The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Got nothing to say about it that hasn't been said a million times already.
Staying at home is the norm... What are you reading?
- Thread starter Redlin5
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Yeah, I didn't feel it was really Pratchett's best work. The concept is neat. But the characters are pretty shallow and some of the conflict feels very manufactured.
I plan on reading that after new years. Plowed through the first 3 books this year and have been looking forward to this one.
After which I'll be sad because it'll be another few years before the next one is ready......(and Winds of Winter will still be unreleased *Rimshot*).
I was much the same as you, only I did my plowing about a year and a half ago, read all 3 of em in like a month and a half, so I've been eagerly looking forward to this. Apparently the next one will be the end to part 1 so yeah it's gonna be a biggie haha.
But yeah I haven't figured out when I'd start this cause I've got so many games on the way. Need to finish trails of cold steel 4 which I'm still in act 2 at like 85 hours in and by the time I do that cyberpunk will be out. I may just end up waiting till next year as well with the way things are going. I just know when I do start I'll not be able to put the thing down though so I am bracing myself for that eventuality.
Pokemon: I Choose You (3/5)
I read this asking what the point of this manga was. Having finished it, I'm asking the same question.
Far as I'm aware, this is the manga adaptation of a film adaptation of the pilot episode of Pokemon, yet also, not. Like, it starts off roughly the same (Ash gets pikachu as his starter, they don't work together, spearows attack, etc.) It covers that briefly, then veers off to other trainers and Ash pursuing Ho-oh, and Ash getting a rival who's your stock "I only train strong pokemon, suck it weakling!" and Team Rocket pops in for franchise recognition, and, bleh. Like, it isn't bad, though there's a surreal scene where Ash wakes up in what might be called the 'real world,' (i.e. no pokemon, he's in school rather than running around performing animal cruelty), but apart from that, yeah. True power of friendship, bad guy learns to be kind, catch 'em all, blah blah blah, the end.
Not bad, but I still don't get why this exists.
Northern Lights: Volume 1 (3/5)
Those of you who know me might be aware that I really don't like Northern Lights, nor am I overly fond of His Dark Materials either. That said, having read the graphic novel adaptation, I hesitate to say it's better (if only because this is only part of the full adaptation), but I did enjoy it more. Mainly because Lyra isn't an annoying little shit in this one, but rather...okay, maybe not endearing actually, but a bit above tolerable, or...something. What I will give it credit for is that while the basic plot is the same, the GN takes full advantage of its visual format - lots of good showing rather than telling.
So, decent. It hasn't really sold me on the series itself per se, but I did like this more than the novel it's based on, so there's that I guess.
I read this asking what the point of this manga was. Having finished it, I'm asking the same question.
Far as I'm aware, this is the manga adaptation of a film adaptation of the pilot episode of Pokemon, yet also, not. Like, it starts off roughly the same (Ash gets pikachu as his starter, they don't work together, spearows attack, etc.) It covers that briefly, then veers off to other trainers and Ash pursuing Ho-oh, and Ash getting a rival who's your stock "I only train strong pokemon, suck it weakling!" and Team Rocket pops in for franchise recognition, and, bleh. Like, it isn't bad, though there's a surreal scene where Ash wakes up in what might be called the 'real world,' (i.e. no pokemon, he's in school rather than running around performing animal cruelty), but apart from that, yeah. True power of friendship, bad guy learns to be kind, catch 'em all, blah blah blah, the end.
Not bad, but I still don't get why this exists.
Northern Lights: Volume 1 (3/5)
Those of you who know me might be aware that I really don't like Northern Lights, nor am I overly fond of His Dark Materials either. That said, having read the graphic novel adaptation, I hesitate to say it's better (if only because this is only part of the full adaptation), but I did enjoy it more. Mainly because Lyra isn't an annoying little shit in this one, but rather...okay, maybe not endearing actually, but a bit above tolerable, or...something. What I will give it credit for is that while the basic plot is the same, the GN takes full advantage of its visual format - lots of good showing rather than telling.
