The Anime/Manga/Related Merchandise Thread

I guess just seems a bit odd, as over here if something does well we run it into the ground.

Did anyone watch Digimon Tri? As you can now get all 6 parts in one boxset and I'm thinking about picking it up with some of my Christmas money.

Just finished Gridman which I gave a 7/10 on MAL as it doesn't go off the rails like Darling but unlike that, it doesn't have the same quality at the start it's just constant.

Rikka is best girl though.

Gridman is on my watch list, looked interesting enough.

That's the Winter season properly kicking off now - from the first episodes and the buzz I've been seeing, Rising of the Shield Hero, Mob Psycho 100 Season Two and The Promised Neverland are the shows to be watching this time round. I'll be checking out a few more, so I'll give some recommendations after I've given them the three episode rule.

(this is now like the cricket thread) I saw something called boogiepop or some other daft name is coming soon and peeps seem to think that will be good.

I'm still checking in, I just don't have much to say at the moment. To be honest I don't watch much telly at all these days, apart from the series I'm watching with The Lady.

Ditto, although my excuse is more that I'm still procrastinating on things like Jojo and AoT season 2 because I can be pretty darn lazy about my entertainment consumption.

Actually I think Animelab just added the final part of Jojo Part 3, so now seems an excellent time to start that one as that was, primarily, my reason for holding off.

masofdas wrote:

I saw something called boogiepop or some other daft name is coming soon and peeps seem to think that will be good.

I liked the first couple of episodes, but I wouldn't say it's a must watch or anything yet.

Athrun888 wrote:

Actually I think Animelab just added the final part of Jojo Part 3, so now seems an excellent time to start that one as that was, primarily, my reason for holding off.  

Have you seen any of Jojo's Part 3? I found the first half to be a bit of a slog up until Episode 19 where it finished the arc strongly. I've yet to dive until the second half of Part 3.

JayMoyles wrote:

Athrun888 wrote:

Actually I think Animelab just added the final part of Jojo Part 3, so now seems an excellent time to start that one as that was, primarily, my reason for holding off.  

Have you seen any of Jojo's Part 3? I found the first half to be a bit of a slog up until Episode 19 where it finished the arc strongly. I've yet to dive until the second half of Part 3.

Nah, not yet. I've only seen the first six or so episodes of part 1 (ending with that fight in the Jojo mansion over the mask. So the only Jojo meme I can honestly use is "IT WAS ME, DIO!"). I have heard of the second half and the glorious ZA WARUDO meme it spawned though, which I think originates from the final fight with Dio.

That said I have heard a lot of people say Part 3 is basically the height of the entire series, so I'd assume that whatever goes down in the second half of it earns it that badge of honour.

I've heard that Part 4 is meant to be the best - at least until they adapt Part 7, apparently.

You definitely need to check out Part 2. It takes the concepts of Part 1 and takes it to ridiculously silly heights. Joseph is best JoJo too.

My problem with Part 3's first half is that it relies on a Monster of the Week format for each episode and lacks the overarching plot of the first two parts. Part 3.5 has kicked off in much the same manner, but I can only assume it ramps up considerably towards the end.

Zombie Land Saga just finished and how it ends hopefully means a second season, got to say I really enjoyed it as it's a bit daft but can have some serious & heartfelt moments as well.

It likely will - it did really well domestically in Japan with it topping anime ratings charts for viewership, winning end of year awards and selling strongly in the bluray department.

I'll post a wee recommendation round up from the shows I've been watching in the season next week once the third episodes of most shows start dropping as I'll have a solid idea of what's worth watching by that point.

I can say with certainty that The Promised Neverland is 100% worth watching at this stage. I'm not saying a thing as to do so would be to ruin one of the best first episodes of any anime I've watched.

oof these subs for Jojo are rough.  What's with all these English phrases like blimey and mate and whatnot?  Don't get me wrong, I'm aware they fit the actual setting to an extent, but I can guarantee you they are not saying that in Japanese.  And no "IT WAS ME, DIO!" either.  

