3541

Lately instead of writing filler anime to wait for the manga to get ahead (DBZ, Bleach, Naruto etc.) they seem to end the series for now and start it up later as series 2/3 etc. Fairy Tail ended March of last year and series two is just starting now.

I assume you know about the first bit since they have done it a fair amount lately. Recent examples being Magi and Log Horizon as you mentioned so maybe you didn’t know Fairy Tail had been off the air a bit. It’s pretty much picking up right from where it left off.

I guess you could also mean the way they named it Fairy Tail 2 instead of Fairy Tail episode 176.

3542

Loved Silver Spoon.

also, I weirdly got back into dragonball.

There is a lot of 12 year old dong at the start of that show.

3543

I imagined it was in the shojo genre, but for now it hasn’t shown the heavy tropes of the genre in the first two eps. /crosses fingers so it won’t turn into the typical shojo

Loved Silver Spoon.

Silver Spoon was good, yes. It started imo a bit slow and uninteresting, but it improved over time.

3544

I did not know Fairy Tale was off for awhile.

I do mean the way they named it FT2 rather than just continue it at the next episode. I think that may make the show more marketable since it could seem to be a good place to start rather than trying to watch from the beginning (because Crunchyroll does not have the entire series). But now a subscriber can watch it from the beginning of the new series.

3545

That would suck for people new to the series since where they took a break was right in the middle of an arc it seems. But ya usually I find the break comes at the end of an arc so starting at the 2nd series isn’t so bad.

I think they have been adding 2/3 etc for a long time though, or at least anytime a show goes off the air a bit it comes back with a different name. Guess most recent example I can think of is Magi and Magi 2. Though they sometimes do more than just add a number like DxD and DxD new.

Looking back I see Ghost in the Shell and Gits 2nd gig, Index and Index 2, Code Geass/CG R2 and Shakugan no Shana 1, 2 and 3!

Overall I prefer the breaks in airing over filler when they need to give the manga some time. For example I could have done without the sunken dragon island arc thingy in One Piece. But when an anime is doing well I guess they gotta exploit it as much as possible!

3546

I thought it was interesting right from the beginning since the topic was so different. And some of the choices in the show are very poignant (like pork roll).

3547

I have been saving a bunch of episodes in Hunter X Hunter to watch. For some reason I seem to enjoy watching anime episodes in a big group at one sitting, rather than watching one episode a week.

There is not a lot of shows on Crunchyroll this Spring season so far that are my kids and my go to shows. I am watching the bicycle show whose name I cannot think of at the moment (Yowapeda or something - I enjoy it for some reason). My son and daughter like Nisekoi, they seem to think it is hysterical (I can always tell when they are watching it because they are laughing so much)

3548

I’m guessing Berserk has been talked about somewhere in this thread, but I just watched the new miniseries over the weekend and absolutely loved it. I haven’t really watched/liked anime (aside from Miyazaki stuff) since I was a pre-teen watching Dragonball Z. In retrospect I spent a long time hating on anime because I was so turned off to it after I got a bit older and realized how awful DBZ was.

Anyway, Berserk was eye opening. The magic fantasy blah-blah-blah was really restrained, there was very little anime wackiness, and even considering the tease ending I thought it had a terrific plot arc. Is there anything else out there along these lines that’s really compelling? I like fantasy, I prefer sci-fi, but really any genre can work for me assuming it’s well written.

Random thoughts on some anime I’ve seen: I started Basilisk on a friend’s recommendation but am finding it a little obtuse and too goofy (magic string blades, phlegm spitting spider-men, etc.). I’m not sure Basilisk is a non-starter yet, but those are definitely factors that turn me off. Attack on Titan has potential from the episode I saw. I watched Cowboy Bebop a few years ago and have always felt divided because I love serious sci-fi but there’s a hyper-focus on the cool aesthetic which seems to be a core component of the show and I find kind of distracting.

Recommendations much appreciated.

3549

Bebop is amazing, but be aware that many episodes have a heavy comedy element.

Attack on Titan is also great, though don’t expect much in the way of happiness.

3550

Check out Haibane Renmei, possibly also Texhnolyze/Serial Experiments Lain if you’re okay with severe mindfuckery (same guy did all three, but Haibane Renmei is -way- more sedate and restrained while still kind of gently mysterious and strange). Last Exile is really good semi-SF with strong characterization and atmosphere. If you like the Berserk anime, you should read the manga, which is that but there’s way more story and it hasn’t been sanitized the way the anime was (for better or worse). Also check out Death Note (I read the manga but the anime is probably also good) and Full Metal Alchemist, preferably the manga but the Brotherhood anime would be close enough.

