Television The Caf' Anime Thread

Just watched these two episodes and WOW WOW.
What is the Rox, what dirt does Big Momma have on Kaaizo, and how will their collaboration impact Shanks/Garp/Dragon

Just what is Shanks' influence - He casually strolled up to the Five Elders aka the highest authorities of the World Government

It was disheartening to see Bartholomew Kuma reduced to a slave for the Celestial Dragons. I'm sure he anticipated this, given he allegedly gave himself in to the Government. So can't wait to see how this unfolds.

At this point in the series, the four Emperors consists of Big Momma, Shanks, and Kaaido and one character who is only shown in a silhouette.. I'd imagine he's a character we've already come across, but I'm curious to learn if he's someone that has already had an encounter with Luffy.

With the Worst Generation making their strides in the New World. I wonder what Whitebeard's first in command, Phoenix is plotting behind the scenes to set himself apart from the Worst Generation.

Hmm Garp revealed he was underwhelmed with Luffy's impact at Marine Ford. There's some foreboding there that's serious competition amongst the pirates outside of Blackbeard and the Four Emperors.

All in all, two great episodes. I'm now super hyped for this Wano arc.
 
It isn't an anime but the netflix series "Alice in Borderland" is based in a manga I believe (and it has some OVAs anyway) and it's a really cool series to watch during winter vacations. Had already seen season 1 but watched it again as I had forgotten some stuff. I won't go into much detail but it's something very reminiscent to Battle Royale (it also has a live action movie and manga) and Gantz (another anime/manga) but unlike Gantz it has a better ending.
 
RIP! :(




Space Battleship Yamato is top notch, btw; in some ways, the pioneering show of the space adventure genre — paving the way for Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Mobile Suit Gundam, Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Outlaw Star, The Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster and so forth.

And the remake was unexpectedly good, too...
 
Is Baki with watching? Saw it on Netflix and started it but then realised there's SO MANY EPISODES... Is it any good?

Also, anywhere I can watch season 2 of Demon Slayer in the UK? (Not Mugen Train).
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Is Baki with watching? Saw it on Netflix and started it but then realised there's SO MANY EPISODES... Is it any good?

Also, anywhere I can watch season 2 of Demon Slayer in the UK? (Not Mugen Train).
Click to expand...

I use wcostream.com it's pretty good. Has the latest demon slayer episodes up to the Entertainment District arc.
 
Rasendori said:
@el3mel @Invictus @Yagami Have you been watching Vinland Saga Season 2? Episode 9 is one of the best anime episodes I've watched in recent memory.
Click to expand...
To be honest, I barely watch ongoing (or “temporarily halted”) anime now! The long wait between seasons (3 years for Vinland Saga, 5 years for Made in Abyss, 4 years for Re: Zero, 3 years for Tower of God, 4 years for One Punch Man, undetermined for Land of the Lustrous, et cetera) has throttled my interest. That being said, I might binge-watch Vinland Saga Season 2 in the days leading up to the finale. :)
 
Invictus said:
To be honest, I barely watch ongoing (or “temporarily halted”) anime now! The long wait between seasons (3 years for Vinland Saga, 5 years for Made in Abyss, 4 years for Re: Zero, 3 years for Tower of God, 4 years for One Punch Man, undetermined for Land of the Lustrous, et cetera) has throttled my interest. That being said, I might binge-watch Vinland Saga Season 2 in the days leading up to the finale. :)
Click to expand...
Fair enough. Was wondering what was up, given this thread was active during Season 1. Yeah, I feel you on that one. I imagine the long breaks is especially annoying for you, as you've completed a large amount of anime series already.
 
Rasendori said:
@el3mel @Invictus @Yagami Have you been watching Vinland Saga Season 2? Episode 9 is one of the best anime episodes I've watched in recent memory.
Click to expand...
I'm afraid not. I haven't actually seen any of it! Would you recommend it?

Truth be told, I have a hard time getting into modern anime because I just personally don't like the art style it's now become accustom to. It's too polished for me. I much prefer the, say, gritty art style of anime before the mid-late 2000s change.

I still watch anime that are like this of course. It's just harder to get into for me. If there's been a reboot of an old anime, I'll always opt for the classic. A recent example is Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai. Though I did watch, and enjoy, the reboot of Hunter X Hunter when that came out!

On a side note, I haven't seen any of your posts myself in a good while before this so I was happy to hear from you!
 