Anyway started from the beginning again because it's been a few years.  Fun so far, Dio and Johnathon and the start of their grudge.  Dio just learned of the mask's powers, things are about to escalate quickly iirc.

Anyone going to watch the Broly movie next week? I hear it comes to the UK the same time it's releasing here in aus. Fully intend to head out on the second day to catch a screening.

Where are you watching Jojo's? The subs on Crunchyroll didn't have any of the English slang and definitely had "KONO DIO DA!" properly represented.

Yeah, I think I'll be booking tickets for me and the brother to go see the Broly movie on Wednesday or Thursday next week. I've heard really good things which is good considering the ups and downs of DBS had me concerned.

JayMoyles wrote:

Where are you watching Jojo's? The subs on Crunchyroll didn't have any of the English slang and definitely had "KONO DIO DA!" properly represented.

Yeah, I think I'll be booking tickets for me and the brother to go see the Broly movie on Wednesday or Thursday next week. I've heard really good things which is good considering the ups and downs of DBS had me concerned.

Animelab, who I assume due to how they didn't start putting the show up until the bluray sets started releasing are probably using the subs from those.  On the bright side it's all in glorious 1080p hd!

Swaggering up a wall, I can already see why Dio is a meme machine.  

If you're digging the ridiculousness of Part One, I can't wait for you to reach the later bits. Part One is the driest compared to the later bits of Jojo's.

Right, I've watched at least three episodes of a fair few shows this season, so here's my rankings/recommendations for what to watch in the Winter 2019 season! Brace yourselves, here comes text!

Must Watch

The Promised Neverland - I can't say much about this one without totally ruining the setup for the show, but all you need to do is watch the first episode. I guarantee that you'll be roped in for this one after that, and I'll leave it at that.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War - If Death Note was a rom-com. Seriously, this is wonderful stuff. Great animation, really clever writing and funny to boot. It's about two intelligent student council members trying to get the other to confess their love as neither of them want to be the person to make the first move. Absolutely check this one out.

Mob Psycho 100 Season Two - I hadn't watched the first season of this show before the start of this season, but it's one of only three 10/10s on my MAL now. It's a comedy/action show from the mind behind One Punch Man. It's not a parody as such, but a story about a boy with psychic powers who tries to hold back his emotions as if he lets them out, his psychic abilities could run rampant. You see a rising percentage counter tick up to 100% as he gets more and more stressed out by the crazy happenings that occur in his life. I'd never consistently laughed out loud watching anime until I checked this out, and Season Two seems to be more of that same brilliance shown in S1. Check it ouuuuut.

Worth a Go

Rising of the Shield Hero - It's yet another isekai. However, it seems to be shaping up to be worth a watch. It's about four lads transported to another world and each of them becomes a legendary hero as designated by a weapon they're assigned. The titular Shield Hero is looked down upon by this world as he can't fight by himself like the other heroes and also due to other story reasons which happen in the first episode. The first episode is decently long for anime standards at 45 minutes, so give it a go and see if you like it.

Boogiepop and Others - I have no fucking clue what this is about but I think I like it, though. It's a mystery anime that plays about with time in how it presents the events shown on screen with events shown out of order. There's something captivating about it, which could be down to the music and overall presentation. If I was to sum it up, it'd be something along the lines of "benevolent mysterious spirit protects world from spooky goings on". But even that doesn't do it justice. Worth a go, but prepare to be confused.

My Roommate is a Cat - This is a surprisingly emotional show. It's about a young man who loses his parents and develops what seems to be agrophobia and anxiety. It seems to be about him recovering from the death of his parents and trying to live normally again by taking in a stray cat. I didn't expect the heavy plot when I picked up this show. The episodes thus far have been split into half from the guy's perspective and half from the cat's, so there's definitely laughs in there too. It's the most emotional show in the season so far in my eyes, though.

Not Bad, But Not Essential

Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka - Magical Girls with PTSD, the show. This is subverting the usual sparkle and light-hearted tone of magical girl shows with a bloody and violent story about a magical girl who doesn't want to return to battle after a long and brutal war against creatures from another world. It seems fine so far, but I'm not a big fan of any of the characters as of yet. The premise is intriguing enough to warrant a watch though if the summary sounds alright to you.

