Anime/Manga Journal

[Cauton]

Been watching the first 14 episodes of Fate/Stay night, and it's decent enough. Not awesomelly excellent or anything, but it's good entertainment. I'm tempted to go find a fansubbed copy of the game (if such a thing exists), as I think the story would work better in game form than anime. The whole "Level" thing is pretty awkward in the anime.

Also watched the first episode of the Disgaea anime. Not impressed. Mediocre animation and not enough Etna. Am also not a big fan of the fansub group, Anime-Universe, as they usually take a bit too many liberties with their translations.

[Lilim]

Been watching the first 14 episodes of Fate/Stay night, and it's decent enough. Not awesomelly excellent or anything, but it's good entertainment. I'm tempted to go find a fansubbed copy of the game (if such a thing exists), as I think the story would work better in game form than anime. The whole "Level" thing is pretty awkward in the anime.

Also watched the first episode of the Disgaea anime. Not impressed. Mediocre animation and not enough Etna. Am also not a big fan of the fansub group, Anime-Universe, as they usually take a bit too many liberties with their translations.

Yeah, Fate/Stay Night is pretty decent since I wasn't expecting too much from it. I'll most likely will stick with it till the end. As for a translation for its PC counterpart, I haven't been able to find one but I did find a group that seems to be working on it. Even Tsukihime too! http://mirrormoon.org/

After seeing the promo for Disgaea, I was expecting the animation to be a little better than what I saw with the first episode. It was pretty mediocre at best. :( The lack of Etna didn't help its case, but I'll give the next episode a shot.

Oh yeah, Eureka Episode 35 rocked on so many levels. ~.~

[Killy]

Nuri: I agree on Momiji, he's one of the sweetest characters. Fruits Basket as a whole is so sweet it's sappy at times, but somehow it doesn't get sickening.  Doshi, I recommend the manga for you because it gets a lot deeper and darker than the anime.  In the anime, Kyo's big secret was the climax; in the manga, it's a very early incident and barely the surface of the real plot.  

The only thing that I would complain about is how new characters keep coming in and we have to read about each of their life stories. All the stories are interesting, but when they're very minor characters, I get a little impatient with the detraction from the main plot.  

I'm actually a big fan of Ai Yazawa's works (Paradise Kiss). One of the best things about her manga, besides the obviously awesome punky fashion style, is that her stories have a sense of realism.  I disliked Yukari because she's insecure and selfish for a heroine, but I can definitely relate to her... (-_-;)

There's another series by Yazawa that's out in English called NaNa, her most recent and, IMO, her best yet.  It's about two girls who are polar opposites, a ditzy but sweet airhead and a punk rocker, who meet by chance and end up as roommates.  An excellent read for college-age girls I'd think.

As for me, haven't found any new manga but I'm still keeping up with 20th Century Boys and Berserk. Volume 21 on 20thCB... Oh and I bought the first volume of Monster in English!  Joy! (\(^_^)/)  lol

[Cauton]

Watched the first few episodes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. It's great - hugely entertaining. I could write a summary, but Zac Bertschy of Anime News Network does a much better job of it than I ever could. Very recommended to anyone who likes high school comedies - or just comedies in general.

On a side note, NaNa, the manga that Killy mentioned above, is being animated and was mentioned in that same article. I'm tempted to check it out, even if I didn't care for the little I saw of Paradise Kiss. There's just something about Yazawa's character designs that doesn't sit well with me.

[Vanguard]

I watched the 18th episode of Cowboy Bebop and the first two episodes of Paranoia agen with my friend.

[Krelian]

i just get the number 16 of 20  century boys, but for the moment i cant read it >_< , and in anime uhm the last i saw was the first cap of nana and the last ova of macross zero =)

[MeshGearFox]

Just watched the final episode of Eva again. I liked the series a lot more this time around. I guess because the first time I watched it was via crapped RealMovie files I got off of DirectConnect which didn't have any sound and only subs :P

Spoilers, obviously.

Anyway, I like the TV ending better than EoE. Eps 25 and 26 are really expiremntal, sort of reminiscient of Koyaanistqatsi, and, realistically, relate more to the underlying *theme* of the series. EoE simply directly continues the plot without paying any real attention to the psychological aspects. I mean, in eps 25 and 26, Shinji learns to, erm... at least deal with his psychological issues. And it's a lot more hopeful, really, and the possibility that it pops up for... well, the normal world being the real one and the Eva world being some sort of schizophrenic hallucination is fascinating. EoE just... has... a lot of confused religious imagery and Shinji strangling Asuka on a beach.

[Cauton]

Just watched the final episode of Eva again. I liked the series a lot more this time around. I guess because the first time I watched it was via crapped RealMovie files I got off of DirectConnect which didn't have any sound and only subs :P

Hah, that brings me back. I remember the days when I just started out watching anime in a "serious" way, and one of the first shows I watched was Evangelion - in Vivo format! I guess most people don't remember Vivo, as it's dead and forgotten now, but it was this RealMedia competitor and the video and audio quality was just AWFUL. And I mean awful. Stuff was encoded at like 10 FPS, and you could barely make out what the hell was happening. Still, back in those days I really didn't have any other way to watch anime, so I was happy with it. I also remember downloading complete Nadesico and Saber Marionette J episodes off Hotline servers (a now defunct IRC/BBS/FPT hybrid) with a modem. It would take a whole night to download just one episode.