Vinland saga season 2 is too slow. They should introduce a sub plot a little earlier to keep things ticking. They really want to drill into your brains the realisation that Thorfinn wants to change. That being said I’m still enjoying it.

Saw the new Demon slayer in cinema, production to quality as usual. Remains to be seen how the plot will go.

attack on titan another one I find a little slow and overrated.

Watched some old anime lately, 7 samurai on Netflix is pretty good. Currently rewatching cowboy be pop
 
Invictus said:
To be honest, I barely watch ongoing (or “temporarily halted”) anime now! The long wait between seasons (3 years for Vinland Saga, 5 years for Made in Abyss, 4 years for Re: Zero, 3 years for Tower of God, 4 years for One Punch Man, undetermined for Land of the Lustrous, et cetera) has throttled my interest. That being said, I might binge-watch Vinland Saga Season 2 in the days leading up to the finale. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, thats the problem with anime based on "ongoing" manga or light novels. You really have to wait a long time for sequels so that enough material is produced along the way.

Still better than having anime original endings like for example Claymore.
 
Rasendori said:
@el3mel @Invictus @Yagami Have you been watching Vinland Saga Season 2? Episode 9 is one of the best anime episodes I've watched in recent memory.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I haven't had time to watch anime for a very long time now, working, life and such. I'm planning to return to this and other anime in the future though, once I have some bit of free time.
 
RoyH1 said:
Yeah, thats the problem with anime based on "ongoing" manga or light novels. You really have to wait a long time for sequels so that enough material is produced along the way.

Still better than having anime original endings like for example Claymore.
Click to expand...

That was the problem with season 3 of Kenshin too. Really wished they actually waited and made the 3rd part of the mange instead of going off on a completely different tangent that was basically an entire season of filler episodes.
 
“Guns aren't for threats. They're for actions! Are you willing to risk your life?” :drool:

dsRuSiN.png
 
Has anyone ever watched Hunter x Hunter? This Hisiko grooming of Gon on Killua treads a very thin line.

He’s a great character but sometimes it’s a bit close
 
Yagami said:
I'm afraid not. I haven't actually seen any of it! Would you recommend it?

Truth be told, I have a hard time getting into modern anime because I just personally don't like the art style it's now become accustom to. It's too polished for me. I much prefer the, say, gritty art style of anime before the mid-late 2000s change.

I still watch anime that are like this of course. It's just harder to get into for me. If there's been a reboot of an old anime, I'll always opt for the classic. A recent example is Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai. Though I did watch, and enjoy, the reboot of Hunter X Hunter when that came out!

On a side note, I haven't seen any of your posts myself in a good while before this so I was happy to hear from you!
Click to expand...
Ah, I see. It starts slowly as @tinfish said. I'm talking like a good six or seven episodes, but once you reach episode 8 you start to appreciate the earlier episodes. I think character development is the author's strong point and this season has been no exception. It's not been a series of much action though, so can imagine that being off-putting for some.

Hmm okay interest take on the art style. You've probably seen it already, but there's an anime post mid-late 2000s in Megalo Box with an animation style that is reminiscent of classic anime from the 90s, with a focus on hand-drawn art and retro character designs. Well, I say that but it was inspired by Ashita no Joe which was either the 70s or late 60s.

I don't think I've got a preference in art style myself. I loved the abstract approach of Katanagatari, the 3D gemstone models of Land of Lustrous, the now cliché and "too polished" art style of Tokyo Revengers and the Great Pretender, and notwithstanding the gritty style of Aoi Bungaku.

The oldest anime I watched in the past three or four years is probably Now and then, here and then. It comfortably exceeded my expectations.

Thank you, that's awfully kind. The feeling is mutual, tagged you for a reason. Been pursuing some passion projects. For example, I've got a documentary in the works, and hope to have written my first book within two years.

el3mel said:
Unfortunately, I haven't had time to watch anime for a very long time now, working, life and such. I'm planning to return to this and other anime in the future though, once I have some bit of free time.
Click to expand...

Ah fair enough. It was in the back of my mind that you called Season 1 a "masterpiece" so figured there was a reason Season 2 hadn't been mentioned up till now.
 
Andersons Dietician said:
Has anyone ever watched Hunter x Hunter? This Hisiko grooming of Gon on Killua treads a very thin line.

