Reviews of Animated Series
 

As a big fan of the artistic medium of animation, I decided to open this thread to review animated TV series. I should have opened such a thread a couple of years ago, perhaps, but now I am much more experienced with animation which allows me to better judge the artistic qualities of these TV shows compared to the time when I joined the forum.

Note: Lots of pictures in this thread. :D Animation is primarily a visual art and more focused on visuals than live action (which, well, is restricted to essentially only one visual style: photographic realism).

I plan to review every single series I watched since September 2014. Note also that I put the genre/setting as well.

1) Maria The Virgin Witch (2015) + (comedy, drama, historical fantasy)
2) Hyouge Mono (2011) + (comedy, drama, historical)
3) KanColle (2015) - (military moe, anthropomorphic weapons, ww2)
4) LOGH: Spiral Labyrinth (1999-2000) (drama, military strategy, science fiction, distant future)
5) Space Dandy (2014) (comedy, experimental, drama, science fiction)
6) Hourou Musuko (2011) - (drama, contemporary)
7) Shirobako (2014-2015) (comedy, drama, contemporary Japan)
8) Yuri Kuma Arashi (2015) - (drama, surrealistic fantasy setting)
9) Psycho Pass 2 (2014) (drama, crime, science fiction)
10) Minami Ke (2007) (comedy, contemporary Japan)
11) Aldnoah Zero (2014) (drama, military science fiction, near future)
12) Yuki Yuna is a Hero (2014) (drama, action, fantasy, alternate reality)
13) Baccano (2007) (comedy, crime, drama, fantasy, 1930's)
14) Someday's Dreamers (2008) (drama, fantasy, contemporary Japan)
15) Samurai 7 (2004) (drama, action, steampunk, fantasy)
16) 100 Billion Stars, 100 Billion Lights (1998-1999) - (drama, military strategy, science fiction, distant future)
17) Nanoha StrickerS (2007) (drama, action, fantasy)
18) Rick and Morty 1 season (2013) (comedy, science fiction)
19) Cross Game (2009-2010) (sports, drama)
20) Arakawa under the Bridge 2 (2010) + (comedy, slice of life)
21) Maria Holic: Alive (2011) + (comedy, slice of life)
22) Is this a Zombie? (2011) (harem, fantasy, comedy)
23) Log Horizon (2013) (fantasy, drama)
24) No Game no Life (2014) (puzzle, fantasy, thriller)
25) Oreimo 2 (2013) (slice of life, harem, comedy, drama)
26) Infinite Ryvius (1999) (drama, science fixtion, romance)

1) Maria the Virgin Witch (2015)

http://www.theavatarlibrary.co.uk/ca...ion-140215.jpg

One of the best series to come out this year, Maria is exceptionally well animated and executed. The writing is incredibly concise (a quality it shares with PMMM) in delivering information to the viewer efficiently. The direction is very conventional however, lacking visual experimentation or more innovative direction (unlike the highly experimental and aggressively innovative PMMM).

Adaptation of the manga of the same name:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...rgin_Witch.jpg

Usually manga adaptations are superior to novel adaptations, at least in the case of Japanese series. The reason is that novels usually adapted into animated series are called light novels which are short novels written in series (instead of being a single 400,000 word novel it has 8 novels each 50,000 words each released in different years) that are typically of less quality than "normal" novels.

Another strong quality of this series is it's accurate reconstruction of mid 15th century France, during the last years of the 100 years war. Dis-considering the supernatural elements (which includes the witches and their stripper styled costumes).

http://i2.wp.com/www.populationgo.co...-Witch-5-1.png

Even warfare is depicted in realistic fashion, that is, until the dragons summoned by witches show up on the battlefield:

http://i3.minus.com/ibcJ6PvoILqVdk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zfaGzDul.jpg

I usually don't talk about plots in my reviews about movies/TV series because I don't regard the specific details of plots very interesting elements by themselves, but in this case it's interesting because of it's more philosophical content compared to usual series or movies. Maria hates warfare but only cares about the warfare that's happening in front of her, so she decides to summon dragons and other similar mythilogical creatures to stop battles from happening, however, her interest in stopping battles right before her eyes in many cases interfere with the war in a way that makes it drag longer than expected, increasing the total suffering caused by the conflict, in direct contradiction with Maria's claimed desire to stop warfare in general.

Sexual elements are abundant in the show though they do not make a significant contribution to the overall plot:
http://i0.wp.com/www.populationgo.co...-Witch-2-0.png
http://www.digitaljournal.com/img/4/...reengrab_5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZvbmK3Q.png

For instance, Maria's virginity play no role in the plot other than the fact that if she loses it, angel Michael would punish her by forbidding her to practice magic.

Rating +

2) Hyouge Mono (2011)

http://animew.mobi/wp-content/upload...llpapers-6.jpg

A series characterized by it's very mature tone (it's one of the very few anime made that targets the middle aged demographic as the vast majority of anime made today targets teenagers and young adults) and by the variety of facial expressions made by it's protagonist, the "feudal lord" in his 40's living in late 16th century Japan who is also a lover of aesthetics (an "aesthete"), Furuta.

https://abandonedfactory.files.wordp...e-mono-3-4.png

It's a comedy that acquires a more serious tone as the series progress. Similar to many Japanese manga and animated series (in fact, Maria's tone also changes from comedic to dead serious over the span of it's episodes but it never becomes as comedic as Hyouge Mono).

http://archief.animeblog.nl/wp-conte...ge-mono-10.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/RgyEisN.png

http://www.thiseuphoria.com/anime10/hyougemono-3-0.jpg

It's populed by many historical characters of that period of Japanese history. The focus of the series in it's second part is the conflict between Rikyu and Hideyoshi while it begins it's first dozen episodes narrating the campaigns of Oda Nobunaga.