Ah, those were the days.

Anyhow, I recently begun watching Eureka Seven, and it's not bad. I'm a pretty big fan of BONES' stuff, so I guess it's no surprise that I like E7. The animation is very slick, and the story is seems a bit Evangelion-esque. But, somehow, the show reminds me more of FLCL than Evangelion. It might be because the design of the main character, Renton, is pretty reminiscent of Naota. Or it might just be because Eureka Seven, just like FLCL, has Japanese rock songs accompanying the action scenes.

[Hathen]

Finished Now and Then, Here and There and REC. REC, in particular, surprized me, because it doesn't give as much crap as a lot of other Romantic comedies do, probably because the whole series is only long enough to fit into one movie. This approximately 90-minute series accomplished a lot more in the 9 10-minute episodes it had than some other 26-episode series I've watched. I usually don't like this type of anime, but I'm glad this was an exception.

Watching Macross 7. This series is a sharp contrast to REC, because it stretches out the series with so much filler and so little explanation that I get irritated. I don't know if it's purposely funny that Basara is so damn into his music, or it's only that way to me because of how he sings in the most serious situations.

I'm on episode 19, and I'm hoping they will start explaining some of the stuff going on, because up to now it's been pretty formulatic.

[Cauton]

I just watched Beyond the Clouds ~The Place Promised In Our Early Days~[/i], and I'm absolutely speechless. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Makoto Shinkai is a fucking genious.

[Kiem]

I was forced to watch Shaman King and I finished it. I liked some of the characters and it wasn't all that painful. But it reminded me too much of Hunter x Hunter. Either way, the ending was horrible *sigh* But Yoh and Anna are awesome :)

Finished Honey and Clover and I have to say that this is one of my favorite animes out there. Someone mentioned something about Hogu here, asking if it gets any better, and I'll go ahead and say "yes." I think the only person who really was emotionally facinated with her was Takemoto. What I loved most about this series is how well they narrated the entire series and how they wasn't afraid to push the fast forward on time button. We get to see these people grow and evolve. The subtle slice of life wrapped in gut busting comedy. But, oddly enough, the character I loved the most (being Morita), was by far the most unrealisitc guy in the series. 10/10!! Just make sure to skip the intro...>.>

Watched the first 6 episodes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and I love it. One of the few intros/outros I actually let run because its so fun.

Watched 3 episodes of Soul Link and I'm gonna stop there lol The series just feels like another generic space emo filled panty shot anime. If I want panty shots, I'll just watch High School Girls, ya know?

A series I've started watching is Utawarerumono. Feels like Inu Yasha with a storyline that actually makes me want to watch it. I say it feels like Inu Yasha because of the art style and setting, but that's about it. Watching this series makes me think of Twelve Kingdom. I feel epic battles are to come in this series future!!!

Ouran Host Club...just watch it :P

Hmm...I think I have more but I'm too tired >.>

[Cauton]

The one asking about Hogu would be me :) Glad to hear H&C gets better in that regard - might give it a try now. I did love most of it, but I was just creeped out by how Hogu was idolized for her meek manner and childlike demeanor.

I agree with you on The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Ouran Host Club. The Haruhi experience gets a bit marred by the fandom surrounding the series, though. Damn I hate fanboys. And yeah, the OP and ED are awesome.

I love Ouran for the way it makes fun of all the usual shoujo clichés, while still retaining all the qualities that make shoujo great. It also has one of my favorite seiyuu/singers in the lead role, which is a big plus.

I recently began watching Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, and while the animation and art is pretty bad, the story seems interesting even if there's a bit of questionable material in there.

[Kiem]

Cauton, I think you said you enjoyed Fighting Spirit. If that's the case, you might want to check out Major. Its a Baseball one, but trust me, you don't need to like baseball to enjoy this series :) I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good story! ^-^ Totally forgot to mention this series...not sure why lol 44 episodes out right now :)

Watched Melancholy 7 and still love it so much ;_;

My sisters have me DLing Princess Princess for them, so I watch it to kill time. Its decent, has its moments but I think this was meant for girls :P

Got my hands on Full Moon and Gakuen Alice, was told that these two series are good, so I'll watch them when time permits.

HIDOSHI! Watch Utawarerumono, you bum!

[Krelian]

i just read the number 21 of vagabond from Inoue,

Code:

fuck! is awesome the fight agains with the yoshioka , when he cut again in the head of musashi >< , and the part when the brother of yoshioka cut the arm of the apprentice is awesome really, and matahachi... well poor guy xD

[Kiem]

Utawarerumono 7. The epic begins! woo!

Watched 15 episodes of Gakuen Alice. Reminds me a lot of Kodocha but better. Both protagonists are goofy hyper and honest types but Gakuen Alice just seems to pull it off better. Plus, Hotaku > all.

Watched Paradise Kiss because Hidoshi said it was artsy farsty and I'm artsy farsty from time to time, so yeah. I watched the first 9 out of 12 episodes and I love it. Not to mention it has Franz Ferdinand as the outro song, I mean come on! that's all kinds of awesome. Attention to detail also, pointing out collectable things and what have you. Really gives you a sense that this whole other world as within your grasp if you just extend your arms just a little bit.