Anime/Manga - Discuss Japanese cartoons and comics here; NO CULTURE WAR DOOMPOSTING!

[Abbadon's Gate]

It really feels like Geass fans largely don't know what they want from the franchise besides either more stupid fujoshi shipping or it to stay dead with nothing happening post-R2.

At least its the fans who don't know what they want. As an Eureka 7 fan I have known what I've wanted since 2015. Bones just fucking refuses to give it to me. So far as I can tell, the entire fan base is on the same page.

Eureka 7 came out when I was 14. Renton's age. I'm 32 now. Show me how things played out for everyone and for the love of god stop with the interdimensional, time travelly, weird cut and paste bullshit. Just give us a real sequel for fucks sake, it doesn't even have to be long, I just wanna see how the world changed for all the struggle the characters went through.

I wanna see Holland and Talhoe's kid. I want to know if Renton ever became a Mechanic like his Grandad wanted. I want to see how the population recovered from getting attacked by the planet they lived on, or the revelation that they've been on Earth the entire time.

 

[Space Police]

Someone call Sprokeberg, I think I've just found a hidden gemerald: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReAchqaieFA&list=PLziKN72e3On9FQQ12mJLTpvJAYjm1gIpZ

It's a model/2D animation hybrid where every episode involves a disaster connected to a mystery of the world (Loch Ness monster, Moai statues, Trojan War), and the Tansor team goes back in time to learn more about the problem and find that the truth is a lot more interesting than we thought. It's like the best possible combination of Star Trek and Thunderbirds. This is probably my favourite anime of all time now, no joke.

 

[Car Won't Crank]

It actually feels in a weird way like the difference between Mashle Season 1 and Mashle Season 2.

If you were fortunate enough to miss this title: Season 1 is a parody of Harry Potter where the main character doesn't have any magic, but is super strong so he just physically beats down his magic reliant opponents. The joke got kind of old by the end of the season, but it was relatively consistent.

Season 2 is a Shounen Style tournament arc where they drop most of the parody elements and instead focus on character drama. The problem is the characters are the most boring fucking shounen characters in the universe. They're all very one dimensional because they were made to be jokes.

You have entire fights where characters will just keep using the only spell they were written to know, over and over again until it magically works because the plot needs it to happen that way. It was honestly grating.

Yeah I dropped Mashle after episode 3. I think Sandland has to be the best shounen anime this year.

 

[Abbadon's Gate]

Yeah I dropped Mashle after episode 3. I think Sandland has to be the best shounen anime this year.

Maybe, but Dandadan comes out in a few weeks.

 

[Commander X]

Localizers and their supporters I think are honestly egotistical enough to think that the English version is always superior to the original despite many unnecessary edits to scripts. "We like Japanese media, but frankly their writing isn't up to snuff. By inserting references to culture war fights, and American pop culture references that will have already aged like raw meat left out on a counter even as we were writing them, we make that bland Japanese mush more flavorful."

 

[Kari Kamiya]

We only have very few examples of the original Japanese (VAs or producers) mentioning the English dub of their stuff is pretty good. Localizers want to pretend otherwise.

 

[Atatata]

No, same sex relationships are awful narrative and writing wise maybe even universaly.

I disagree, sure there's no baby end game but since there is a lack of "man finds woman sexy because he's a man, woman finds man sexy because she's a woman", there's usually more effort thrown in on character writing to make up for it.
Not that they're better written, but they're usually never as barebones as the average shounen couple that relies on them being main cast characters of different sexes.

 

[Space Police]

View attachment 6412368

Localizers and their supporters I think are honestly egotistical enough to think that the English version is always superior to the original despite many unnecessary edits to scripts. "We like Japanese media, but frankly their writing isn't up to snuff. By inserting references to culture war fights, and American pop culture references that will have already aged like raw meat left out on a counter even as we were writing them, we make that bland Japanese mush more flavorful."