The level of detail and the overall quality of the animation is very high. Though the cinematography and direction is pretty standard, with the use of traditional Japanese techniques like pillow shoots (popularized by Ozu but utilized now extensively even in comic books):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVvxOgmxeGA

Character designs are also more realistic than typical for animation. Which is nice to see an animation made almost as if it was trying to copy a live action film. It's a extremely high quality title, that I didn't enjoy as much as it's fans do perhaps because I am not mature/old enough.

3) KanColle (2015)

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2...s/0/04/178.png

Some anime series achieve very high levels of "ludicrousness", very few are as ludicrous as Kancolle. Unlike the two series above, which are characterized by excellent writing mainly because they are based on excellent adult mangas, KanColle is based on a internet cards game. Because of that the quality of the writing, perhaps the most important component in any work of narrative, suffers greatly. As result KanColle was a disappointment and the high quality of the animation, thanks to it's huge budget, is the only redeeming factor.

http://t100.qpic.cn/mblogpic/4000857...9fe3c/2000.png

What are the cards? Second World War warships represented as cute girls. Carriers are usually represented as archers by the way. The first picture of this post is the German battleship Bismark. This is Yamato:

http://www.geeksundergrace.com/wp-co...Colle-Ep-8.png

The series chronicles the adventures of Fubuki, a destroyer during a symbolic reproduction of the major naval battles of the Pacific Theater of the war, the Japanese navy is symbolized as cute girls while the American ships are symbolized as sea monsters by the way.

Main character, the destroyer Fubuki:
http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2...i_kancolle.jpg

The writing is completely derivative, it just consists of a sequence of moe cliches, mainly extracted from the classic of the military "cute girls turned into weapons" genre, Strike Witches. Still it's above average production qualities made it not far below average series.

https://newanime545.files.wordpress....-episode-4.gif

Also, Japanese veterans of WW2 approve the card's game depiction of WW2 ships as cute girls (lol):
http://sgcafe.com/2014/01/original-b...n-counterpart/

http://i0.wp.com/www.populationgo.co...ancolle7.2.jpg

Rating -

4) LOGH: Spiral Labyrinth (1999-2000)

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1QxErhl1gWw/hqdefault.jpg

While I loved the original LOGH direct to video 110 episode series, Spiral Labyrinth is much weaker, focused on the early carrer developments of Yang Wenli and Reinhard von Musel. The animation is horrible, suffers from low budget and the more expensive production technology of 15 years ago. Direction is very good but due to the very low quality of the animation the whole experience suffers.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AthYgtUbLPg/0.jpg

Like Hyouge Mono it's a "mature adult" series, which means it's slow, easily lends itself to boring territory and not focused on action or erotic elements (which are nonexistent here, in fact, not there isn't almost any explicit or implicit reference to sex except a few bad jokes., unless you consider this:
http://gineistatic.com/w/images/1/19/Loghmanlymen.jpg).

The main side story of the 26 episode gaiden series is a 14 episode sequence detailing the investigation of the lives of a group of military commanders, which lead to nowhere and had no emotional or interesting moments, besides the conclusion that their deaths might not have been entirely accidental.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49...eryandwhim.jpg

I rate LOGH Spiral Labyrinth as the single most boring and least cute animation I ever watched, well, not entirely devoid of references to cuteness:

http://i.imgur.com/O5WpCWZ.png

Why I give it a positive rating? Because it's boringness is rather special in a way. My rating is .

https://lowermidtable.files.wordpres.../loghsl13a.jpg

5) Space Dandy (2014)

http://static1.squarespace.com/stati...pg?format=750w

From the same creator of Cowboy Bebop, Space Dandy is an comedy action sci fi series that has the same overall feeling of Cowboy Bebop but with more aggressive visuals. It's a very pretty series and sometimes the degree of visual experimentation feels quite overwhelming.

http://cdn3.denofgeek.us/sites/denof...-_large_20.jpg

Executed with the same degree of excellence as Cowboy Bebop, it doesn't feel quite as "fresh" as the "original", though thanks to the fact that Watanabe's style is very well known (a similar effect happens to the new work of Ikuhara).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os9RtDCc2UU

Watanabe is a big fan of North American pop culture and hence his work is specially popular among North American fans of animation. As result it was released simultaneously in North America and Japan in 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoZ2udQkr3c

Overall, though the series suffers from the same problem as Cowboy Bebop, suffering from it's lack of tonal cohesion through the series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auqtrk_z--U

-

6) Hourou Musuko (2011)

http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/13/53945.jpg

While cross-dressing is really popular in Japanese pop culture, specially for comedic reasons, it's not often that you see the topic of gender identity treated in a serious manner in works of fiction, specially animation and comics. Hourou Musuko is an adult manga which was adapted into an impressive TV series about two teenagers, a boy who wishes to be seen as a girl by society and a girl who wishes to be seem as a boy. In the poster above and the picture below, the girl is a boy and the boy is actually a girl.

https://znfreviews.files.wordpress.c...suko-04-14.jpg

The way the series handles these questions is very impressive, as it manages to handle it with great degree of realism. One thing, however, that bugged me, is the very adult manner in which these 13-14 year olds acted, in fact, it was originally planned to have more adult characters but the author decided to make it about teenagers entering puberty to make it more interesting but apparently he forgot to make then less mature.

