The Anime Thread

[Milleram]

I finished Aggretsuko S5 and all in all I would say I like it. It's a satisfying end to the series (for the most part), and I think it has a pretty nice synthesis of the overall themes it presents

Spoiler: more in-depth thoughts here

I think the biggest thing I haven't liked about S4 and S5 is how Retsuko has grown farther and farther apart from her coworkers (particularly Gori and Washimi, both of whom I love). S3 had the OTM Girls, and I love them as well so that was a good replacement, but I don't remember anybody much from S4, and that revolved mostly around Haida.
But thinking about it I think it makes sense with Retsuko's character progression throughout the series. S1 starts with her as "friends" with Haida and Fenneko, but neither of them really knows the real her and she feels like she has to keep her death metal side a secret. Throughout the seasons she keeps opening up, and while her coworkers are her friends, there's more to her life now than just work. And that's nice tbh, as a 20-something kind of struggling with this myself and trying to get out of my shell it's nice to see and relatable.
Also: I saw a comic once complaining that the series likes to "reset" any major progress made in one season at the beginning of the next, and while initially I agreed with it, I feel like S4 and S5 both attempted to correct this. Idk if Aggretsuko was initially supposed to be a one and done type of thing, but I feel like S4 and S5 both reckon with what happens in S3, although they never directly make the parallel. Retsuko becomes withdrawn and subdued following her stalker attack, and while the worst part of her depression disappears, you can still see its effects later. She gets mad at Haida a couple times, but she never really goes off the way she used to. It's like after putting herself out there the way she did and experiencing such negative consequences, she tries to avoid taking up space. She says multiple times this season "I just want a quiet life" etc. etc. until finally she realizes she has to stop burying such an integral part of her and allow herself to feel again. Did they approach it the best way? Probably not. Ultimately this series is a comedy so it's not surprising, and you may say "well why include that incident at all then?", but overall I think it fits.
They also got me back on board with the Haida/Retsuko pairing. It's nice they got married. They seem genuinely suited for one another now that Haida isn't so down on himself and is supporting her (his face at that first political rally was a nice callback to S3 when he first saw her at an OTM Girls gig). I wasn't expecting huge romantic overtures after the way her romance with Tadano played out, so it was okay with me.
Anyway I really like how they captured that specific millennial/Gen Z ennui so many are experiencing rn. I think they could have set up certain plot lines earlier in the series for better payoff, but I think they did their thing well with some hiccups along the way. S5 could have been funnier, though!

At some point I'd like to go back and rewatch the whole series, but for now I'm gonna be moving on. I might try giving Gundam Wing a watch finally (it's what I thought I was watching when I watched SEED I got confused lmao), and I found Princess Tutu subbed on a Facebook page so I'd like to give that a go now as well!

Princess Tutu is amazing. I found it hard to get into at first, but I ended up loving it.

 

[Lady Timpani]

Princess Tutu is amazing. I found it hard to get into at first, but I ended up loving it.

I've heard really good things about it so it's been on my watch list for awhile! I tried to watch it on Amazon back in 2021 but all they have is the dubbed version, and while I'm not opposed to dubs and enjoy the good ones, this... was not it lol. So I'm excited to have found the sub somewhere!

 

[Milleram]

I've heard really good things about it so it's been on my watch list for awhile! I tried to watch it on Amazon back in 2021 but all they have is the dubbed version, and while I'm not opposed to dubs and enjoy the good ones, this... was not it lol. So I'm excited to have found the sub somewhere!

Haha, I actually watched the dub... which is probably why I couldn't get into it at first. The first few episodes were almost painful. I don't know if the voices grew on me, or if they got a bit better as the series progressed, but at some point the dub stopped seeming so bad to me. XD Anyway, hope you enjoy the sub! The story really is good.

 

[-Blue-]

I love One Piece as I grew up watching it, but I've only gotten to like episode 200 or so. I do like to kinda keep up with what's happening in the manga/anime though, and it definitely looks like some hype stuff is about to go down.

One day I plan on either reading/watching it all, I'm just not sure when exactly haha.

You should definitely pick it back up eventually if it was a series you enjoy(ed) watching. If you really did leave off on episode 200ish, you left off during one of the best fillers where the Straw Hats get stuck in a Marine fortress. It's a reference to the WW2 story Navarone.