He’s a great character but sometimes it’s a bit close
Click to expand...
At first it was odd because you didn't know what he was about, but there was a point where it became really creepy. Shocked they got away with it tbh.
 
Schmiznurf said:
At first it was odd because you didn't know what he was about, but there was a point where it became really creepy. Shocked they got away with it tbh.
Click to expand...
Yes at first ok he was a little creepy he just sees potential for a good fight in those two once they mature. That’s cool and all, decent enough motives. However the episode I just watched they stumble across him bathing and it’s insinuated that when he sees how much they’ve improved that he gets sexually aroused whilst standing naked in front of them ,its just like what the ….

I just watched Prison school and High school DxD before this and they weren’t anywhere near as perverted. Well maybe not High school DxD anyway.
 
Attack on Titan is still so good. Anyone know how many parts the final bit is? I can’t see a release date for the next episode.
 
Rasendori said:
Ah, I see. It starts slowly as @tinfish said. I'm talking like a good six or seven episodes, but once you reach episode 8 you start to appreciate the earlier episodes. I think character development is the author's strong point and this season has been no exception. It's not been a series of much action though, so can imagine that being off-putting for some.

Hmm okay interest take on the art style. You've probably seen it already, but there's an anime post mid-late 2000s in Megalo Box with an animation style that is reminiscent of classic anime from the 90s, with a focus on hand-drawn art and retro character designs. Well, I say that but it was inspired by Ashita no Joe which was either the 70s or late 60s.

I don't think I've got a preference in art style myself. I loved the abstract approach of Katanagatari, the 3D gemstone models of Land of Lustrous, the now cliché and "too polished" art style of Tokyo Revengers and the Great Pretender, and notwithstanding the gritty style of Aoi Bungaku.

The oldest anime I watched in the past three or four years is probably Now and then, here and then. It comfortably exceeded my expectations.

Thank you, that's awfully kind. The feeling is mutual, tagged you for a reason. Been pursuing some passion projects. For example, I've got a documentary in the works, and hope to have written my first book within two years.
Click to expand...
I definitely think I'll check it out as well as some of the others you listed there. Also, that's awesome to hear about your passion projects! I can only wish you the best of luck.
 
Wasn't sure where to post this but:

I came here to post this, but someone on here recommended I go back and finish the manga, well I just did my god it was fabulous, right to the very end.
 
Rasendori said:
@el3mel @Invictus @Yagami Have you been watching Vinland Saga Season 2? Episode 9 is one of the best anime episodes I've watched in recent memory.
Click to expand...
Okay, I am starting to catch on with Vinland Saga Season 2! :)

Marked shift from Vinland Saga Season 1 in terms of delivery and flavor (hard to tell it's the same show!), but thus far, I'm enjoying it a lot. Episode 9 was excellent, as you pointed out — a real high point in the anime, like Episode 19 for Kimetsu no Yaiba. The surreal sequences with undead corpses, Askeladd, Thors and the metaphor of Thorfinn's victims were cathartic and mesmerizing in equal measure; looks like the protagonist is undergoing a meaningful boy-to-man metamorphosis in front of our eyes, learning to forgive others as well as himself, and finally figuring out what it takes to be a true warrior like Thors (though I don't quite agree some of the half-baked notions of pacifism, they feel a bit juvenile and Thorfinn needs further development to crystallize his stance).

The only point of criticism is that there aren't as many enthralling characters (and I'm not feeling similar rushes of satisfaction on an episode-to-episode basis), which is paradoxical as there's a deliberate emphasis on character development. Season 1 felt very dynamic and gripping with Askeladd, Canute, Björn, Thors, Thorkell — I'm struggling to care for prominent Season 2 characters like Einar (annoying sidekick), Ketil (spineless, egoistical maniac), Arnheid (a whole lot of soppy nothingness).

  • Thorfinn
  • Askeladd
  • Canute
  • Snake
  • Thors
  • Sverkel
  • Thorkell
  • Pater
  • Leif
  • Björn
Hon. mentions: Willibald, Ylva, Snake-eyes, Thorgil.
 
I am just catching up on Vinland Saga season 2. Just reached episode 13 and it doesn't have option for English dub. Any idea when that will be updated?
 
Just waiting for Part 2 of AOT to come out and then I’ll watch Part 1. No way I can hold on waiting if I watched it. It’ll be like a big epic 2 hour movie.
 
Glad you enjoyed it to the point when your post was made.