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/...20140126015524

Also, while the characters appear to be transsexual in the beginning of the series by the end it is left a bit ambiguous whether they were really transgender or just teenagers with their social identity issues manifesting in an unusual way.

http://blog.draggle.org/wp-content/u...usuko_08_2.png

I really like the art style of this series, with the use of bright colors and lots of lighting, it's visuals look like a dream and remind me of the 1960's parts of Only Yesterday. It's animation is also of very high quality. It's an excellent series overall.

-

7) Shirobako (2014-2015)

http://animediet.net/wp-content/uplo...5/03/garrr.jpg

Shirobako is perhaps a masterpiece. It's certainly the finest animation overall I have watched since The Tale of Princess Kaguya and perhaps superior to that title as well, in fact, it's perhaps the best I have watched since Ping Pong,

http://33.media.tumblr.com/a2c0c57bc...dwbvo1_500.gif

Why it's so good? Well, because of it's simplicity in many ways. It's a show about artists who wish to work in animation and their struggle working in a typical small Japanese animation studio.

https://newanime545.files.wordpress....-episode-6.gif

One of the hundreds of such studios and the series depicts the work involved in animation in a very realistic fashion (if somewhat outdated by fast internet connection as it shows the employees delivering the tapes of episodes personally to the TV stations and the frames and other related work between studios also by hand).

http://38.media.tumblr.com/47ee27800...naqwo1_500.gif

Main character, Aoi Miyamori (depicted in the pictures on this post), is a girl who just finished college and is working as a production assistant in Musashino Animation. These giffs show how stressful her job is and it has numerous references to people who work in the industry and to many studios, including American animation studios such as Pixar (the show even criticizes the Cars movies Pixar made).

https://sinordeniconcierto.files.wor...shirobako3.gif

The quality of the art and animation is very high for a TV show and in fact it's rather conventional but in a way represents the apex of the classic Japanese manga art style in all it's saturated color greatness applied to a strictly realistic setting.

https://reallifeanime.files.wordpres...i-drinking.png

Filled with passionate moments, reflecting the love for the artists and workers who work in making animation (even in production assistant jobs), this is also a powerful series and it's emotional power is perhaps magnified by it's strict realism though animation is also used to depict the dreams/fantasies of the characters and the series uses a lot of fantastical symbolism. As well as some possible but weird looking situations:

https://33.media.tumblr.com/cc5f38c6...yo1_r1_500.gif

My rating is , because this is just great, everyone should watch this masterpiece, one of the best examples of the power of animation in the TV screen. It exudes the passion animators and other people involved in the industry (like the main character) have for their art.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/40916510...wtkmo1_500.gif

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

This is a very pretty, eye popping and interesting looking thread with all of these bright, sometimes animated images. :whoopi:

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

I hope you'll do Twelve Kingdoms and Serial Experiment Lain. Great thread btw! :up:

I am reviewing the stuff I have watched recently. Lain and Twelve Kingdoms I have watched a 14 years ago and 1 year ago, respectively. These are pretty much all animated series I have watched over the past 5 months which are still fresh in my memory.

8) Yuri Kuma Arashi (2015)

http://wrongeverytime.com/wp-content...2_18.39.57.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/e9ae2806...jzano1_500.gif

Yuri Kuma Arashi is the last creation of Ikuhara, the director of the cult classic series Revolutionary Girl Utena. Like Utena, it's direction characterized by visual experimentation, uncommon camera shoots and surrealism.

https://33.media.tumblr.com/56263ae4...s4lfo1_500.gif

The setting is we have a world divided by a wall where "humans" (which happen to be only girls) live in one side of the wall and "bears" live in the other side of the wall. The way the plot evolves is also very characteristic of Ikuhara, both in Utena and in Mawaru Penguindrum

Bears who pass through the wall "disguised" as humans:
https://shibirerudarou.files.wordpre...3_12-47-27.jpg

The show is essentially a subtle criticism of the obsession that contemporary anime series have with lesbians. Although it might be interpreted simultaneously as a criticism of the erotization of lesbians and as a celebration of homosexuality itself. I think that the bears might represent the otaku who watch these lesbian shows.

The two bears in girl form and the girl (in blue) they wish to "eat":
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...uma_arashi.png

I had some problems with the way the story was told because it appeared to move at quite a fast speed, perhaps too fast. Ikuhara's previous shows had 39 and 24 episodes respectively, this one has 12 episodes only. His style might work better in longer shows. Still it was a great watch and it is probably one of the best shows of 2015, I rate it -

https://31.media.tumblr.com/50e5d020...snnso1_500.gif

This thread is the ultimate proof anime is a sick thing for sick people.

