. The reason I wrote that line up there as the post's title is because I think episode 204 really captures the essence of Gintama. It has breath-taking humour (I was literally breathless), massive amounts of d'aawwww, and lots of WTF-ness packed into two awesome half-episodes. The second half (the one about Kagura and Valentine's Day) is really just... (at a loss for words because it's so heart-breakingly cute and D'AWWWW) I haven't found that in any of the manga I read so far, and believe me, I've read a lot. It's purely a Gintama thing.
I'm downloading Nichijou now. Tried the manga, was not that into it, but I'll give the anime a shot because I need something entertaining for now. I'm looking at the updated list (boy that's a LOT of anime) and I want to try [C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control and STEINS;GATE. Tiger and Bunny looks nice but I don't really like mecha. Other than that, I really need to finish watching Fractale (oh, the elusive ninth episode) and Gosick (still ongoing, apparently).
Now for some thoughts about the fandoms I'm in. I realise most of my fandoms are... unpopular. They're not really well-known like Bleach or Naruto. Examples would be Mushishi, Kino no Tabi (these two always come into mind first), Final Fantasy IX (apparently the crowd goes for angsty, serious teenagers. And why so much dislike of Quina? S/he's there purely for humour, man). Also, Bakemonogatari, Aria, Yotsuba&!, Erementar Gerad etc. Even Gintama, Sket Dance and Toriko to an extent, because when you ask people about anime/manga in general, they usually mention the very, very obvious examples like (again) Bleach and Naruto. I tend to go for series with no actual, long-running plot, but ones consisting of a series of short stories (excellent examples would be Mushishi, Natsume Yuujinchou, and Kino no Tabi). Also, ones with absolutely no plot like Gintama and Yotsuba&!. Stories like Aria, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou and Amanchu!, they are little slices of life that bring peace to my mind. I think it's amazing that the authors manage to find something even in the simplest things in life to talk about (no, I'm not being sarcastic haha). But of course, Hetalia and One Piece are examples of the more popular fandoms I'm in.
Lol I don't know why I'm writing this, it just crossed my mind one day and I've been evaluating my fandoms and my manga reading list ever since (also trying to prune the list). Now, perhaps I should replay Tales of Eternia or continue Legend of Mana...
I wonder what's lined up for Summer; I already have one I want to watch: no.6 (I saw a magazine scan of it).
I remembered circling a lot of series I wanted to watch near the beginning of the Spring season, but now I end up only watching a couple of them. I was so excited because so many series I like are getting an anime adaptation. There's Toriko, Sket Dance, Ao no Exorcist, and Gintama. Add Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, Nichijou, and Deadman Wonderland, and I have seven already. Compared to the Winter 2010 list (pretty much nothing except for Fractale and Gosick), that's a lot.
Currently though, I only watch Denpa Onna, Ao no Exorcist, and Gintama. Deadman Wonderland was off the list first because I haven't kept up with the manga and I suddenly lost interest. Toriko was off next, because it's made by Toei and that's enough reason for me. I still can't get over them doing One Piece (much like Deen doing Hetalia) because it's just full of fillers and rather slow plot development, not to mention the colours are just too garish for my eyes (they look splendid in the manga artwork, though). Although, it must be hard doing such a long-running anime series for eleven years (500+ episodes). I was gonna watch the Toriko x One Piece collaboration (very handy that they're both from Toei) which was the first episode of Toriko, but RealPlayer decided to be a bitch and didn't want to run properly. I deleted it and now I can't watch any .rmvb files. So I watched the second episode (which was where the manga storyline starts) and was disappointed in it. Kinda. The flow was alright, but I still don't like the colours. Plus some scenes were too hyper for my tastes (the Fork and Knife one, the Numahebi one...). I guess the colour problem occurs whenever you try to do an anime adaptation of series like One Piece and Toriko where there are a lot of... things not found in the real world (those two authors sure know what to do with their imagination). It's like, you know, how the Galala crocodile in the second Toriko episode is maroon-red because if you use green or brown that'd be just plain boring. But if you read the manga, you won't have to be so concerned with its colour because it's just grey and black. Though I can blame my unimaginative mind for this.
