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Okay, so they recently announced a live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, which is my favorite anime series of all time. I'm extremely nervous, but I have my hopes. Here's my dreamcasting for the crew of the Bebop!

Andrew Garfield as Spike Spiegel

Karl Urban as Jet Black

Vanessa Kirby as Faye Valentine

Dafne Keen as Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV

and please get a real Welsh Corgie to play Ein.

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Nobody else has mentioned Future Diary, so I’m gonna do it.  It’s probably my favorite anime series.  It’s a short, 20ish episode series that has some similiarities to hunger games style stories.  Really dark, but a lot of intrigue and mystery, and the mechanics of the universe are really interesting.  And the opening music is hella catchy.  I’d recommend it for anyone interested in a shorter anime spree.  

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May I join this thread even if I'm a manga reader instead anime watcher? ^^

After many years of not reading any manga, I fell deeeeep into the pit earlier this year.
Right now I'm reading ...

Naruto (reread)
Yona of the Dawn
Children of the Whales
To Your Eternity
Noragami

Those are the main series I buy and read, though there a some more I started but I'm not sure whether I'll continue reading all of them.

I started watching anime/reading manga when I was around ten, when Dragonball Z first aired in Germany in 2002. Since then, I read sooo many manga. My favorite mangaka to this day is Yuu Watase (Ayashi no Ceres).

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  • 2 weeks later...
On Friday, December 07, 2018 at 9:20 AM, Captains Domon said:

Okay, so they recently announced a live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, which is my favorite anime series of all time.

That's one of my all time favorite series too, interesting to hear that a live action movie's coming.

Have you seen the Amazing World of Gumball Cowboy Bebop opening homage for the episode Barcode Cowboy? It's freaking awesome!

 

Edited by hoiditthroughthegrapevine
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  • 3 weeks later...

2018 was a really strong year for anime, overall. I watched a ton of stuff that I really enjoyed. March Comes in like a Lion’s second season was really strong, and the show as a whole is one of my favorite of all time. The big shounens - My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, and SAO - are as good as (or better than) they’ve ever been. Almost every season had some unexpectedly good gem - A Place Further than the Universe from last winter, especially, but also Hinamatsuri from the spring and last season’s Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai.

And I know I missed some big stuff, like Violet “Don’t Call Me Saber” Evergarden and I’m still working on finishing Steins;Gate 0.

The only season that was a bit quiet for me was the summer: other than SAO and AoT, I watched Grand Blue a drunken comedy that was good, but not great. The only real disappointments was Iroduku: The World in Colors from last season - which was just painfully average, despite some nice visuals - and, of course, Dumpster Fire in the FranXX.


And yeah, like I said above, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai was a real gem - way better than the title or basic plot summary would suggest. And despite the prominent placement of a bunny girl outfit in both the title and promotional artwork, it’s very wholesome (not ecchi at all).

It’s basically about helping people deal with emotional issues, which have a supernatural physical manifestation (called, awkwardly “puberty syndrome”). For example, the first arc deals with a main character whose feelings of isolation and figurative social invisibility manifest in literal invisibility. This still sounds a bit stereotypical (and it kinda is) but the show executes this premise really well.

It’s briskly paced: 13 episodes adapts a whole five arcs. And though there’s a few places where a bit more time wouldn’t have hurt, especially the two two-episode arcs, overall the pacing works well: each arc is setup, developed, and poignantly resolved without ever overstaying its welcome or becoming overwrought.

The main character is great, a very dry and constant sarcastic sense of humor, and great banter; especially his chemistry with the main female lead. And their relationship as a whole is one of the best aspects of the show: very unlike stereotypical anime relationships.

My only main complaint is the obligatory complaint that it’s an unfinished adaptation of an unfinished light novel series: it’s less problematic here as each arc stands pretty well on its own, and there’s a movie coming out later this year that should give the series some closure.

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I'm currently binging my way through Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I never read the manga or saw any of the two anime, so I'm a late bloomer.

I love it. So. Storming. Much.
I wish I had know sooner. I'm at episoden 40-something, will definitely finish it within the next few days. And though the anime has been around for quite some years, I am utterly unspoilered about the ending. It's been a long time since I didn't (accidentally or deliberately) get spoilered before the finale.

I love Ed and Al (especially Al!), as well as Mustang, Hawkeye, Major Armstrong, Ling (his subplot with Greed is getting real good), Winry and almost every one.