Hence the question: Do you know any good erotic thrillers? I don't want crazy tentacle rape actions, just a good plot-driven thriller that puts these anime girls to a good use once in a while. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

9) Psycho Pass 2 (2014)

https://mediainreview.files.wordpres...cho-pass-2.jpg

Psycho Pass 2 is the sequel of the crime cyberpunk series Psycho Pass (2012), (written by Urobuchi who also wrote Madoka Magica), which was one of the best series of the year. This sequel suffers from the usual problems of a sequel in being generally weaker than the original but it still captures the cyberpunk atmosphere of the original and was a very entertaining experience.

http://viewout.ru/image28/psycho-pass-2-04-01.jpg

It's a very interesting series because it deals with social problems like crime and the morality of mechanisms that read a person's brain and determine it's "crime coefficient" which determines how the police treats a person. If someone's crime coefficient becomes high enough such a person is put in jail, if even higher, execution. Yep, a very 1984 type of dystopian society though nobody in the series actually attempts to destroy the system but tries just to live with it.

https://avvesione.files.wordpress.co...trenchcoat.jpg

The quality of the animation and art is also very high, though the direction is conventional and the whole atmosphere is obviously based on Blade Runner (the novel that inspired Blade Runner is even cited in the original series).

http://www.digitaljournal.com/img/4/...Screengrab.jpg

My rating is

10) Minami Ke (2007)

https://38.media.tumblr.com/c61c70bd...v61io1_500.gif

This is an example of crappy anime. It's a perfect fit when someone says that there is a load of crappy anime, what that means? What's a crappy anime? Minami Ke is the most mediocre comedy series I ever watched, it's completely mediocre in every aspect.

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/36857/minamike-o.gif

The writing, the direction, the visuals, the art style and the animation are all at best average. Though it is a 2007 title, when animation techniques and the technology available to animation studios were certainly much inferior to today (yes, the typical animated series of 2014-2015 has much better animation and computer effects than a show of 2007-2008
for instance).

http://i.minus.com/i6e0mrZxvjSmv.gif

Legend of Galactic Heroes, a pioneer in terms of being an adult animated series made in the late 1980's, suffers from horrible animation quality due to the completely hand drawn animation process of the time and the fact that adult animation has more complex art and character designs than children's animation, which leads to extremely low framerates.

http://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8...qnxxo1_500.gif

Like Family Guy, it's best enjoyed in small quantities. My rating is

:D

Psycho Pass (2012) is an excellent thriller. It doesn't have any erotic stuff in it though.

Another good one is Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom (2009). It's weaker than Psycho Pass but has some erotic stuff in it and it's not quite as thrilling.

I don't know any animated thriller that's full of erotic stuff. Most series full of erotic stuff are crappy comedy-fantasy stuff like Date Alive. Ecchi is the name of the genre:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvf_gwQCcUg

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

I know ecchi. It's just most of these aren't serious, or have comedy elements. Or have superpowers, angel-girls, pedophile incest acts, zombies and stuff like that.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

Serious series usually don't have ecchi. Evangelion I think is a mostly serious title that has substantial amount of erotic elements.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

Hahaa. Any noir animes?

11) Aldnoah Zero (2014)

http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/7/60263.jpg

I usually dislike mecha titles which is a genre of Japanese fiction featuring giant robot combat. Hollywood also did one of those recently, called Pacific Rim. This one I found pretty entertaining as it features a war between Earth and Mars (after it was colonized). The Martians obtained access to extremely advanced alien technology which gives then a large edge over Earth's forces.

http://i59.tinypic.com/ve3wqt.jpg

The series depicts the efforts of a group of Japanese survivors of the first wave of attack by Mars in their attempts to deal with local Martian forces and to contact the rest of the world. Also there is the fact that the martian princess happened to be among the group of survivors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cl-3jrChXU

The show is well executed and it has some very good animation (as a rule for shows made in 2014), but it's plot, visuals and direction are absolutely generic these days. Some videogames have better/more compelling plots. It is just a generic science fiction series.

http://i0.wp.com/angryanimebitches.c...Image-0004.png

My rating is

I don't really know what would be a noir title. :D

-rain
-neons
-gangsters
-private detectives
-femme fatales
-crime plotline

12) Yuki Yuna is a Hero (2014)

http://i.imgur.com/SapjUmP.jpg

This is one of the best series of 2014. Like Madoka it is one of those magical girl series that appeals to an older male demographic instead of the typical 13 year old girls demographic that Sailor Moon appeals to. Like Madoka it starts very light and cutesy, almost like a moe series but them it becomes serious and dark. However, unlike Madoka it is not as dead serious and doesn't go all the way down through the depression valley. Though some people think it's superior to Madoka (it's not!).

https://38.media.tumblr.com/02af54db...ht9io3_500.gif

It also features very, very saturated colors, the type that overwhelmed my eyes with stimulating colors.

https://40.media.tumblr.com/d2de63e8...5rhdo1_500.png
https://31.media.tumblr.com/998c6545...8GT1sfcx28.jpg
So adorable!

One of the main characters is paraplegic so she fights as a sniper and she moves though the use of tentacles attached to her head:
http://i.imgur.com/QoY0kY2.gif

The paraplegic girl attempting harakiri:
http://i.imgur.com/LHy1VRx.jpg

The yellow girl after she lost an eye due to magical combat:
https://thenullset.files.wordpress.c...2&h=372&crop=1
So adorable!

Some of the animation is also pretty good:
http://33.media.tumblr.com/75bf8dd55...rgk5o1_500.gif

The series concludes in a very hopeful mood and represents one of the most moving stories I have watched or read in the last 12 months.

My rating is

Baccano has gangsters and is set in the US of the 1930's. But it's not quite like that, since it's a teenager anime featuring some seriously over the top fights.

Overall I don't think it's easy to find an animated series or movie quite like that.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

So many anime films and series have been made yet the most brilliant ideas still haven't been touched.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

Film noir is a genre of American film. It's not expected to be found in other cultures. It's like trying to find a magical girl American movie/TV series, even though it's a genre that is ultimately influenced by an American TV show, Bewitched, it's clearly a Japanese sub-genre of fantasy.

