Anime/Manga Journal

[Aeolus]

Not necessarily anime, but somewhat relevant to it:

Live Action Kiki's Delivery Service Trailer!
http://youtu.be/20rhuaIK7jQ

Only quoting you because Hyomin [the girl in the gif] is such a qt3.14.

You realize that quotes don't show images, right?


Anyways, been working on catching up in my manga reading.

Shingeki no Kyojin: Chapters 49-52....



...or at least from what I could make out of it given the speed translation and the distinct lack of an editor, because holy crap was that barely comprehensible at points.


To Aru Kagaku no Choudenjibou: Chapters 34-65. Finally caught back up with this one, and pretty much one full story arc later too (from the end of the Sisters' arc to the end of the Big Sports Event arc). I hate the fact that Toruma keeps showing up to be the one to do battle in each arc's final battle (especially in this series, where there aren't even any nuns for him to facepunch), at least this time he's got #7 as his partner, who's a straight shonen variant of Toruma (too bad he needs more guts). Plus Koroko's off in a separate duel and #5 is trying to hold up the big bad, so at least the boys aren't the only ones showing up for the showdown.

[Annubis]

Is it tradition that I post about next season?

http://i4.minus.com/iEGQjOD6GZE9s.jpg

Things to look forward to:

Saki Zenkoku-hen
Show of the season. No debate.

Tonari no Seki-kun
A great slice of life light comedy. The show can be resumed by this meme


Noragami
This one reminds me of Gintama at its prime.

Tiger & Bunny movie
=) =) =)

Miniskirt Pirate (Uchuu Kaizoku) movie
Space makes pirates so much more cooler.

[Mickeymac92]

Space Dandy is the show I'm most looking forward to, yet even then I'm not expecting much more than a fun ride...much like the last few really good shows (The Unlimited, AoT, Kill La Kill). Not that I mind a good thrill-ride, of course...

Then there's Houzuki no Reitetsu, which is the first time in a while that I actually anticipated a comedy.

Then I'm looking forward to Sailor Moon and the new Precure...which I probably won't watch much of right away.

And Lastly I'm looking forward to the new Wooser shorts, which will probably be the only anime I consistantly follow...

I'll be keeping an eye on: Nobunaga the Fool, Nobunagun, Magical Warfare, Hamataro, Buddy Complex, and Taoru Hikuushi e no Koiuta - to see if any of them are any good, but I won't start them until I hear good things or see a good trailer...but I'm banking more on the former than the latter...

=======

EDIT: So I never mentioned here that I was watching Magi. I'm halfway through the first season, and I really like it. It's good stuff. Got some problems here and there, but otherwise I can't complain. Granted, I haven't read the manga yet, but hopefully that'll make this easier to enjoy.

[Aeolus]

Looking at that list, I'd say its going to be Space Dandy (although I have a feeling that its going to wind up like Kill la Kill in that a lot of people aren't going to be able to look past the raunchy fanservice) and Silver Spoon R2, with Nobunagun (only one of two battle series featuring historical figures), Robot Girls Z (could wind up as a second Girls und Panzer or as Super Robot K-on), and either Sekai Sefuku (could be the first show in a while to feature a villainous organization as inept and ridiculous as ACROSS) or Wizard Barristers (Magical Girls: Ace Attorney) having the potential to be good despite their descriptions (also possibly Sailor Moon if it ever comes out).


That said, checked out Summer Wars yesterday. It was a cute movie, with a feel good message, and a conflict that could definitely be a real thing (although not nearly as Hollywood logic about it). Next Week: FMA: Conquerer of Shambal-no, fuck that shit. Next week I catch up on some more Manga.

[Ranadiel]

Saki Zenkoku-hen
Show of the season. No debate.

As someone who has no idea what is going to be in the season, any particular reason why?

EDIT: So I never mentioned here that I was watching Magi. I'm halfway through the first season, and I really like it. It's good stuff. Got some problems here and there, but otherwise I can't complain. Granted, I haven't read the manga yet, but hopefully that'll make this easier to enjoy.

Ugh. In my experience, reading the manga makes the anime worse for Magi. Basically I am a big fan of the manga, so I watched the anime. There were changes made in the anime, most of which I was perfectly okay with or were too minor to care about. Fast forward to the second to last episode of season 1 where they make an incredibly giant change. A change which imo shows did not understand one of the main characters at all. And I did  not bother watching any of it afterwards because of that. But w/e, I've got a localization of the Magi manga now so I dunno need no stinking anime!

[Annubis]

Saki Zenkoku-hen
Show of the season. No debate.

As someone who has no idea what is going to be in the season, any particular reason why?

First, I'll warn that I'm a fan of the manga/show and as such, my opinion is fanboyismed.
Also, I was partially kidding, but it may truly end up being the SotS to some.