So, decent. It hasn't really sold me on the series itself per se, but I did like this more than the novel it's based on, so there's that I guess.
I'm about halfway through Pokémon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu, and what a strange manga. It seems to have been created at the same time as the anime and kind of follows the same plot, but not really. The characters have the same name and appearance, but diverge quite a lot in personality from their anime counterparts. Ash is actually competent at catching and battling pokemon, far, far outpacing anime Ash. He actually caught the fearow that attacked him as he first set out on his journey. He also is pretty thirsty, stealing some of Brock's traits. Oak seems to be about 10 years younger and is doing field research on clefairy, edging out the two nutty character of the week scientists that filled that role. Sabrina isn't a psychopath and is actually on a quest to defeat a gigantic haunter that's been stealing people's souls for centuries. In the anime Potter is a minor side character from a filler episode that only exists to fulfill a rejection gag for Brock, but in the manga he's a super warrior that runs on water and kicks gyarados in the FACE!
It is more slapstick heavy than the anime, and the character depictions are all more cutesy, but the world actually makes more sense. Trainers don't just abandon school at 10 years of age to become trainers, they obtain a limited leave from school to pursue the goal after which they must return. The gym leaders also seem to limit themselves depending on trainer level, which makes more sense than the game and anime version of Brock only having 2 low level pokemon. The world is also more technologically advanced, Team Rocket travels around in, like some sort of space ship, not a balloon.
All in all, I really enjoy it. It's a refreshingly different take on the pokemon world that only could have come from 1997. Actually, if the anime would have been more like it, it would have been a lot better.
It is more slapstick heavy than the anime, and the character depictions are all more cutesy, but the world actually makes more sense. Trainers don't just abandon school at 10 years of age to become trainers, they obtain a limited leave from school to pursue the goal after which they must return. The gym leaders also seem to limit themselves depending on trainer level, which makes more sense than the game and anime version of Brock only having 2 low level pokemon. The world is also more technologically advanced, Team Rocket travels around in, like some sort of space ship, not a balloon.
All in all, I really enjoy it. It's a refreshingly different take on the pokemon world that only could have come from 1997. Actually, if the anime would have been more like it, it would have been a lot better.
Read the WH40K new book about Lion El'Jonson. Was supposed to be working, but it was fun to read things what weren't school related for once.
Oh you poor sod.
I get the reasoning, but it seems spurious. The series does a soft reboot everytime Ash goes to a new region. And while I can't speak for everyone, I assume kids would be watching Pokemon for the titular monsters, not for any character development that may or may not occur (watching Sun & Moon right now, it's firmly on the side of "not).
Attack on Titan: Volume 1 (2/5)
So apparently AoT is a thing. I don't know why, nor why it's called "Attack on Titan." I mean, it's the titans who are attacking, so shouldn't this be "Attack on Human?"
Well, meh. 2000 years from now, the human race has been nearly wiped out by giants called titans, and they're living in a walled city. Titans breach the outer wall, so the cirumfurance has shrunk further, and...okay, you probably know the premise by now. But really, I just didn't care about any of this. The characters are bland, and when they're not bland, they're TALKING VERY LOUDLY AND YELLING ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS! I don't know why so much manga has this issue, why subtlety is as rare as coloured pages, but whtever, thats the hand it deals. So, protagonist a and protagonist b join the garrison, and have to kill titans, and titans kill humans, and zzz...
Yeah, don't care. I heard back in the day that this was the next big thing, and there was all this subtext about militarism and borders and whatnot, but either that stuff's later down the line, or it isn't in this volume, or I'm missing it. Don't know, don't care. If I want to read about disgruntled characters on walls fighting off giant zombies, I'll read Game of Thrones.
So apparently AoT is a thing. I don't know why, nor why it's called "Attack on Titan." I mean, it's the titans who are attacking, so shouldn't this be "Attack on Human?"