13) Baccano (2007)

http://hras.studiojab.com/wp-content.../baccano02.jpg

Baccano is a "fantasy gangster" series set in the US if the early 1930's. It's really well made and executed series and the characters have very memorable personalities.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/eea0e0f92...59vbo1_500.gif

However, one of the problems I had while watching it is the excessive over the top nature of certain fight scenes, since it's an adaptation of a light novel (i.e. young adult novel).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtuNdtfMlJ0

Still it is very well regarded among western animation fans and for good reason. While the Japanese voice actors don't know how to pronounce American names correctly, part of the fun is hearing their broken pronunciation of English names. :D

http://images6.fanpop.com/image/phot...00-360-206.gif

Many have compared Baccano with Tarantino's movies, it's similar in some ways to Tarantino's more over the top action oriented movies like Kill Bill (which is heavily influenced by manga). Probably, Baccano is influenced by Tarantino but I didn't do any research in that regard.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...e06a7a4108.jpg

It is indeed one of the most accessible anime for a western audience, like Cowboy Bebop it's a very westernized show. My rating is .

http://media.giphy.com/media/M0Moqnhmg2h7q/giphy.gif

For you Mr.Minio I would recommend Saikano if you haven't already seen it.

Guap, have you seen Knights of Sidonia?

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

I am reading the manga. Have read the first 12 volumes. Really fun science fiction stuff.

I have a personal rule of not watching adaptations of manga I have read. As the manga is usually superior.

14) Someday's Dreamers II: Sora (2008)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4FXGMpWxPA

Most boring animated series ever made. Look at those boring 7 minutes above! It's incredible how boring and uninspired this thing is.

A watched it until the end just because I am an animation buff. :D Anyway, the use of photos for backgrounds made it quite an unique animation overall. And the character designs are minimalistic manga style, too bad that the series was so boooooriiiiiiiiiiinnng!

Plot is about a girl trying to become a professional mage, but here mages are fully integrated in modern society so they use magical tricks to clean up apartments or save dolphins shipwrecked on beaches. Really boring idea, like harry potter: boring edition. :D

My rating is , perhaps the worst adult animated series I watched in my life.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

I used to be oppossed to the idea of reading books of movies I've seen and vice versa, but I recently changed my mind about it. I am currently reading Gundam: The Origin which is a retelling of the original Gundam series which I've already seen. I'm also reading Akira. I guess it's a bit different reading something you've seen the movie for, but I would go the other way too. Of course it would depend on the quality. I liked the series for Knights of Sidonia. I have no idea how it compares with the manga.

Oh, I read A.D. Police Files and then watched the anime. That was a good experience even though the manga was way better. I felt like the two experiences complimented each other actually.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

In way, Nausicaa the manga and Akira the manga are awesome and very different from the movies. I guess that a TV adaptation of a book or manga tends to follow the source material more closely because they have the time to actually adapt the whole story.

But you are essentially right that it's not a justification to not watch the adaptation.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

For me at least, it feels like I've gotten over a hurdle. It's as if I was limiting myself before, but now I'm more open.

My favorite part in Knights of Sidonia was pretty early in the series, the first time they battle with the aliens. It was when that girl died. It was a really awful experience and I really appreciated how they made it painful to watch. I liked how they retroactively gave her a backstory, and then showed her death again. I am getting less and less interested in glorified violence as I get older. Violence shouldn't be a pleasant experience.

A Detective Story - The Animatrix

That's as close as it gets me thinks.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

Blade Runner is regarded as noir in some way and there is a huge volume of cyber punk animation made in Japan inspired by it.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

I don't really know much about noir. Most of the cyberpunk I know of is a bit more on the mature side. Oh, did you ever get around to Demon of Steel?

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

Yes. I watched it, I though it was all right. Though I don't particularly enjoy mecha action.

15) Samurai 7 (2004)

http://static2.minitokyo.net/view/20/21/391070.jpg

Animated "remake" of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, made 50 years after the film to commemorate the movie's 50th anniversary. However, the setting was changed from 17th century Japan to Steampunk post-apocalyptic Japan, including steam powered flying fortresses and giant robots, also, another very important change is that the samurai now have way more hair than in the movie:

Kambei:
https://vrhstrafilmovi.files.wordpre...0/10/seven.jpg
http://www.devils-lair.org/litterb0x/images/kambei.jpg

Katsushiro:
https://vrhstrafilmovi.files.wordpre...10/seven-3.jpg
http://www.araknamedia.com/wp-conten...samurai705.jpg

Though the character that was changed the most was Mifune's character, who is now a steam powered robot (with long hair):
http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joy...n-samurai3.jpg
http://www.usaanime.us/HeroTourney/Pics/kikuchiyo.JPG

Other samurai changed their hair color to blonde/red as well, another becomes black now. :D It's the rule of the cool: realism? Forget it, it's cool and that's it!
https://nighthawknews.files.wordpres...vensamurai.jpg
http://s1.hubimg.com/u/7696154_f520.jpg

The village is now attacked by bandits who are actually a fleet of flying fortresses and giant robots. So we have plenty of images of samurai cutting down metal robots 10 times their size. I couldn't find a gif for that so you have to be ok with this:
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lh...io1_r2_500.gif

I put "remake" under quotations because the plot of this 26 episode series deviates from the movie in the last 10 episodes (the movie ended in episode 16, when the last bandits were defeated). The series goes on to a new plot where the bandits were being controlled by the Japanese empire and were soldiers sent by the emperor then there is a coup and civil war and crazy stuff. :D I think it would have been better if the series ended at episode 16. Still a very entertaining experience.

