Thrawn
2861
Kinda reminds me of Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku, but with mahjong and political figures. And Kaiji… takes skill to work that kind of magic.
Have you watched Akagi? Same author and animation house as Kaiji, but the main character is very different and it’s set in the 50’s and it’s all mahjong all the time.
Thrawn
2863
Not yet but it’s on my to-watch list. Should probably get through Kaiji first but ridiculously high-stakes mahjong with Yakuza and a neat sounding 50’s era, without knowing what a pon or Rising Sun is or how the dice rolling and tile gathering goes sounds like a good time. Points for absurd comebacks and ridiculous plays that are beyond human.
That chin of his, he doesn’t even need a shank in a pocket.
The first time I watched Akagi, I didn’t know how to play mahjong and I still fell totally in love with it. Then I watched it again after learning how to play and mostly what I got from that was SOME OF THEM FUCKS ARE REALLY GODDAMN LUCKY WHAT THE HELL. But the level of play in Akagi is more grounded than it is in most mahjong anime, you don’t see 13 Orphans busted out every episode or anything. But you do get this.
And yes, he could cut diamonds with his facial structure.
I just watched PenguinDrum #6 again. How did I not notice the Death Note in the background when Ringo is reading Momoka’s diary?
Oh, and in case anyone’s still on the fence about PenguinDrum, this is the entire Survival Strategy transformation sequence. It’s 2 minutes long! And it’s fabulous.
Finally, Tiger gets his due. There was nothing subtle about Maverick and Kaede either – she has his powers now.
Thrawn
2867
I didn’t understand the stuff he won with but it looked awesome, despite his ugly, pointed mug. That suits it. I bet some of them cheat somehow; nobody is that lucky unless it thickens the tension enough to choke someone.
Damn Tiger & Bunny. How can I wait with the current events like this? It’s torture!
I loved the return of the crapsuit. Tiger & Bunny is so consistently awesome.
Thrawn
2869
I can’t believe that it felt nostalgic, and it was all wrinkled in the case, that was another nice touch. Aw heck, this sums it up:
After Funny Pets and half of Poppo or Poopo or Popee the Performer, my soul has grown cold. The only thing keeping me alive is Madoka and the anticipation of a new Tiger & Bunny episode.
Watched an episode of Kaiji for the heck of it and that wasn’t 24 minutes. Damn criminal it was.
Go Tiger! Man, this is how you make a superhero show. It breaks convention, but still gives you that inner glee that a classical take on superheroes does. This was probably one of the best episodes yet, although I’m a little sad at the lack of Lunatic. I’d really like to see him fleshed out more before the series ends.
I’m completely serious when I say this: T&B may be the best superhero show ever made.
Thrawn
2871
I’ve waited so long for episode 22 that I can’t remember how long. It was so worth it.
Been watching Captain Harlock and Kuuchuu Buranko, with the former beating my expectations with it’s music and simply being a pleasure to watch and the latter being a complete trip in visuals and groovy music. With an episode devoted to a guy with a permanent stiffy.
And Bobobo-bo, which has more puns than a head has hair.
I have no idea what I just saw but I must see more. What the hell is going on?
She puts on a magical penguin hat that she got as a souvenir and it transforms her into some sort of penguin goddess, who then orders her two brothers to go and search for the “penguin drum” or else the goddess will kill their sister (the girl whose body she’s possessing). Oh, each of the siblings also have penguin minions, which appear to be invulnerable, invisible to everyone but them, that do their bidding. What you see in that sequence is what happens whenever she puts on the hat.
You mean when the hat puts itself on her.
Quitch
2875
I’m catching up on Tiger & Bunny, reached episode 20. The secret criminal organisation stuff was absolutely retarded within the context of the universe (people like that cannot exist in an organisation that has maintained secrecy that well) and I was very happy to see it go away for a while and be replaced with some excellent short-stories focusing on the characters. This show is at its best when it looks behind the curtain of what it means to be a hero and it’s at its worst when it’s trying to do the revenge story because it has no clear direction and keeps pulling stuff out of its ass or rewriting previous episodes to make it work. I wish they’d do a little more long-term after-effects of the episodes (Sky High, very sad ending, then reset button is hit)
The way Wild Tiger is going through the rise and fall of Legend. The way he’s trying to counter-balance his relationship with his daughter with looking after everyone else. These are things the show does very well and spreads it across long periods. But the revenge story feels like someone is hitting the reset button every so often. Shit, we want to bring it back, but how? I know, we’ll introduce a memory problem that allows us to rewrite everything and then do a “reveal” in Joss Whedeon has a cancelled series on his hands style.
Damnit, this show is frustrating! And was it just me or did episodes 12 and 13 feel like they were missing a chunk of opening material?
Dear writers, you need to work in elements for your arcs slowly so that developments feel natural, not just BSGesque cool shit of the week.
EDIT: I think my issue is less that the memory thing doesn’t fit, it’s just that it’s all crammed in at the last second which both helps you to see it coming in advance and makes it feel seat-of-the-pants rather than a brilliantly planned twist.
Also, WTF is with this hugely over-complicated bad-guy plan? I mean, it’s fun to watch but seriously? You were too tired to do a second memory in EXACTLY the same setup you did the last one?
I was watching the first episode of Casshern Sins on Hulu (subbed). I don’t know what to think of it. I will probably keep watching. However, I do wish the animation was better.
Quitch
2877
I tried Elfen Lied after a friend strongly recommended it. I got one and a half episodes in before I couldn’t take the stupid any more. She has a bleeding head wound and your first worry is that she’s naked? No, no, don’t call an ambulance or anything.
And after that opening, generic electric guitar for the credits?!
What is with anime shows changing their openings more often than I change my pants anyway? 14 episodes in and Tiger & Bunny changes. Code Geass series 1 has three separate credit sequences. etc.
Mordrak
2878
Well, I’m not sure if most anime work this way, but Tiger and Bunny’s matches the thematic shift in the show… so in that case, it’s more an artistic decision.
Steins Gate 22. I almost cried, i was happy, i was sad, i screamed with the protagonist, and the end after the credits left me like O_O
Seriously people, watch this series.
Don’t watch Elfen Lied. It’s shit. Unless you have an amputation fetish, it is not for you.
