The last thing we watched, cartoon/animu edition

[Bob_McMillan]

And because of that, the story has gone in another completely batshit crazy direction.

I only ever watched season one of the anime, but I always kept up to date on how the manga was going. Not actually reading it mind you, usually just through talking with friends. I sort of like the crazy directions they went with, but it all had this feeling of the author just making it up as he went. That's something I really dislike in writing. I know AoT is supposed to be more about themes than anything else, but that just means you won't have a satisfying ending. The anime has some of the best presentation ever, but it's story just cannot hold a candle to any of the medium's greats.

OT: I've been recommended a lot of these shorts on YouTube lately.

My only question is, why... ? Who are these cartoons supposed to appeal to? Do kids these days still really like Mickey Mouse and the gang?

 

[meiam]

Yes.

And because of that, the story has gone in another completely batshit crazy direction.

If you are inclined to know the gist of it, this is what was revealed in the basement:

The world hasn't ended. Eren and the gang live on an island, and the flesh-eating titans exist only on this island. The rest of the world is essentially living in the 1910s.

Eren and the gang are a race of people called Eldians, who can turn into titans, and some special titans. 100 years ago, as a result of a global revolt, many Eldians retreated to the island, built the walls, and had their minds erased by their king using his special titan powers. The rest of the world see the Eldians as savages, and want to destroy their race - but wont attack the island, under threat of the islanders releasing an army of titans to destroy the world. Any Eldians who remain in the rest of the world, are segregated from the rest of society, and live in internment camps. If any of those people are criminals, they are taken to the island, and transformed into mindless titans to roam free.

The special titans who attacked Eren's people and destroyed some of the walls in the first 3 seasons, are propagandized Eldians from these other countries, who also believe that the islanders are savages, and were sent to see if the threat to destroy the world was real.

Season 4 takes place after a 4-year time skip from the end of Season 3, and is basically Eren and the gang taking revenge on the rest of the world. It is more or less setting up a Titan World War 1.

Bonkers

I think the idea of "the world is actually just a small Island" might seem like bonker left field idea but is actually pretty common, on top of my head I can think of Hunter x Hunter and claymore having the same revelation.

 

[BrawlMan]

My only question is, why... ? Who are these cartoons supposed to appeal to? Do kids these days still really like Mickey Mouse and the gang?

I remember these shorts starting around 2012/13. They're meant as a call back to the old Mickey shorts and comics where he is more mischevious and a trouble maker. All of the other characters have call backs to their original carnations as well. I know both long time Disney fans and new Disney fans or kids enjoy these shorts. And it's still on going, albeit, under a new name. That should tell you something.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

I remember these shorts starting around 2012/13. They're meant as a call back to the old Mickey shorts and comics where he is more mischevious and a trouble maker. All of the other characters have call backs to their original carnations as well. I know both long time Disney fans and new Disney fans or kids enjoy these shorts. And it's still on going, albeit, under a new name. That should tell you something.

That's pretty surprising to me, no idea they were that old. I guess I wasn't expecting such a "Regular Show" take on the Mickey Mouse stuff. I'm not against, just surprised it exists, especially until now.

 

[Dreiko]

Just watched Lord El-Melloy II's Case Files in preparation for the FGO event in 2 days. It was like a Sherlock mystery set in the fate world, the Clock Tower in particular. Also a lot of chars from various works like Apocrypha (and even FGO's Olga Marie) and Luvia from Ataraxia all show up for an ensemble of epic proportions. It also serves as an epilogue to Waver's story from fate Zero which is super emotional. Iskandar was such a cool bro.


Also Gray is a darling. Super hype to get her in FGO in 2 days. May grail.