The author

Kobayashi Ritz was for a long time completely unknown to anyone even as the mangaka of the prominent manga Saki. In fact, for the longest time, people thought that the author was a man disguising himself under the guise of a woman's name. The editors and magazine she is published in only deal with her through the Internet and it is commonly assumed that she is a hardcore hikkikomori. Nevertheless, her work as always been superb to the point where the magazine has always given her their full support even considering the weird situation they are in.
A lot of the myth was revealed back when she had to go for surgery though.

The serie

Saki is a manga about girls playing mahjong (the real one, not that crap we call mahjong here)

Anime series' order:
- Saki (first season)
- Saki (second season)
- Saki: Achiga-hen (a side story intertwined into the main story)
- Saki: Zenkoku-hen

Here's a pretty accurate synopsis:

Saki Miyanaga, a high school first-year student, does not like mahjong because her family would always force her to play it and punish her regardless of the outcome of the game. Due to this, she learned how to keep her score at zero, neither winning nor losing, a skill said to be more difficult than actually consistently winning. However, her friend from middle school, completely unaware of such circumstances, convinces her to visit the school's small mahjong club upon entering into high school. After the club discovers her ability, they recruit her permanently and convince her to win instead of breaking even. She easily does so with her skill and discovers a new love for mahjong, along with a friendship with her fellow club member, Nodoka Haramura. This leads the team to enter the prefecture's high school mahjong tournament with the goal of reaching the national high school competition.

The show itself alters between a school life comedy to actionish shonen-esque looking tournaments and some underlying yuri romance.

One of the strongest point of the manga/anime are the characters. Even with a rather large cast, every character is given at the very least enough attention to become defined.

How playing mahjong looks like in Saki:



Conclusion
Saki is the Hikaru no Go of mahjong (except that it's actually fun to read/watch)

[Aeolus]

And here I thought you were being facetious.

[Kevadu]

And here I thought you were being facetious.

Me too, actually.  I can't stand Saki...

[Annubis]

I won't pretend that the show is for everyone.
Some elements in Saki are even darn right creepy (like the fact that apparently panties don't exist in that world)

I, myself, like mahjong (pretty much the only thing I play on my cell) so I have a good reason to like Saki.
Given that, I also like Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku AKA The Legend of Koizumi (well, until they switched main character... it went to crap after the switch)

[Darilon]

Given that, I also like Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku AKA The Legend of Koizumi (well, until they switched main character... it went to crap after the switch)

I loved that. The manga just got crazier and crazier. Didn't realise they continued the story.

[Bytor]

I simply got so confused watching Saki on Crunchyroll that I gave up. Does the game get explained better as the show progresses or was it simply me, because i got totally lost concerning their discussions and game play

[Annubis]

They explain some of the more obscure rules, but a prior knowledge of at least the basics would help.
Some of the subs out there put out explanations when they call hands to help you learn the 'han'.

[Ranadiel]

So One Piece 731:

Code:

Wow that was amazing. Oda is the master of the slow build. I'm not going to say that this development is a shock to me as I have been expecting Sabo to be the one to "inherit Ace's will" since Whitebeard's speech about how the will of D has been passed on through the generations. At least at one point I was expecting him to get the Falme-Flame fruit after we saw it as the prize, but I was expecting him to steal it when I was considering that possibility. Having him become Lucy was a great decision. I now look forward to him winning the tournament and proudly proclaiming as he is about to eat the fruit that he is Sabo D. Portgas, announcing that he has inherited Ace's will.

Sadly I don't really expect anyone to read that since very few people here keep up with the manga as far as I can tell.

[Mickeymac92]

So One Piece 731:

Code:

Wow that was amazing. Oda is the master of the slow build. I'm not going to say that this development is a shock to me as I have been expecting Sabo to be the one to "inherit Ace's will" since Whitebeard's speech about how the will of D has been passed on through the generations. At least at one point I was expecting him to get the Falme-Flame fruit after we saw it as the prize, but I was expecting him to steal it when I was considering that possibility. Having him become Lucy was a great decision. I now look forward to him winning the tournament and proudly proclaiming as he is about to eat the fruit that he is Sabo D. Portgas, announcing that he has inherited Ace's will.

Sadly I don't really expect anyone to read that since very few people here keep up with the manga as far as I can tell.

I read the spoiler for 730 and it was something I honestly expected to happen at some point.

I should not have read that spoiler, though. Holy crap! Worst part is, that's too awesome for me to forget. :P

[Ranadiel]

I read the spoiler for 730 and it was something I honestly expected to happen at some point.

I should not have read that spoiler, though. Holy crap! Worst part is, that's too awesome for me to forget. :P

Aww that is a shame. Because while what I posted is awesome, the true awesomeness is done by the way it is presented. It is told to us without being outright stated through Luffy's reactions, some dialogue, and some images at the end of the chapter.