I would note that Attack on Titan has real pacing issues that hinder it. It might still be worth it - I haven’t gotten to the end yet myself - but it’s frustrating.

3551

Are you talking about the Berserk movies? The original series was one of the first anime I watched and I loved it. The ending also got me started on reading manga since I desperately wanted to know what happened next. The new movie series that they have been doing has been pretty good and it’s awesome they were able to get the same voice actors from the original series to reprise their roles in the movies for the dub. I wish the movies had more Susumu Hirasawa though since his music for the series was awesome.

As for recommendations try Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and definitely the classic first movie if you haven’t seen it by now. I’ve currently been watching Psycho-Pass which has been awesome so far and reminds me of Ghost in the Shell mixed in with Minority Report. Doesn’t hurt it looks totally gorgeous as well. Hajime no Ippo is still my favorite, tried it on a whim and it was fantastic. I wasn’t even interested in boxing beforehand.

3552

@fenrris: Less anime wackiness, huh…try the following (the theme seems to be stories with adults…no teens!):

Witch Hunter Robin - - modern day setting, gov’t agency for hunting criminals with mutant powers
Claymore - - medieval setting, hunters of supernatural people eaters
Seirei Moribito - - medieval setting, uh…not hunting anything, but I forget the plot
every Ghost in the Shell series/movies/OVAs - - sci fi super police force
Mushi-shi - - countryside setting, supernatural
Fate Stay/Night TV series, then if you like it, Fate Stay/Night movie, followed by Fate Zero. - - modern, mythological beings and magicians fighting each other
Black Lagoon - - modern, mercs living in gangster-ridden city
Noir - - girls with guns. Oops this one stars teens, but is more detective-story-like.
Steins;gate - - modern day sci-fi adventure. Also starring teens, but WATCH THIS ONE!
Death Note - - modern day mindf*ck.

A 2008 thread with similar recommendations for more serious anime.

3553

The least anime-ish series is also my favorite: Monster. It’s about a doctor who saves the life of someone who becomes a serial killer and makes it his mission to track him down and kill him.

3554

Obligatory “Legend of the Galactic Heroes” post. Space opera at its finest, and it’s one of the few anime I’d recommend to non-anime watchers who like grandiose sci-fi.

Also seconding Monster.

3555

LOGH is awesome but does come with the caveat that it has not been localized officially and is very unlikely to ever -be- localized. So it’s fansubs or Japanese imports only.

3556

Just finished Attack on Titan last night…wow. Glad I waited through the end credits. It was better than I thought it would be…I agree with its 4.5 star Netflix rating.

Out of curiosity, have those of you who have seen Serial Experiments Lain developed a headache by the 4th episode? I and everyone I know that have seen it get one right at episode 4. Few of my friends continued watching after that…I had to wait a day and am glad I did. Just thought it was weird.

3557

I wasn’t really a fan of Lain to be honest. I really dug Texhnolyze and Haibane Renmei, though.

3558

I watched a fansub version of LOGH and it was…spotty. You have to do a bit of liberal interpretation to determine the meaning at times. There were even a couple of episodes that had subtitles in the wrong language! Of course, in 100+ episodes it’s not surprising to have a few mistakes. The storyline is so awesome that I didn’t mind; if a story is good enough to keep me watching 100+ episodes then a few subtitle snafus aren’t going to stop me.

3559

I would have liked Texnolyze with almost any story and graphic design just because they used that Juno Reactor song Guardian Angel for the credits. But pretentious-angsty noir with gritty mock-rotoscoping works for me, as it happens :)

3560

I watched Lain a long long time ago, and it was one of those “train wreck” anime. Things keeps getting worse and worse every episode, and I stayed tuned to find out how much worse things can get. I wonder if I can watch it now, given that so many other anime and mainstream stories have rehashed Lain’s significant plot points since then.

It has a really great opening song. Duvet by BOA.

Speaking of train wrecks, I’ve been watching Selector Infected WIXOSS, and it is so subversive. It’s supposed to promote a real life CCG, aiming at girls instead of boys. It stars 3 middle school girls becoming friends. It should be all stars and ponys and magical transformations, right? No no no, not at all. Without spoiling too much, I’d say that the main heroin has been actively trying to avoid playing the game for 4 episodes now (of 8). I’m sure the CCG owners are happy about that. Someone here is aiming for the Puella Magi Madoka Magica vibe.