 

[BrawlMan]

Afro Samurai and Afro Samurai Resurrection. After not seeing either shows in a while, I decided to watch them back to back. The original I consider the best as it told a simple revenge story and the consequences of such actions. For those that don't know, the AS series is about black samurai's father who is killed by an old friend of said father. Justice, the one who did the killing, killed Afro's father for the #1 Headband to become God. Since only a #2 can challenge a #1, that gave Justice the right to duel Afro's father. Once Afro's father was killed, he takes the #2 headband and seeks revenge...no matter the cost. Afro is voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, and his buddy, Ninja Ninja. The latter acts the silly man to Afro's straight man. It's a foil dynamic that works and Samuel was clearly having fun.

The color palette and action scenes are good, and nice seeing anime from 2007 that is mostly hand drawn with little to no obvious CGI. I noticed that Afro Samurai's color palette is a bit muted intentionally, but it's not to the obnoxious degree in what we would see in a lot of console games in the 7th generation and certain movies from that era. The show is only 5 episodes, so you'll be done in no time.

Resurrection (A sequel that acts as a 100 minute movie), when I first saw it back in 2009, my feelings for it were between it okay to I don't like it. My feeling softened up overtime, and while the film is somewhat of a repeat in some areas, I've come to respect the film for what it was doing. My only problem for the story to work on this one is that it throws in a retcon to say that someone from Afro's past, Jinno, had another little sister (named Sio) who lived far a way with her foster parents/retainers, now wants revenge for the pain Afro caused to everyone. She voiced by Lucy Liu, and the lady puts in a terrifying performance. I know at the end of the day, the creator of this, just loves doing cool action sequences, but I'll bite, they made me smile. What helps is despite the action, there clear passion behind the production. The artwork, while already great to begin with, gets a color upgrade, and you get to see a bit more of the world Afro lives in. Resurrection I enjoy more now compared to when it first aired, yet it's mainly because of how over-saturated most anime has become with the samey art style and design. This was before the new era and right about around the end of the old one.

Even though I had mixed feelings at the time, there were some critics that unfairly shat on both series for being " a Samurai Champloo clone". Despite having some minor similarities, most of which are coincidental, both shows go off in their own directions and have completely different focuses. I don't know what the hell critics were smoking 12 years ago.

The soundtrack in both shows are top notch. I am considering buying the soundtracks at a later time.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

Just got done watching the finale of Invincible with some friends the other night. That show is excellent

 

[Worgen]

Bread Barbershop. Its a weird 3d animated korean kids show and its kinda awesome. The first season is on netflix but it also looks like you can find episodes on youtube.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Afro Samurai and Afro Samurai Resurrection. After not seeing either shows in a while, I decided to watch them back to back. The original I consider the best as it told a simple revenge story and the consequences of such actions. For those that don't know, the AS series is about black samurai's father who is killed by an old friend of said father. Justice, the one who did the killing, killed Afro's father for the #1 Headband to become God. Since only a #2 can challenge a #1, that gave Justice the right to duel Afro's father. Once Afro's father was killed, he takes the #2 headband and seeks revenge...no matter the cost. Afro is voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, and his buddy, Ninja Ninja. The latter acts the silly man to Afro's straight man. It's a foil dynamic that works and Samuel was clearly having fun.

Even though I had mixed feelings at the time, there were some critics that unfairly shat on both series for being " a Samurai Champloo clone". Despite having some minor similarities, most of which are coincidental, both shows go off in their own directions and have completely different focuses. I don't know what the hell critics were smoking 12 years ago.

The soundtrack in both shows are top notch. I am considering buying the soundtracks at a later time.

Afro Samurai is a better poster on a wall or like a music video than it is a show. It has some good moments, but even at 5 episodes long it's somehow too long and the sequel has no reason to exist. It tries to have lore and world-building and mostly falls flat for both. It really should have just been a 3 episode OVA.

Music, voice acting, and presentation are great though.

 

[BrawlMan]

Afro Samurai is a better poster on a wall or like a music video than it is a show.