They always have been. The Ghost Stories dub is a prime example of this. ADV got the show in a package deal, and since they couldn't care less about it, they let failed/wannabe Hollywood writer Chris Patton totally alter the dub with wish.com South Park writing (the predecessor to inserting memes in subtitles) for the satisfaction of his ego. The whole "It didn't do well in Japan so we had to dub it like this to get it to sell" is a lie; Ghost Stories is a very popular YA horror novel series in Japan, and the anime got pretty good ratings throughout its run -- the shorter episode count is because One Piece or some other big battle shonen was moving to its timeslot, not because Japs hated it. ADV also did this with Super Milk-chan. Heaven forbid weeaboo Amerimutts who are obsessed with anime and Japan have to see incomprehensible-ahh Japanese pop-culture references; we have to totally rewrite the script and add in live-action segments of ourselves in the ADV office. They also made a dub true to the Japanese script; guess which one was more popular. These are the same people who run the lolcowlizer clique nowadays; I just thank god Goldran has never been licensed because comedy + "dumb toy commercial show" would result in a minefield of "no caps" and "baseds" and "rizz" and whatever.

 

[Dewey Decimal]

At least its the fans who don't know what they want. As an Eureka 7 fan I have known what I've wanted since 2015. Bones just fucking refuses to give it to me. So far as I can tell, the entire fan base is on the same page.

Eureka 7 came out when I was 14. Renton's age. I'm 32 now. Show me how things played out for everyone and for the love of god stop with the interdimensional, time travelly, weird cut and paste bullshit. Just give us a real sequel for fucks sake, it doesn't even have to be long, I just wanna see how the world changed for all the struggle the characters went through.

I wanna see Holland and Talhoe's kid. I want to know if Renton ever became a Mechanic like his Grandad wanted. I want to see how the population recovered from getting attacked by the planet they lived on, or the revelation that they've been on Earth the entire time.

Wasn't that the one with the surfboarding mecha? I recall it being super hyped up for years back when it first aired like most anime of the season is today but never getting around to watching it.

I’d love to see more character customization and effort from Japanese developers to create truly immersive worlds. Gachaslop just doesn't capture that feeling of playing a video game. I miss the sense of being just one part of a larger universe with the ability to invest yourself into the setting, like in the old Star Wars Expanded Universe games. Instead of the audience having the rug pulled out from under them any time they start to become invested and being kept at arms length while the bugman writers force in "the chosen one who kills God" or "the harem hero" which seem to dominate anime storytelling. It would be great to see more variety and corporate to just leave all the silly memes to the fans and their cliques who post them instead of constantly breaking the 4th wall to force memes themselves.

The only time a 4th wall break should be done is for some cryptic ARG stuff + more lore stuff for the super nerds. Not "well all this meant FUCKING NOTHING! WOOO!!! FUCK YOU GIMME GACHA/GRIFTER MONEY!"

 

[McMitch]

So Zatch Bell 2 has had this formula where, when a character from before shows up, the more pages between his appearance and his reveal the better the character was in the original series. The best character has shown up finally.

 

[HexFag]

So Zatch Bell 2 has had this formula where, when a character from before shows up, the more pages between his appearance and his reveal the better the character was in the original series. The best character has shown up finally.

Is it better to watch or read Zatch Bell?

 

[Gorillion others]

Is it better to watch or read Zatch Bell?

The anime got the gainax treatment. Read the manga first.

 

[McMitch]

Is it better to watch or read Zatch Bell?

Anime cuts a bunch of great moments including the aforementioned best character’s, partially because the Japanese government at one point ruled all contracts regarding it null and void. Luckily there’s currently a slow-but-steady rescanlation effort that uses better scans, better translation, and better editing.