The Quintessential Quintuplets - Tutor gets a job tutoring a girl struggling with her grades, but he finds out that it's not just one girl he's tutoring but the whole family of five quintuplets. Zaniness ensues. There's not been any hilarious moments so far and there's really only one of the five girls that seems like a decent person, but it's early days yet. Give it a go if you're looking for a slice-of-life show this season.

Probably Don't Bother

The Price of Smiles - Two countries are at war, battling each other with their armies of mechs. The princess of one of the countries was sheltered from the truth and doesn't know that they're at war. It's a war story, basically. If you're really looking for a mech show this season, this seems to be the only one, but I really wouldn't bother. I hate the characters in this and the story hasn't gripped me at all.

___

From last season, you should 100% be watching Run with the Wind. It's just getting better in its second half, so please check this show out. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is still ongoing. It's still grand, but I wouldn't class it as a must watch. Ace Attorney... probably shouldn't bother with this unless you're a fan of the games. It's not been the best adaptation, although if you do like the games the show is approaching 3-5, so surely they can't cock that up.

I'm also watching Jojo's Part Three, but that's not current hence it's not in my round up. What are you guys watching?

Rising of the Shield Hero hasn't started yet on Funimation however I was told by a mate I'd like How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord because I like That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and I was put off Demon Lord as it seems similar to Slime (also dam that fan service from the intro) which might be the same for Shield Hero (when it ever starts) with it being another isekai.

Not a lot new things have started on Funimation

I'm two episodes into Boogiepop and Others which I think I will be sticking with due to the weirdness

Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka, I'm only one episode in that I'm unclear on it

Then it's waiting to check out the other new shows

The Quintessential Quintuplets
ENDRO!
My Roommate is a Cat


Neverland has made me tempted to get Crunchyroll but I've got so much anime I've not watched between Funimation and Netflix with things like Bunny Girl, Steins;Gate etc

Nah, Shield Hero is totally different from those other shows. You'll get on with it, I reckon.

If want to give the shows I've highlighted a try, I've got three 48 hour premium passes for Crunchyroll that I can fire over to you.

Yeah could give them ago

I'll drop you a PM or a DM with them.

Thanks, have to checkout some I've missed from last season and give some of these new ones a go, that I may stick around after the trials.

Just got back from DB Super: Broly a couple of hours ago. Got a headache in the last ten minutes since arriving home (that's what I get for having a bad sleep schedule, probably had nine hours sleep over the last three days and my body is punishing me for that), so I'll post my detailed thoughts later.

To sum up my opinion of the movie in a word: awesome. If you even vaguely like Dragon Ball get out there and watch this now! This movie was everything I hoped but didn't dare to expect it'd be.

Also finished Jojo part 1 the other day, god damn that was brutal stuff. And I see what you mean about part 1 being the driest Jay, episode 1 of part 2 was already more over-the-top than the entirety of part 1, and I'm loving it. Like Broly I'll go into details tomorrow after some sleep and ridding myself of this headache.

I loved the Broly movie - they redeemed that character from being an utterly dull one-note joke. The animation was absolutely gorgeous too. Dragon Ball is something else when they're not rushing episodes out the door like with DBS.

Ohhhh, I can't wait for you to watch the whole of Part Two and take in the majesty of best JoJo, Joseph Joestar.

Goblin Slayer is now done and it was decent enough watch and I look forward to Season 2

Also, The Quintessential Quintuplets and My Roommate is a Cat both started on Funimation, now I did watch after Goblin Slayer that having something a bit silly and light-hearted after it but did enjoy and will continue.

I'm yet to watch anything on Crunchyroll thanks to Jay due not having the time.

Yeah, having a palate cleanser of sorts after watching an intense show is worth it. My Roommate is a Cat airs right after Rising of the Shield Hero on Crunchyroll, which works perfectly!