Well, meh. 2000 years from now, the human race has been nearly wiped out by giants called titans, and they're living in a walled city. Titans breach the outer wall, so the cirumfurance has shrunk further, and...okay, you probably know the premise by now. But really, I just didn't care about any of this. The characters are bland, and when they're not bland, they're TALKING VERY LOUDLY AND YELLING ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS! I don't know why so much manga has this issue, why subtlety is as rare as coloured pages, but whtever, thats the hand it deals. So, protagonist a and protagonist b join the garrison, and have to kill titans, and titans kill humans, and zzz...
Yeah, don't care. I heard back in the day that this was the next big thing, and there was all this subtext about militarism and borders and whatnot, but either that stuff's later down the line, or it isn't in this volume, or I'm missing it. Don't know, don't care. If I want to read about disgruntled characters on walls fighting off giant zombies, I'll read Game of Thrones.
I watched the one season of the Anime, so YMMV.Attack on Titan: Volume 1 (2/5)
So apparently AoT is a thing. I don't know why, nor why it's called "Attack on Titan." I mean, it's the titans who are attacking, so shouldn't this be "Attack on Human?"
Well, meh. 2000 years from now, the human race has been nearly wiped out by giants called titans, and they're living in a walled city. Titans breach the outer wall, so the cirumfurance has shrunk further, and...okay, you probably know the premise by now. But really, I just didn't care about any of this. The characters are bland, and when they're not bland, they're TALKING VERY LOUDLY AND YELLING ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS! I don't know why so much manga has this issue, why subtlety is as rare as coloured pages, but whtever, thats the hand it deals. So, protagonist a and protagonist b join the garrison, and have to kill titans, and titans kill humans, and zzz...
Yeah, don't care. I heard back in the day that this was the next big thing, and there was all this subtext about militarism and borders and whatnot, but either that stuff's later down the line, or it isn't in this volume, or I'm missing it. Don't know, don't care. If I want to read about disgruntled characters on walls fighting off giant zombies, I'll read Game of Thrones.
Some of the titans are intelligent, at least in the show. Which means that even one of those is a lot harder to take down.
I can see the appeal of the whole "Desperately holding back a seemingly insurmountable horde" especially the whole "we're the last bastion" thing but for me the pacing was terrible. I took forever for battles to run through and progress on anything is very, very slow.
Early in Season 1, there's this whole "We need to get to Erins Basement" and as of the end of the season, they still weren't any closer to getting there then they were at the beginning. Maybe they eventually did but I haven't been able to force myself to watch past season 1.
I finally finished the 2nd book of Gene Wolfe's LONG SUN series, Lake of the Long Sun.
The reason it took so long was because, well, there was a large section of the book where it felt like nothing happened so my urge to keep reading just withered for a while. Near the end things finally pick up and interesting things start to happen, some (in-book)politics starts seeping in and we finally get some worldbuilding clarification, which does confirm much of what the previous book made me suspect but then introduced new questions(because Wolfe be like that). Kinda interested to see where he's going with this and normally there's some interesting twists and reveals to be had.
Gonna take a bit of a break before jumping into the next one though(I've got two more books in the series to go), especially since I have some other books to read first.
The reason it took so long was because, well, there was a large section of the book where it felt like nothing happened so my urge to keep reading just withered for a while. Near the end things finally pick up and interesting things start to happen, some (in-book)politics starts seeping in and we finally get some worldbuilding clarification, which does confirm much of what the previous book made me suspect but then introduced new questions(because Wolfe be like that). Kinda interested to see where he's going with this and normally there's some interesting twists and reveals to be had.
Gonna take a bit of a break before jumping into the next one though(I've got two more books in the series to go), especially since I have some other books to read first.
Considering how long it took for the next seasons to come out, it seems that was a sentiment shared by the creators.