Funny enough, Max and the YoVideogames crew said the same thing about 4 or 5 years ago. Though I would be weary on their opinions on all things anime. They, and especially Simmons, have an "Ok, Boomer!" attitude towards anime. Believing almost any anime after 2007 is shit, crap, or not good to watch, or unfairly compares almost any anime to Cowboy Bebop unfairly. Max believes shows like Trigun, Kenshin, or Tenchi is "cringe". To dislike is one thing, to say they're all cringe is bullshit! Tenchi had a bit of rough start, but I give credit where credit is due. They come off as anime fans that are insecure about the things they used to like, and trying to impress most who would not give a shit. Getting back on topic now.

It has some good moments, but even at 5 episodes long it's somehow too long and the sequel has no reason to exist.

That was more or less my stance back then. I disagree though, 5 episodes was the right amount for the original show. 3 episodes would have been too short or rushed. It became a problem when Resurrection first aired on Spike TV. It was already movie, but was split in to 5 "episodes" when it first aired. When the movie came out as a "Director's Cut" (the proper film it always was), the pacing became better all the more for it by comparison. Once the film hit DVD/Blu-Ray, every airing of Resurrection was the film version, and not the 5 part bull crap. I have the director's cut of both of them. My only gripe with these particular versions, is that they both imply that Justice comes back to life. What's worse is that they're after credit sequences and Resurrection introduces a character that only exist in the manga (it's own separate continuity) and neither is followed up on. It's been over 12 years and another sequel ain't happening. The most recent that came out was the game, and the series has been radio silence ever since. If you never bother to finish the credits, it can be ignored.

 

[laggyteabag]

My girlfriend and I watched the first couple of episodes of Demon Slayer in dubbed, but the writing was atrocious, so we stopped.

The constant monologuing was irritating, characters were needlessly antagonistic, and the show completely fails with the concept of "show, don't tell", which I found to be intellectually insulting.

The action from the intro looked amazing, and the plot sounded decent, but we found it really hard to watch, so we moved onto something else.

That other thing was another anime called Promised Neverland, which I thought was pretty excellent. Again, we watched it in dubbed, so there is only 1 season available to stream on Funimation at the moment, but I really enjoyed what we watched.

I was initially quite disappointed that most of the big questions that I had about the premise were revealed in the first episode, but I found the plot of the first season to be compelling.

None of the characters were unlikable or irritating (which is an issue that I have with a lot of anime), the story was great, and the Im really interested in the world the the show has setup. I just had a really good time.

I could have done with maybe a little more horror or gore from a show that markets itself as a "dark horror", but as a thriller, im more than happy with what we got.

Excited for season 2.

 

[BrawlMan]

My girlfriend and I watched the first couple of episodes of Demon Slayer in dubbed, but the writing was atrocious, so we stopped.

The constant monologuing was irritating, characters were needlessly antagonistic, and the show completely fails with the concept of "show, don't tell", which I found to be intellectually insulting.

The action from the intro looked amazing, and the plot sounded decent, but we found it really hard to watch, so we moved onto something else.

That other thing was another anime called Promised Neverland, which I thought was pretty excellent. Again, we watched it in dubbed, so there is only 1 season available to stream on Funimation at the moment, but I really enjoyed what we watched.

I was initially quite disappointed that most of the big questions that I had about the premise were revealed in the first episode, but I found the plot of the first season to be compelling.

None of the characters were unlikable or irritating (which is an issue that I have with a lot of anime), the story was great, and the Im really interested in the world the the show has setup. I just had a really good time.

I could have done with maybe a little more horror or gore from a show that markets itself as a "dark horror", but as a thriller, im more than happy with what we got.

Excited for season 2.

If you've never seen it, I recommend another horror and thriller anime called Monster. You most likely won't find it on any streaming services so you might have to go through other methods. The series has long completed over 10 years ago. The story has a total of 78 episodes if I remember correctly.

 

[Asita]

If you've never seen it, I recommend another horror and thriller anime called Monster. You most likely won't find out on any streaming services so you might have to go through other methods. The series has long completed over 10 years ago. The store has a total of 78 episodes if I remember correctly.