 

[God of Nothing]

View attachment 6412368

Localizers and their supporters I think are honestly egotistical enough to think that the English version is always superior to the original despite many unnecessary edits to scripts. "We like Japanese media, but frankly their writing isn't up to snuff. By inserting references to culture war fights, and American pop culture references that will have already aged like raw meat left out on a counter even as we were writing them, we make that bland Japanese mush more flavorful."

these people have never interacted with a japanese person once in their life
in what world would they give a fuck about a foreign translation from something originally written in their own language?

Japanese is a very colorful and punny language that can more often than not say a lot in a short number of words.
English is a brutal hodge posh of slapped together shit until it worked.

 

[Mysterious Girlfriend X]

So Zatch Bell 2 has had this formula where, when a character from before shows up, the more pages between his appearance and his reveal the better the character was in the original series. The best character has shown up finally.

Could it be?

 

[McMitch]

Could it be?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIqoIiGmwN4

“Shitty useless joke character takes in certain-death match alone because no one else will/can” is my favorite character and Raiko pulls it off like four fuckin’ times; it’s great.

 

[Abbadon's Gate]

Wasn't that the one with the surfboarding mecha? I recall it being super hyped up for years back when it first aired like most anime of the season is today but never getting around to watching it.

Yeah its one of those things though that while it is probably my all time favorite anime I'm not sure it would be received as well by other people. I was the same age as the MC when it came out. The first episode involves the MC whining about how much the town he lives in sucks and he can't do anything about it because he's too young so it just sucks and will continue to suck. At the time I had just been relocated to a new school for the third or fourth time in like four years, and that move had come with a relocation to a town where I didn't fit in, didn't know anyone, and had to deal with snow 9 months out of the year. To say I empathized with the character is selling it dramatically short.

Plus it was Studio Bones that put it on, so it had great music, incredible production values, and a character I could really put myself into the shoes of. It was great. I just don't know if it would capture a first time viewer the same way.

 

[Commander X]

They always have been. The Ghost Stories dub is a prime example of this. ADV got the show in a package deal, and since they couldn't care less about it, they let failed/wannabe Hollywood writer Chris Patton totally alter the dub with wish.com South Park writing (the predecessor to inserting memes in subtitles) for the satisfaction of his ego. The whole "It didn't do well in Japan so we had to dub it like this to get it to sell" is a lie; Ghost Stories is a very popular YA horror novel series in Japan, and the anime got pretty good ratings throughout its run -- the shorter episode count is because One Piece or some other big battle shonen was moving to its timeslot, not because Japs hated it. ADV also did this with Super Milk-chan. Heaven forbid weeaboo Amerimutts who are obsessed with anime and Japan have to see incomprehensible-ahh Japanese pop-culture references; we have to totally rewrite the script and add in live-action segments of ourselves in the ADV office. They also made a dub true to the Japanese script; guess which one was more popular. These are the same people who run the lolcowlizer clique nowadays; I just thank god Goldran has never been licensed because comedy + "dumb toy commercial show" would result in a minefield of "no caps" and "baseds" and "rizz" and whatever.

When I found out the story behind the Ghost Stories dub, I wasn't livid, but I was more like "eh, that figures". I had no interest or investment in the original series, I heard a clip posted here and there and it came off like the writers were trying too hard. I found a couple of lines faintly amusing. People who insist the Ghost Stories dub is good and funny probably think those Friedberg-Seltzer films like Epic Movie and Meet the Spartans are garbage even though even though they're all really the same thing.

 

[Wild Wild Wisteria]

Anything interesting in the Fall season? I feel like there wasn't anything good for Spring and Summer.

Had a look at the seasonal chart, Natsume Yuujinchou S7 (something something it's been 800 years) and Dandadan are my most hyped picks.

Chi.: Chikyuu no Undou ni Tsuite seems interesting for now, not a fan of historical anime but we'll see.

Ao no Hako looks gorgeous and I hope the romance + sports genre blend balances out.

Amagami-san Chi no Enmusubi seems like one of those dime-a-dozen romance\harem shows, and the catch is that all the girls are shrine maidens. Might make this my guilty-pleasure of the season as I'm interested in seeing how Shinto gets integrated into the plot, but I'm not expecting a serious theological breakdown lmao.