My rating

16) 100 Billion Stars, 100 Billion Lights (1998-1999)
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/thum...c/A1800-25.jpg

And yes, I managed to finish watching ALL of Legend of Galactic Heroes: the 168 episodes, including the 110 episode main series, the 56 episodes of side stories divided into two collections: this and Spiral Labyrinth, plus the 3 movies. :D Now my NERD level has attained Legendary Galactic Heroic status! :D

https://lowermidtable.files.wordpres...pg?w=576&h=432

They apparently had laptops in the year 3500 exactly like those we have today:
https://lowermidtable.files.wordpres...107a.jpg?w=584

Are Reinhard and Kirchieis doing something more besides being extremely close friends?
https://lowermidtable.files.wordpres...pg?w=576&h=432
Not quite, even though they are so close their relationship is a platonic one.

OMG! He lost his arm:
https://lowermidtable.files.wordpres...pg?w=576&h=432

While not as boring as the other collection of side stories, 100 Billion Stars, 100 Billion Lights went down better with some beer:
https://lowermidtable.files.wordpres...pg?w=576&h=432

Overall a highly "interesting" collection of side stories focused on the ascecions of Reinhard to the position of admiral at the age of 19. Remember, the younger you rise to the ranks, the smarter and greater you are.

Some of the last side stories of LOGH have sapped my will to live by boredom but this would be a bit extreme:
https://lowermidtable.files.wordpres...109a.jpg?w=584

My rating is -

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

I commend you for getting through Legend of the Galactic Heroes and all it's tangents. I think I watched about 30 episodes before I got too bored to continue. I really enjoyed certain parts, but overall I just couldn't get enough enjoyment out of it to justify continuing.

I really got into the main series around episode 35-40. And I was really absorbed by it around episode 70, when I cried, around episode 90.

17) Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrickerS (2007)

http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/...20110102162027

Nanoha is my favorite guilty pleasure in animation. Kinda like a movie such as The Avengers but actually good. While I enjoyed this I regard as the weakest entry of the franchise because it lacks the usual magic of Nanoha, and the characters are less cute (and these cute costumes doesn't work for adults, (since the characters became adults)):

Nanoha is Anime with a capital A, that means, in the sense that it celebrates all the tropes and cliches that are common in the medium, specially among otaku oriented titles:

1) Multiple hair colors, always bright and vibrant, relatively long hair on everybody, except the middle aged male supporting characters,
2) Most characters are female, in fact, male characters are outnumbered 4 to 1 or more.
3) Many bright/vibrant colors everywhere.
4) Character designs are the definition of otaku manga style: pupils are even bigger than usual, heads are like balloons, hair is pointy and spiky (on most males),
5) Story is very dramatic, characters cry all the time, a common characteristic of otaku anime.
6) Has many cutesy elements, though fewer than previous entries in the franchise as most characters grew up and became "boring adults".
7) Has a lot super exaggerated action.
8) Features a lot of transformation sequences.
9) Of course, it's Fantasy with capital F and even mixes up some science fiction elements, in a way, it combines mecha action with the magical girl genre. Similarly to Symphogear in that regard (but it is not as bad).

Yeay! It's pure otaku culture injected intravenously!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QisptZEIPTA

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Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

Do you take requests?

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

Of course. :D

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

Okay, cool. Here are my (American) requests:

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
The Venture Bros.
Rick and Morty
Batman: The Animated Series
Samurai Jack

That one I watched when I was 10-12 years old. I kinda liked it at the time. Barely remember anything of it and obviously I cannot review it now. However, while I am a fan of animation I am not very interested in children entertainment at the moment, if I review it I will probably dislike it and do not provide good information for prospective watchers (like I do when I trash Disney films).

I watched Rick and Morty recently pretty fun show, I think I can do a review of it.

Batman I watched when I was like 6 years old. Venture Bros looks like something I would like since I generally like Adult Swim cartoons (like Rick and Morty). Samurai Jack I remember my cousins watching it when they were around 10 years old but it looks like something I might enjoy,

18) RIck and Morty (2013)
http://media.giphy.com/media/jcBp8Gx6AapxK/giphy.gif

I always enjoyed the teenager/young adult oriented cartoons at adult swim. Rick and Morty in particular was a very funny show. Watching it contrasted it's extremely minimalist art style, animation and fast paced editing with the more sophisticated art and direction of Japanese animation. They represent two different points of view regarding animation, American adult animation is based on newspapers comic strips and tends to share that minimalism, without much regard for detail and physical realism of movement.

http://media.giphy.com/media/q9KaEjVuKcpl6/giphy.gif

Despite these "issues" I found that it featured quite intelligent writing and was a very enjoyable comedy show. It's very accessible as well, thanks to it's super fast pace, it's hard to not being entertained by it all the time. While Japanese animation is faster than Japanese live action film, it's much slower on average than Rick and Morty so the super fast pace of the show threw me off at first.

Scene from my favorite episode:
http://media.giphy.com/media/LfFpOf0pw3KBa/giphy.gif

Given it is an episodic show it lacks a bit of a story though there is the sense of the passage of time and kinda of a plot organizing the whole first season (like Cowboy Bebop in that sense). My rating is

http://media.giphy.com/media/9RDojyJVtDBQs/giphy.gif

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

:up:

Season 2 is coming this summer!