Building off this, Monster's my go-to "Anime for people who don't like Anime" recommendation. I would characterize it more as thriller than horror though. It's scary in the same sense that the final act of The Sum of All Fears is; it's scary because it's relatively grounded and there's a part of you that thinks "oh crap, that could actually work". Not the why of it all, the villain's origins, or anything like that, but in how the villain manipulates people. It's a maxed out Charisma villain which the the author actually knew how to write, and that makes his impact on the world around him chilling.

For anyone considering it: I do recommend having a more upbeat series lined up for afterwards. Monster is surprisingly emotionally draining.

 

[BrawlMan]

For anyone considering it: I do recommend having a more upbeat series lined up for afterwards. Monster is surprisingly emotionally draining.

Despite how draining it can be. Monster is more up beat than shows like Black Lagoon, Desert Punk, Now and Than, Here and There, Elfen Lied, and some other depressing anime I can't think of at the moment.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Building off this, Monster's my go-to "Anime for people who don't like Anime" recommendation. I would characterize it more as thriller than horror though. It's scary in the same sense that the final act of The Sum of All Fears is; it's scary because it's relatively grounded and there's a part of you that thinks "oh crap, that could actually work". Not the why of it all, the villain's origins, or anything like that, but in how the villain manipulates people. It's a maxed out Charisma villain which the the author actually knew how to write, and that makes his impact on the world around him chilling.

For anyone considering it: I do recommend having a more upbeat series lined up for afterwards. Monster is surprisingly emotionally draining.

Monster is fantastic, but holy crap is it long. While I was watching it I really felt like they could have cut a good 20 episodes without losing much.

Not that any of the episodes are bad mind you, it's not even boring, I just find that I much prefer when a show knows when to get on with itself. Brevity is the soul of wit and all that.

 

[happyninja42]

Watched Episode 2 (well, half of it) of Yasuke.

Really not feeling this show. I find too many elements of it jarring and super tropey. They try and set up this conflict between Nobunaga insulting the "old ways" (title of the episode), by being progressive and hiring a black man and a woman for roles traditionally held by japanese men!! And that's not just my opinion, one character straight up says that. In the most douchey, alt-right kind of way. Which, I mean ok fine, if that's the tone you're going for, whatever, but when that same character declares things to be settled WITH HONOR, and then proceeds to have his entire gang interrupt his "honorable" 1 on 1 duel, by going 7v1 against Yasuke, you can just go and fuck yourself about being honorable.

They also introduce a sick child, who has a special gift...who has a mother so....well I think we all know where that's going to end up. Yeah, life expectancy for parents is basically negative seconds in anime.

The cliche villains that are so stereotypical it hurts, on top of being anachronistic as hell, annoys me. I found myself genuinely being bored with every sequence in this episode, and just wanting to move on...but they don't. They go right back to literally the start. I stopped it half way, and don't plan on picking it up again.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Which, I mean ok fine, if that's the tone you're going for, whatever, but when that same character declares things to be settled WITH HONOR, and then proceeds to have his entire gang interrupt his "honorable" 1 on 1 duel, by going 7v1 against Yasuke, you can just go and fuck yourself about being honorable.

It's a very historically accurate way of looking at "honor."

He sees Yasuke as being beneath his station, and as such there's no reason to fight him with honor because to him Yasuke doesn't have honor. Only someone of equal standing is honorable and deserving of respect.

You can have an honorable fight only with someone of the same status. To him Yasuke is a servant class, barely better than a slave. He wouldn't gain honor by killing Yasuke in a dual, but he would lose honor for losing, therefore he can cheat to not lose without it being dishonorable.

 

[happyninja42]

It's a very historically accurate way of looking at "honor."

He sees Yasuke as being beneath his station, and as such there's no reason to fight him with honor because to him Yasuke doesn't have honor. Only someone of equal standing is honorable and deserving of respect.