Tsuma, Shougakusei ni Naru was mentioned previously ITT so I know what to expect.

Kimi wa Meido-sama looks ok, I like the maid's design.

Negative Positive Angler (inb4 nigger HIV+ wrangler) is an original anime that is a less charming version of Tsuritama with MC dying of cancer.

Raise wa Tanin ga Ii is your typical Stockholm Syndrome romanchikku desuuu fodder.

And Tono to Inu is pure kino.

I'm also keeping an eye on Mahoutsukai ni Narenakatta Onnanoko no Hanashi and Puniru wa Kawaii Slime cuz I'm a sucker for cute bullshit, though I think the latter will get on my nerves and get dropped.

Side note: I used to never watch seasonal stuff while they aired but I've started doing that with this year's Spring season. I found myself sometimes continuing to watch stuff I'd usually drop around the 3rd episode or so, since the 20min/week investment is so low that it really doesn't feel like a huge waste of time compared to, say, having all 12 or 26 episodes downloaded then noping the fuck out if I don't like what I'm seeing. I seriously need to catch myself and drop stuff faster, but it has lead to funny results like hate-watching Senpai wa Otokonoko (or as I fondly call it: Senpai wa Trannyfaggot desu) and laughing at the parents'/classmates' blatant transphobia.

I wonder if other kiwis have experienced the same thing when watching anime weekly vs. having the entire batch of episodes ready?

 

[BananaSplit²]

we make that bland Japanese mush more flavorful."

The "too dry" shit is what I always use as a litmus test to tell if people know what they're talking about.
For a simple example, しかたない / 仕方ない (and its dozen variants with different subtexts) are one of the ways you can find out if the translator is a filthy N6 using MTL, as the machine translator can't catch complex conjugations, multi-use words and keigo variations which is exactly what causes everything to be on a deadpan monotone. The subtext of this expression is the implication of how people see/hear it, which can range anywhere from "it can't be helped" outright, to "it's not my problem", "it is what it is, isn't it? What will you do?" and even "so that's how it's gonna be huh".

I legitimately have no idea why does this trip even "professional translators" working even on "real literature". So many morons think it's just some overused phrase because English translators are trash at their job, make meager excuses as of result and desperately create this propaganda meme of "japanese is too dry".

I even had the experience once of arguing with someone online who claimed to be a professional translator as such but struggled to understand the basic grammar rule of の as a nominalizer (with a similar function to こと) all while defending the literal fanfiction of a localizer.
iirc he couldn't grasp the presence of two を (direct object) particles within a same sentence「あたしの里を救うのを手伝ってくれないかい」despite the presence of two の particles, one used as an attribute marker while the other as a nominalizer, the latter allowing the transformation of あたしの里を救う into a dummy noun (the action of saving a village) and be linked with the second を . Hence why he attempted to reason it was impossible to directly translate in English.
This is middle-school level of difficulty btw, so I shudder to imagine these people on the more advanced grammar rules.

I disagree, sure there's no baby end game but since there is a lack of "man finds woman sexy because he's a man, woman finds man sexy because she's a woman", there's usually more effort thrown in on character writing to make up for it.
Not that they're better written, but they're usually never as barebones as the average shounen couple that relies on them being main cast characters of different sexes.

Yuri is an acquired taste and it's essentially a focus on the (either platonic or romantic) relationship between women and dealing with each other's differences.
I also dig the various artstyles though you can easily tell many of them are drawn/written by women.


Tsukutte Agetai! Yomotsu Gohan (oneshot) / Ano Koro no Aoi Hoshi (ongoing) / Sankakkei no Kowashi-kata (ongoing)


Hana ni Arashi (completed) / Kimi wo Tsumugu (completed) / Senpai, Oishiidesu ka? (completed)

There is also some overlap between yuri and horror/mystery themes.