Edited by Winds Alight
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7 hours ago, Winds Alight said:

I'm currently binging my way through Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I never read the manga or saw any of the two anime, so I'm a late bloomer.

I love it. So. Storming. Much.
I wish I had know sooner. I'm at episoden 40-something, will definitely finish it within the next few days. And though the anime has been around for quite some years, I am utterly unspoilered about the ending. It's been a long time since I didn't (accidentally or deliberately) get spoilered before the finale.

I love Ed and Al (especially Al!), as well as Mustang, Hawkeye, Major Armstrong, Ling (his subplot with Greed is getting real good), Winry and almost every one.

The original version is pretty fantastic, too, IMO.  And, from what I gather, quite different than Brotherhood. (I've never actually seen past the first few episodes of Brotherhood, admittedly)  They start of covering the same material, at a point the original diverges heavily and tells its own story (because the manga wasn't finished yet).

I've fairly frequently heard a lot of people say that Brotherhood has a tighter plot and more of a shounen tone, while the original has stronger atmosphere and themes, with a darker tone (edging on seinen) and persistent melancholic mood.  And Bratja.

The ending of the original is a bit weird - again, I actually really like it thematically and in terms of tone - but it's a sort of non-ending (with a big plot twist right at the end).  The follow-up movie sort of resolves this but was also kinda mediocre.  It's weird to say, but I'd love to see a sequel to the 2003 FMA series.  

But ending weirdness aside, I do think the original version is worth checking out, even after having seen Brotherhood. 

Edited by Retsam
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@Retsam I decided which of the series to watch on the info that Brotherhood is closer to the manga. I am thinking about watching the original anime as well, but I guess I'll wait until I'm through with Brotherhood (ten episodes to go) and see what I think of it (read: whether I survive it or am crushed by sadness).
I've become quite soft however and I don't know whether I want it darker. I cried enough times already as it is.
:P

Edited by Winds Alight
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I really liked the original Anime, but I couldn't quite get into Brotherhood, specifically because of how close yet not it is.  parts of it felt like retreads that i didnt need to watch, and other parts felt weird because of how completely different they were.  eventually i decided to watch somethign else, and never quite got back to it.  point being you may have that same problem switching from one to the other.

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I just finished Brotherhood and it's so wholesome and great that I don't need another series right now. I might watch the first anime one day, though I'd much rather have the money to buy the manga :P

Great show, I cried a lot and the characters were so great I loved all of them. Will definitely watch again.

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Anyone have any recommendations for something recent?  I've been trying to find something new to pick up, but everything Ive found available on the various streaming services is either a Mech Anime (a genre my girlfriend just wont do), something to mundane/slice-of-life to be interesting, or quickly turns into an awkward harem anime. 

 

22 hours ago, Winds Alight said:

I just finished Brotherhood and it's so wholesome and great that I don't need another series right now. I might watch the first anime one day, though I'd much rather have the money to buy the manga :P

Great show, I cried a lot and the characters were so great I loved all of them. Will definitely watch again.

The original anime was, IMO, very good as well, though each had their strengths.  What happened was the manga was still being released when the first Anime was coming out, so once the story overtook the source material, they chose to just run with it on their own rather than insert Filler Arcs like so many other did in those days.  Consequently the first 10-20 episodes are very similar, but a lot of the secrets and hidden mythology hadnt been revealed yet, so the endings are wildly different tons of ways and ended on completely different notes.  But, at least as somebody who hadnt been spoiled by the manga, I thought both did a great job with it. I would probably recommend waiting some time between them so the other one doesnt seem to redundant at the start.  

 

 

 

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On the topic of recommendations; at least in America, the anime film A Silent Voice is coming back into theaters, in a few days.  I saw it last time it was in theaters, and really liked it.

It's got a lot in common with March Comes in Like a Lion (3-Gatsu); both tackle heavy subject matter - A Silent Voice is about a former bully who nearly commits suicide at the beginning of the movie, and the deaf girl that he bullied - but are ultimately uplifting: they start in a dark place and they don't trivialize the darkness, but they don't wallow in it, either.

So if anyone's looking for a movie outing; the sub will be playing on the 28th and the dub on the 31st.  The dub is especially noteworthy, as the deaf main character is actually played by a deaf actress, but the subtitled version is really good, too.