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

I will watch it. I am also interested in watching the rest of Archer as well (watched the first 2.5 seasons), among North American animated shows I am interested in.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

If you like Archer, I'd recommend trying Frisky Dingo if you haven't already. It's by the same people, I think(?,) and I find it to be funnier. I haven't really been able to get into Archer for some reason. Also the guy in my avatar does some voice acting in Frisky Dingo.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

Looks interesting. I think that I liked Archer because I liked the characters, it's a more "realistic", less "cartoony" animation for American standards (even though it's writing is still a bit "cartoony", it's not a relatively subtle comedy like Shirobako).

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

I'm not familiar with Shirobako, so I can't compare Frisky Dingo with it. Frisky Dingo is more cartoony than Archer though, I just think it's funnier. I guess your appreciation of it would depend on whether or not it matches your sense of humor.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

Seinfeld is perhaps more subtle humor than any American animated series. Well, you have King of the Hill which is more subtle than the usual though. My fav. North American animation (in general, not just among series) is Futurama (first 4 seasons) though because I liked the writing and the characters.

19) Cross Game (2009-2010)

https://leap250.files.wordpress.com/...cross-game.jpg

Really interesting show in some aspects, really boring in other aspects. Cross Game is a drama and an sports show. I though it was kinda of boring though.

https://leap250.files.wordpress.com/...pg?w=584&h=328

Like as usual in anime, it portrays high school students experience with baseball. Interestingly even more adult anime tends to be set in highschool and writers/directors tend to enjoy producing highschool themed shows for decades. One of the mottos of studio Gainax is that otaku are forever 14 year olds. :D

http://behind-the.nihonreview.com/wo...4_23.32.50.jpg

I found the characters a bit dull and the themes did not attract my attention that much. Baseball tends to be boring for me (even though I know the rules!). Though this series is really well made and considered by many one of the best animations of all time.

http://behind-the.nihonreview.com/wo...4_23.39.32.jpg

20) Arakawa under the Bridge 2 (2010)

http://www.intunedonline.net/wp-cont...ime-series.jpg

I am pretty much trying to watch everything Shimbo did even his most mediocre work's. Arakawa under the Bridge was regarded by some of among his best works but it's not actually that good IMO.

http://static.zerochan.net/Arakawa.U...ull.255170.jpg

This one was a pretty decent entry in his "animationgraphy", my ratings for his work, his animation directing works and my ratings for those I have watched (clearly I am far behind mastering his work):

Metal Fighter Miku (1994)
Devil Hunter Yohko 6: Double Jeopardy (1995)
Galaxy Fraulein Yuna: The Abyssal Fairy (1996)
Debutante Detective Corps (1996)
Hurricane Polymar: Holy Blood (1996)
Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko series (1996–1999) (fist OVA)
Detatoko Princess (1997)
Twilight of the Dark Master (1997)
Tenamonya Voyagers (1999)
The SoulTaker (2001)
Triangle Heart: Sweet Songs Forever (2003)
Le Portrait de Petit Cossette (2004)
Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase (2004)
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (2004)
Pani Poni Dash! (2005)
Negima!? (2006)
Hidamari Sketch series (2007–2013)
Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei series (2007–2010)
Mahō Sensei Negima!: Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba (2008)
Maria Holic series (2009-2011)
Natsu no Arashi! series (2009)
Monogatari series (2009-2014) & for first and second seasons
Mahō Sensei Negima! : Mō Hitotsu no Sekai (2009)
Dance in the Vampire Bund (2010)
Arakawa Under the Bridge series (2010) +
Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru (2010)
Katte ni Kaizou (2011)
Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011-2013) (series and the third movie, respectively)
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko (2011)
Sasami-san@Ganbaranai (2013)
Nisekoi (2014)
Mekakucity Actors (2014)
Koufuku Graffiti (2015)

He directed about 10 times more animation than Miyazaki did and he is only in is early 50's, will probably make 20-30 plus years of more animation. Incredible volume of production but besides the first Madoka series it was his only masterpiece.

http://nopybot.com/wp-content/upload.../arakawa01.jpg

Arakwawa under the Bridge is a fairly entertaining comedy. It's very typical Japanese comedy, very aggressive and full of crossdressing routines and similar absurdities such as a muscle man dressed as a nun.

https://citronfraise.files.wordpress...the-bridge.jpg

Also they have a live action of that:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bY3_VZoAJF...00/arakawa.jpg

21) Maria Holic Alive (2011)

http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...MariaHolic.gif

Begin review. A rather mediocre dark gross cross-dressing comedy made with excellent art. End review.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m...wzqco1_500.gif

Has a lot of very aggressive jokes.

https://33.media.tumblr.com/dd5f7fb1...q82go1_500.gif

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Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

Have you seen Welcome to the NHK? I watched the first two episodes yesterday.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

You should check out Superjail, it's hilarious.

http://img.crazyhdsource.com/wp-cont...4%20iT00NZ.jpg

Yes, it's an excellent series that explores some of the problems people face in life. I watched it a couple of years ago but my memory still remains fresh.

Awesome.

22) Is this a Zombie? (2011)

http://zombiesinmyblog.com/wp-conten...0076_thumb.jpg

Pretty fun mix between satire of the magical girl genre and standard teenager harem fantasy light novel adaptation: you have a guy, which for no reason, is killed and ressurrected by a necromancer (the blue girl) and becomes an immortal zombie, then he is cut in half by a chainsaw wielding magical girl (with a magical pink chainsaw to boot):

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...psfdc939fe.png

And then he fights with a blood sucking vampire which also happens to be a girl with half a gallon volume fake boobs. Then all these girls (plus a couple other ones) start living in his house (he doesn't appear to live with his parents even though he is supposedly a highschool student).