Invictus said:
The only point of criticism is that there aren't as many enthralling characters (and I'm not feeling similar rushes of satisfaction on an episode-to-episode basis), which is paradoxical as there's a deliberate emphasis on character development. Season 1 felt very dynamic and gripping with Askeladd, Canute, Björn, Thors, Thorkell — I'm struggling to care for prominent Season 2 characters like Einar (annoying sidekick), Ketil (spineless, egoistical maniac), Arnheid (a whole lot of soppy nothingness).

[/spoiler]
Click to expand...

Fair enough. Einar grew on me in episode 4 when he showed restraint in killing the protagonist in his sleep. I felt it was an interesting parallel to Askeladd premeditated murder of his father. We see two contrasting cases where one was steadfast in his convictions (waiting two years, despite gaining the approval of his father and men around him), and Einar's forgiveness for Thorfinn's in a remarkably short period of time. I find that particularly impressive that he got to that level of compassion considering it took Thorfinn several years to get to that point of not internalizing suffering caused by others.

Arnheid, really liked her too. I think back to one of my favourite scenes in S1 when the priest, Willibald gave his perspective on love. To paraphrase, that death being the ultimate liberation from negative emotions and that it brings about a state of eternal beauty and love. Whilst I have my own perspective on what the priest meant, if we take it at face value then the opposite stance being that love can be found in the living via certain relationship dynamics, and whilst we saw that in the father-son bond, and characters wrestling with the idea of a higher power, I was eager to see what other portrayals of love we would come across. For this reason, I was really happy with Arnheid's character as we had a living example of not only mother love, but a wife too. In this way, I felt the emotional "soppiness" was most needed. Not even factoring her fate here, as that hadn't occurred at the timing of your post



Invictus said:
Marked shift from Vinland Saga Season 1 in terms of delivery and flavor (hard to tell it's the same show!), but thus far, I'm enjoying it a lot. Episode 9 was excellent, as you pointed out — a real high point in the anime, like Episode 19 for Kimetsu no Yaiba. The surreal sequences with undead corpses, Askeladd, Thors and the metaphor of Thorfinn's victims were cathartic and mesmerizing in equal measure; looks like the protagonist is undergoing a meaningful boy-to-man metamorphosis in front of our eyes, learning to forgive others as well as himself, and finally figuring out what it takes to be a true warrior like Thors (though I don't quite agree some of the half-baked notions of pacifism, they feel a bit juvenile and Thorfinn needs further development to crystallize his stance).

[/spoiler]
Click to expand...

Indeed. Especially with the way Season 1 ended. With the Season 2 backlash from critics and detractors, I was reminded of my slight criticism of Thorfinn in season When you think avengers, your mind may wander to being the last person standing in their family i.e Sasuke, Kurapika but the fact his sibling was alive and well, just felt there was an opportunity for him to
think about her for even a milli second, even if to justify his pursuit of Askeladd. So briefly flicked to Season 1 on Netflix as I was waiting for S2 E6 to be released and came across the scene inS1 when Thorfinn is asked if he's slave by a blonde slave woman and being the hubristic person he is, dismissed her claim as he could "eat wherever he pleases" and she challenged the idea that he's not a slave. Fast forward to S2 and we see a more pronounced example of how stoicism can be a form of slavery, with existentialism being the true catalyst of freedom.


Nice list. From Season 2, I would have room for Arheid and Olmar in my list, if not an honorary mention.
 


I guess this could go in here?

It's going to be so bad, yet I'm still gonna watch it. Really curious how they're gonna translate even half the mad shit from the source material.

Can't be any worse than the Cowboy Bebop live action series, can it?
 
I only wish I discovered the whole extent of its popularity earlier, but I finally got up to date with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Now that the Swordsmith Village Arc (season 3) is done, we will have the Hashira Training Arc (season 4) coming sometime next year. However, the biggest piece of recent news is that the longest arc - the Infinity Castle Arc will be put into multiple animated movies.

Demon Slayer Will Reportedly Get Multiple Movies For Its Longest Manga Arc

That is not even saying what will happen for the final arc. Some of you may already read the manga to have an idea about how the story will unfold. Nevertheless, the top production quality in the previous seasons really gets me excited for what will come next as the quality always keeps on improving time after time.

Ufotable's reputation as an animation studio is already solidified for years to come. I read that they will also adapt the big hit known as Genshin Impact soon as well.
 
I can't with Boruto.