---

 

32 minutes ago, Quantus said:

Anyone have any recommendations for something recent?  I've been trying to find something new to pick up, but everything Ive found available on the various streaming services is either a Mech Anime (a genre my girlfriend just wont do), something to mundane/slice-of-life to be interesting, or quickly turns into an awkward harem anime.

Are you looking for more action-oriented shows?  What did you consider "too mundane/SoL"?  

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1 hour ago, Retsam said:

Are you looking for more action-oriented shows?  What did you consider "too mundane/SoL"?  

Generally looking for something in the sci-fi/fantasy side of things.  Action is always good, though we've enjoyed things that cerebral and/or thrillers, and comedy shows.  She particularly enjoys things that take what she calls a Hard Right Turn that subverts expectations (Evangelion or more recently or Akame ga Kill are her examples of that).  At the same time it doesnt have to be dark: Food Wars, One Punch Man, and Devil Is A Part Timer are are all so stupid that they manage to become awesome.  

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1 hour ago, Quantus said:

Generally looking for something in the sci-fi/fantasy side of things.  Action is always good, though we've enjoyed things that cerebral and/or thrillers, and comedy shows.  She particularly enjoys things that take what she calls a Hard Right Turn that subverts expectations (Evangelion or more recently or Akame ga Kill are her examples of that).  At the same time it doesnt have to be dark: Food Wars, One Punch Man, and Devil Is A Part Timer are are all so stupid that they manage to become awesome.  

I recommend Violet Evergarden, a beautiful anime on Netflix. It takes its time, but it is a great sci-fi-ish anime. Another one is A Place Further than the Universe. This one is more of a slice-of-life, but it's so charming. Action-wise, I recommend Megalobox, which is awesome. (Note: All of these came out in 2018)

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2 hours ago, Quantus said:

Generally looking for something in the sci-fi/fantasy side of things.  Action is always good, though we've enjoyed things that cerebral and/or thrillers, and comedy shows.  She particularly enjoys things that take what she calls a Hard Right Turn that subverts expectations (Evangelion or more recently or Akame ga Kill are her examples of that).  At the same time it doesnt have to be dark: Food Wars, One Punch Man, and Devil Is A Part Timer are are all so stupid that they manage to become awesome.  

Based on what you've said, huge recommendation for Puella Magi Madoka Magica, if you haven't seen it.  It's one of those shows where the less you know about it, the better; but it's likely to subvert some expectations.

Hinamatsuri from earlier this year is a comedy that fits the "so stupid it's awesome" very well.  A young girl with telekinetic powers shows up in house of a yakuza and coerces him into becoming her guardian by threatening to destroy his precious vase collection.  It was hilarious (and strangely poignant at times) and never really settled into a formula, which kept it fresh.  

I also second A Place Further than the Universe in general; I think it was my favorite show this year; but it doesn't as much sound like what you're looking for specifically.  

Edited by Retsam
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8 hours ago, Invocation said:

You're probably excited for next year, then, huh? With MHA having season 4 in October and OPM's season 2 confirmed for next year sometime.

My hero Academy yes, a little less so with One Punch Man, she loves it but it's a little more of a Deep-Fired Twinky for me (enjoyable on but only in small, well spaced doses), mostly because at the end of the day the main character himself is pretty bland. 

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2 hours ago, Quantus said:

My hero Academy yes, a little less so with One Punch Man, she loves it but it's a little more of a Deep-Fired Twinky for me (enjoyable on but only in small, well spaced doses), mostly because at the end of the day the main character himself is pretty bland. 

That's fair. OPM is more of just a "watch dude smack things and chill" anime as opposed to MHA's more complex stuff (but there's still a fair amount of smashing there too)

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8 minutes ago, Invocation said:

That's fair. OPM is more of just a "watch dude smack things and chill" anime as opposed to MHA's more complex stuff (but there's still a fair amount of smashing there too)

Ya, last time I enjoyed a Watch Dude Smack Stuff anime it turned out to be Fist of the North Star from the Villains POV

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On 1/24/2019 at 6:45 PM, Invocation said:

You're probably excited for next year, then, huh? With MHA having season 4 in October and OPM's season 2 confirmed for next year sometime.

 

I am excited! A little concerned too, though. I heard OPM 2 is being animated by a different studio than the first, and I hate change.

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