You can have an honorable fight only with someone of the same status. To him Yasuke is a servant class, barely better than a slave. He wouldn't gain honor by killing Yasuke in a dual, but he would lose honor for losing, therefore he can cheat to not lose without it being dishonorable.

Except they CLEARLY state they are going to fight it in a way that shows they have honor. I mean that's the entire crux of their beef with Nobunaga.

Whether it's "accurate" or not, it's still fucking lame as shit. Couple it with the guy who works for Nobunaga, who might as well have a giant neon sign floating over his head saying 'I'm going to fucking betray you later because I am a racist!" and I just don't really care. I don't find any actual nuance in this writing, nothing about it says anything other than the most basic of plot contrivances, hammered in my face "WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RACE AND RACISM HERE!" yes show, I know, you've made that abundantly clear. Yasuke is entirely indifferent to everything going on around him, so I'm indifferent to him.

I just don't enjoy it.

 

[Asita]

The cliche villains that are so stereotypical it hurts, on top of being anachronistic as hell, annoys me. I found myself genuinely being bored with every sequence in this episode, and just wanting to move on...but they don't. They go right back to literally the start. I stopped it half way, and don't plan on picking it up again.

That part's actually not really anachronistic. Oda Nobunaga was in many ways a revolutionary, radically changing the Japanese economic system, how they waged war, and was one of the most integral players in unifying Japan. The guy had a noted and pronounced fascination with Western culture and reportedly eccentric enough to flip typical respect on its head (supposedly speaking warmly with those socially below him and rudely to those above him). In some ways, the guy is the poster child for the power of bucking tradition and welcoming change and innovation. And yes, this includes being fascinated with the historical Yasuke (probably the first black man he'd ever seen, as documents of their encounter report that he'd assumed Yasuke had been covered in black ink), who became one of Nobunaga's retainers and fought with him even in the battle of Honno-ji.

Having not seen the series yet, I'm going to take a shot in the dark and guess that the cliche villain you refer to is Akechi Mitsuhide? Because again, that's not an anachronistic portrayal or even necessarily out of character. It's of questionable historicity, don't get me wrong, but the story goes that after Akechi's forces turned on Nobunaga, Yasuke was captured by Akechi's forces, and the latter spared him explicitly on the racist grounds that as Yasuke was not only not Japanese, but just an animal. The argument allegedly went that because of this, it would be wrong to kill him and Yasuke should therefore be sent to a monestary.

Again, not necessarily accurate. There's a lot of debate about Akechi. That said, it's not exactly a baseless interpretation.

 

[laggyteabag]

I said in my previous post that I was excited for Season 2 of Promised Neverland, and, I guess I shouldn't have been.

So, I couldn't stream it on my platform of choice, so I had to look elsewhere - which meant that I had to Google it - and this revealed that, well, its not very good.

Literally, page 1 of Google: "What went wrong with The Promised Neverland Season 2?", "I hate The Promised Neverland Season 2", "DO NOT WATCH The Promised Neverland Season 2, Its GARBAGE & DESTROYED THE ENTIRE SERIES!!!", "Why did they ruin this anime? Promised Neverland Season 2 Changes Explained"

So, not exactly a glowing recommendation, then.

The general gist is that Season 1 (which is still excellent, and thankfully feels self-contained) is based on about 4-and-a-half manga volumes, and Season 2 - which is also the final season - is... 15 manga volumes...

What results is a season which has incredibly poor pacing, and supposedly glosses over an incredible amount of important plot points, and character development.

Having not read the manga, I decided to try to watch it anyway, and... yeah, its not great.

Whilst the first season is slow, and tense, and methodical, and full of twists and turns, from what I watched of the second season, there are no stakes, there isn't any tension, and the show blasts through locations and character interactions, on a quest to find clues like an escape room.

I cannot be bothered to see it through to the conclusion.

Its a shame.

But Season 1 is still amazing - and nothing can take that away.