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/w...st-600x337.jpg

And also, when he was cut in half by the chainsaw wielding magical girl he absorbed her magical chainsaw powers and became a magical girl himself:

So he had to fight with the giant flying whales that are terrorizing tokyo. Pretty fun isn't it?

http://i.imgur.com/9SKIWb7.jpg

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

^That sounds like something I would watch.

23) Log Horizon (2013-2014)

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/...20131223015606

One of those: trapped in a RPG world shows. As all the people who were playing a RPG that's very similar to World of Warcraft suddlently wake up and are living inside the world of that game. So they organize themselves into guilds and actually establish a healthy new society in this world that they now live in. A really weird world and the NPCs are called people of the land and they happen to be sentient so that after the virtual world became they the NPCs are most of the population and the actual "normal people".

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/...20131223020851

Though despite the interesting world building in the series the animation and the characters were bad overall so it wasn't a great series.

24) No Game no Life (2014)

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/...20140603132152

One of the best series of the majestic 2014 season, being perhaps the greatest vintage of animation in history. No Game no Life is perhaps among the best adaptations related to manga published in the nerd's manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ssue_cover.jpg

It's about a 18 year old game nerd and his 11 year old gaming genius sister who never go out of home and play videogames 18 hours a day, until they played against a god of another universe and beat him in chess. So the god was angry at them and transported the two kids to his world, a world where everything can be disputed as a game.

https://yaranakya.files.wordpress.co.../sorashiro.jpg

Given the exceptional gaming skills of these two kids they quickly start taking over that world, taking over entire countries' territories over the course of the 12 episodes of this series. The way they play is pretty cool though the excessive "OMG, I am so great and smart" starts to get repetitive after a while.

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/w...isode-6-01.jpg

I also loved the extremely generic distillation of otaku manga artstyle presented in this series. And the vibrant colors.

http://i.imgur.com/GrLbKfO.jpg

25) Oreimo 2 (2013)

http://www.fandompost.com/wp-content...Episode-12.jpg

One of those harem shows. The first Oreimo (2012) was really great slice of life which managed to accurately portray the realities of otaku lifestyle and some of the social stigma related to pornographic videogames. This new season, however, descends into incest portraying the process in which brother and sister fall into love.

I found this to be rather disgusting but simultaneously entertaining.

The art and animation are pretty good too.

26) Infinite Ryvius (1999)

https://cdn1.lockerdome.com/uploads/...6c65615a_large

An old classic from the golden age of animation. One of the copies of EVA in terms of trying to mimic the science fiction atmosphere of EVA involving teenagers in an "adventure" of major implications for making.

Though I found it a bit boring and not very engaging, it appeared to opaque and lacking in personality. The drama didn't work very well and the characters weren't memorable.

Still the art and animation were very good.

7/10, because it has loads of artistic integrity.

I had made this thread essentially because Jiraffejustin suggested to me but apparently it hasn't generated significant interest hence I am closing it down. I made this post to commit to close it down. :)

Ressurrection of this thread!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtP4K8ihe3g

Edit: Funny thing 80% of the images are down, I guess this thread is already old in "internet years".

27) Bojack Horseman
https://wallpapercave.com/wp/wp2084652.jpg

Just watched 6 full seasons of this stuff. Really great show and character study. It transcends the traditional limitations of Western animation and becomes the first truly complex narrative told by Western animation. A monumental achievement, it is perhaps the Western equivalent to Takahata's Horus from 1968.

(edit: now I think that Arcane is more like Horus because it combines narrative complexity with beauty, which Bojack lacks)

Finished watching the whole show. I think it is very entertaining but lacking in substance. Still, Rick is an entertaining character, Morty is just a stand-in for the audience. (similar to Sheldon and Leonard in Big Bang Theory).

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

Guap, my daughter is really into Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, did you ever watch it?

I read the whole manga, its pretty good, albeit it depends on a lot of cliches that a more experienced fan might notice.

Re: Guaporense reviews animated series
 

Arcane - 1st season (2021)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...intertitle.png

I think this show is a truly revolutionary piece for Western animation. The reason is that it's the first western animation I watched that manages to forget it's a cartoon and instead believes in itself as a piece of fiction. That is, this is not a cartoon but a work of fiction that uses animation as its medium. Japan has been doing this since Takahata's Horus in 1968 in the western hemisphere; I think this show is pretty revolutionary in that respect. One might argue, "well but Futurama or Bojack had sophisticated dialogue and etc," and I agree (I even said that Bojack was also revolutionary and I also compared it to Horus), but this show is an animation that believes in itself as a piece of visual art:

https://occ-0-3011-116.1.nflxso.net/...Soaq.jpg?r=d08

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SDeE...Visual_Day.jpg

This is something I did not see before, combined with complex dialogue and sophisticated storytelling. One might think, "well, but its true other French animations have creative art styles," yes but they lack the dramatic weight of believing in themselves as pieces of fiction. Being nine episodes of 40 minutes of animation allowed this show to flesh out a complex and sequential story (like Breaking Bad) that I think is unique for western animation.

It is based on a videogame (which I never played), and this influence is shown in the video game-like action sequences and in the colorful characters (there is, for instance, the character with the hammer and the character with the gatlin gun; clearly, a reference to the role these characters have in the videogame), but overall it works very well on its own.