I really enjoyed the anime, but I haven't watched anything past the penultimate episode of season one because I've been waiting until the show had an ending. That was 7 years ago. This show had so much momentum at the start and it wasted it all.
The anime is the main thing that made this big, not the manga. It has some insane gore and intense action, the voice acting is incredible as well as the general musical score. Also the plot has insane twists, don't think everything you read is as it seems.Attack on Titan: Volume 1 (2/5)
So apparently AoT is a thing. I don't know why, nor why it's called "Attack on Titan." I mean, it's the titans who are attacking, so shouldn't this be "Attack on Human?"
Well, meh. 2000 years from now, the human race has been nearly wiped out by giants called titans, and they're living in a walled city. Titans breach the outer wall, so the cirumfurance has shrunk further, and...okay, you probably know the premise by now. But really, I just didn't care about any of this. The characters are bland, and when they're not bland, they're TALKING VERY LOUDLY AND YELLING ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS! I don't know why so much manga has this issue, why subtlety is as rare as coloured pages, but whtever, thats the hand it deals. So, protagonist a and protagonist b join the garrison, and have to kill titans, and titans kill humans, and zzz...
Yeah, don't care. I heard back in the day that this was the next big thing, and there was all this subtext about militarism and borders and whatnot, but either that stuff's later down the line, or it isn't in this volume, or I'm missing it. Don't know, don't care. If I want to read about disgruntled characters on walls fighting off giant zombies, I'll read Game of Thrones.
Oh and the name issue you are right about, but that's just localization motherfuckery, the actual title is "shingeki no kyoujin" which means "the assailing titan", which has significance that only just at the end part of season 4 of the anime was revealed.
Basically, this is lots of twists, and people die, and great animation and whatnot. The manga is good too but it's the anime that shines.
The show is actually extremely good, they just took their time with it instead of doing fillers when it caught up with the manga like with Naruto or instead of coming up with an alternate way for the story to go. Nothing was wasted. They're having the final season out in Japan right now actually.
And yeah it took a while for season 2 but it sped up some more after that, we've done 5 seasons in 7 years which is not too bad for the quality of animation entailed here.
Uh, yeah, the momentum was wasted. Everybody was talking about Attack on Titan during season one, it was the biggest anime of the season. Who's talking about it now? You can't expect to keep up that level of hype and popularity indefinitely. People's attention spans are short and if you wait multiple years between seasons you are going to lose a lot of your audience.
To round up my reading year: best stuff was Naked Lunch by William Burroughs, True Grit by Charles Portis and Orlando by Virginia Woolf. I liked Tristessa by Jack Kerouac and Sinaloa Story by Barry Gifford. I loved reading Timequake, even if it isn't Kurt Vonnegut's best work, he's my favorite writer and reading him is always a nice welcome to a comfort zone. And I like the fact that I finally got around reading Neuromancer, even if I didn't enjoy the book very much.
They just took their time to make a quality product. You legit can't do anything else, either you do the naruto thing where you draw low quality fillers for 2 years or you make a high budget sequel that befits the first season.
Season 2 covers a lot of ground as well, the manga wasn't even done telling the story by that point. This is legit the reason why stuff like Game of Thrones got shit endings, cause they chose to "capitalize on the hype" and make up the rest of the story.
That may be true, but it doesn't change my point.
They probably should have just waited until the manga was finished before adapting it though. You don't adapt a book to a movie while the author is half way finished writing it, but such is the manga way.
You can't have manga get anime adaptations only when they finish though, because then you are missing out on the hype that a succesfull manga has by not adapting it earlier. Also some series get more life pumped to them by having successful anime series so stuff which may have ended earlier now goes on for longer, so a story which would have been cut short or altered now may get to be best presented because it was given the extra time and air to breathe.
Also some manga just don't end so by that rule we'd not have any Berserk anime or any one piece anime, which would have been a very big loss.
I think ultimately this is the best way to do it like they did with SnK, fans just gotta not be mayflies in their attention spans lol.