I know Naruto fans hate comparisons to Dragon Ball, but Kishimoto really should have took note of how Toriyama handled Z.

What I mean by that is how Toriyama went about promoting Gohan to the protagonist before carrying on with the Buu saga and reverting back to Goku. He did not weaken Goku, he actually made him stronger from Dragon Ball and brought Gohan up to his level through multiple sagas until he finally took over by beating Cell. With Boruto, Naruto and Sasuke are just nerfed to oblivion in order to make Boruto the hero and it just leaves a sour taste. They're either losing their powers or aren't using the powers they still have to the fullest extent because Kishimoto regrets making them as strong as he did.

That's just the story side. On the art side, the manga is so simple compared to how Naruto and Shippuden were drawn. It just doesn't feel like there's any effort going into it. Same with Dragon Ball Supers manga compared to the original and Z.
 
I'm only waiting for Dragonball Super 2. I dont think I can ever get tired of DB.
 
Yagami said:
I can't with Boruto.

I know Naruto fans hate comparisons to Dragon Ball, but Kishimoto really should have took note of how Toriyama handled Z.

What I mean by that is how Toriyama went about promoting Gohan to the protagonist before carrying on with the Buu saga and reverting back to Goku. He did not weaken Goku, he actually made him stronger from Dragon Ball and brought Gohan up to his level through multiple sagas until he finally took over by beating Cell. With Boruto, Naruto and Sasuke are just nerfed to oblivion in order to make Boruto the hero and it just leaves a sour taste. They're either losing their powers or aren't using the powers they still have to the fullest extent because Kishimoto regrets making them as strong as he did.

That's just the story side. On the art side, the manga is so simple compared to how Naruto and Shippuden were drawn. It just doesn't feel like there's any effort going into it. Same with Dragon Ball Supers manga compared to the original and Z.
Click to expand...

I have to say first that I could not get hooked for real on Naruto/Boruto, but I also understand how and why it can be that attractive though. It's just a matter of a personal choice. Nevertheless, I also noticed what you pointed out here about the mishandling of top characters in the sequel. For the little that I could catch and compare between the 2 series, I was also taken aback by how far Naruto and Sasuke regressed as warriors when they should be serving as the gold standard that Boruto must match and then exceed. Hence I also wonder if Kishimoto created Boruto with only half of his heart in it because fans asked for more when he should have put the final exclamation mark where he wanted it to be.

From my recent experience with Demon Slayer (I know it's only one main series without spin-offs and so on, but still...), what I really like is seeing how the main character - Tanjiro started from basically nothing and eventually became about as if not more powerful than all of the allies he would meet along the way. When manga readers and anime viewers first met the 9 Hashira (or pillars), we thought that it would be near impossible for Tanjiro to match let alone surpass the aforementioned Hashira as a fellow member of the demon slayer corps. But the arrival of more powerful demons and Tanjiro's infallible efforts to protect his own sister Nezuko pushed him to become stronger time and time again. The Hashira did not lose their powers as they became less and less of a match against those upper ranked demons in those same battles; they only met their respective ceilings.

The moral of the story: in order to make a main character's growth believable as a fighter, you must always introduce increasingly stronger opponents or enemies without nerfing existing top allies.
 
I've never watched/read Demon Slayer, @RedDevilQuebecois , but I completely agree with your point. Your bit about Kishimoto's heart being in it is something I've seen a lot of fans question. I've heard the theory that because Samurai 8 - his manga he did after Naruto ended - failed, he kinds of resents going back to Naruto. I don't think it's so much resentment rather than, I dunno, disappointment that he can't move on from the series. Plus, like Toriyama with Super, I think there's a lot more outside influence going into the story.

Another vital thing is you need your character to actually be likable. Back to Gohan, although he wasn't as popular as Goku, he was still universally liked so that transition wasn't really negatively received. Boruto really hasn't been likable at all. I don't know if any of the new gen are that liked, honestly. The only time I've seen hype for the series is when Naruto and Sasuke teamed up to face Momoshiki, which I enjoyed myself.

Like, I'm no fan of Dragon Ball Super, but they knew what they had with Goku and Vegeta (even though they've regressed as characters rather than in strength). Naruto and Sasuke are just a shadow of themselves, and....

It looks like Sasuke is being killed off so I don't think it's going to get any better :(
 
The live adaptation of One Piece has just came out on Netflix. Watched the first episode of it and really enjoyed it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.