Next I watched Sket Dance up until the fourth episode. It was okay; the OP is too catchy for my tastes but the ED more than makes up for it because it's by The Pillows (FLCL anyone?). In the manga, there was a mini-arc about the Kaimei High School Band Tournament, and there were loads of The Pillows references; so knowing the ED was done by them, it made the anime even more awesome. I didn't continue watching it, though, since it's pretty sub-par. Personally, I think it fails to capture the 'Sket Dance' vibe of the manga. Some jokes were pretty slow with the boke-tsukkomi thing. I think the manga is funnier and more enjoyable to read. Sket Dance is awesome because it's basically Gintama set in high school (well, not like 3-Z of course. And Sket Dance's mangaka was an ex-assistant of Gintama's mangaka). Seriously, I doubled over and rolled on the bed while reading it. The serious moments and plots were also very well done. I think Sket Dance really deserves the anime adaptation and the popularity it's been getting. When I first read it, I was asking for more, but at that time Sket Dance was just kind of a one-off thing; it didn't appear again until some time. Now look at what has become of it O_O I'm thrilled!
Then I watched Ao no Exorcist. I have to admit the first thing that draws me in was the art (same reason I read the manga; Katou Kozue is just too brilliant!). Since I am very backlogged with my manga reading, I thought I'd just watch the anime first. I haven't seen that much plot yet but I'll keep watching it for now.
I watched Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko for the same reason: the art. I first knew of this series from a hentai doujinshi I downloaded because the cover was soooo pretty <3 I'm glad the anime artwork is also very well-done. Also, it was because of the title (I mean, Electricity Girl?). I was really hoping this is not of the similar vein as Kampfer, Lotte no Omocha and the like. Turns out it's more of the Bakemonogatari vein; the timing, sheer absurdity... I like it when the main character has some brains and actually use it. He doesn't go all "WTF is this girl wrapped up in a futon?" and shout hysterical, cliched reactions, but he's mature enough to keep up with Erio and 'entertain' her (kinda like Araragi-kun in Bakemonogatari). Definitely following this one ohoho~
And of course I watch Gintama. It being Gintama is reason enough. The reason I wrote that line up there as the post's title is because I think episode 204 really captures the essence of Gintama. It has breath-taking humour (I was literally breathless), massive amounts of d'aawwww, and lots of WTF-ness packed into two awesome half-episodes. The second half (the one about Kagura and Valentine's Day) is really just... (at a loss for words because it's so heart-breakingly cute and D'AWWWW) I haven't found that in any of the manga I read so far, and believe me, I've read a lot. It's purely a Gintama thing.
I'm downloading Nichijou now. Tried the manga, was not that into it, but I'll give the anime a shot because I need something entertaining for now. I'm looking at the updated list (boy that's a LOT of anime) and I want to try [C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control and STEINS;GATE. Tiger and Bunny looks nice but I don't really like mecha. Other than that, I really need to finish watching Fractale (oh, the elusive ninth episode) and Gosick (still ongoing, apparently).
Now for some thoughts about the fandoms I'm in. I realise most of my fandoms are... unpopular. They're not really well-known like Bleach or Naruto. Examples would be Mushishi, Kino no Tabi (these two always come into mind first), Final Fantasy IX (apparently the crowd goes for angsty, serious teenagers. And why so much dislike of Quina? S/he's there purely for humour, man). Also, Bakemonogatari, Aria, Yotsuba&!, Erementar Gerad etc. Even Gintama, Sket Dance and Toriko to an extent, because when you ask people about anime/manga in general, they usually mention the very, very obvious examples like (again) Bleach and Naruto. I tend to go for series with no actual, long-running plot, but ones consisting of a series of short stories (excellent examples would be Mushishi, Natsume Yuujinchou, and Kino no Tabi). Also, ones with absolutely no plot like Gintama and Yotsuba&!. Stories like Aria, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou and Amanchu!, they are little slices of life that bring peace to my mind. I think it's amazing that the authors manage to find something even in the simplest things in life to talk about (no, I'm not being sarcastic haha). But of course, Hetalia and One Piece are examples of the more popular fandoms I'm in.
Lol I don't know why I'm writing this, it just crossed my mind one day and I've been evaluating my fandoms and my manga reading list ever since (also trying to prune the list). Now, perhaps I should replay Tales of Eternia or continue Legend of Mana...
I wonder what's lined up for Summer; I already have one I want to watch: no.6 (I saw a magazine scan of it).