I kind of like the series because you could jump back into the story from where you left off without having to remember a lot because each island had its own self-contained story. I'm not very far into the series myself and watch the dub. Particularly the boxsets which I usually rent from the library. (I'm too cheap for streaming lol)

 

[Autumn247]

I started watching season 1 of Yugioh GX recently, really enjoying it I've gone through 20 episodes in a week or so. It's just so good. It's free on Amazon's Freevee, you don't need Prime to watch it, there are ads, but there's not too many and they're not super long, so it doesn't really bother me too much. If you buy it to own, then there are no adds

 

[Fisher]

You should definitely pick it back up eventually if it was a series you enjoy(ed) watching. If you really did leave off on episode 200ish, you left off during one of the best fillers where the Straw Hats get stuck in a Marine fortress. It's a reference to the WW2 story Navarone.

Yeah I think that's about where I left off at, definitely will pick it back up eventually. There's a lot of older Shounen's I need to pick back up and finish that I really liked, like Naruto Shippuden and Bleach as well.

Started season 4 of Bungo Stray Dogs last night! watched the first 3 episodes and really enjoyed them. The animation is looking so crisp and clean too I loved it.

Spoiler: First 3 episodes

I really loved this backstory with the president of the agency and Rampo, makes sense now why Rampo was so sad at the end of season 3 when he thought the president was gonna die from the cannibalism ability, the president is basically Rampo's dad. Not gonna lie I teared up during episode 3, that scene where Rampo was apologizing to the President for almost getting himself killed was so sad but also so heartwarming.

I really like how they do these backstory episodes at the beginning of each season too, it's so unique. Can't lie I do be missing Dazai and Atsushi though, but I'm sure they're about to show back up again.

 

[Corrie]

Yeah I think that's about where I left off at, definitely will pick it back up eventually. There's a lot of older Shounen's I need to pick back up and finish that I really liked, like Naruto Shippuden and Bleach as well.

Started season 4 of Bungo Stray Dogs last night! watched the first 3 episodes and really enjoyed them. The animation is looking so crisp and clean too I loved it.

Spoiler: First 3 episodes

I really loved this backstory with the president of the agency and Rampo, makes sense now why Rampo was so sad at the end of season 3 when he thought the president was gonna die from the cannibalism ability, the president is basically Rampo's dad. Not gonna lie I teared up during episode 3, that scene where Rampo was apologizing to the President for almost getting himself killed was so sad but also so heartwarming.

I really like how they do these backstory episodes at the beginning of each season too, it's so unique. Can't lie I do be missing Dazai and Atsushi though, but I'm sure they're about to show back up again.

Wait so you've seen season 3 then?

Spoiler

What did you think about the showdown between the mafia and ada? I was HYPED.

 

[Fisher]

Wait so you've seen season 3 then?

Spoiler

What did you think about the showdown between the mafia and ada? I was HYPED.

Yeah finished season 3 this weekend!

Spoiler

The showdown was pretty good, though I was a bit disappointed at first cause I thought they were all about to throw down then it just turned out armed detective agency were just illusions and they ran away lol. Tanizaki surprised me a lot though, didn't think he was so powerful with his illusions/light snow ability. He was straight up bout to murder the mafia boss too if they didn't get in his way last second.

Akutagawa and Atsushi's relationship was highlight of season for me, seeing how they've developed from absolutely hating each other to teaming up and becoming..... well not friends, but friends in denial I suppose was great haha. When they combined their powers together and beat the one dude I was hyped.

Fyodor is a very interesting villain too, I know the police have him now after end of season 3 but I doubt we've seen the last of him. Looked like he let himself get captured to me.

 

[LadyDestani]

Over the weekend I watched Tatakae! Iczer-One, an old anime from the 80's about an alien invasion of Earth. This was a 3 episode OAV arc that I watched altogether as a movie.

The writing lacked quality and the story was rushed. Fan service was prevalent throughout and it leaned towards hentai at points without quite going that far.

But the art style and voice acting was so nostalgic. All of the main characters were female and when the focus was on their bonds and love for each other, it came across beautifully. Not worth going out of your way to watch, but if you don't mind the potential detractors I mentioned above it's not half bad.

 

[Reginald Fairfield]

Over the weekend I watched Tatakae! Iczer-One, an old anime from the 80's about an alien invasion of Earth. This was a 3 episode OAV arc that I watched altogether as a movie.

The writing lacked quality and the story was rushed. Fan service was prevalent throughout and it leaned towards hentai at points without quite going that far.

But the art style and voice acting was so nostalgic. All of the main characters were female and when the focus was on their bonds and love for each other, it came across beautifully. Not worth going out of your way to watch, but if you don't mind the potential detractors I mentioned above it's not half bad.

View attachment 484915

I love these old short OAVs. I actually writing this one down. I've got one called Gesalt. I know there's a manga with that name. I haven't been able to get a hold of the first volumes, pretty sure its a tokyopop title, so that would be out of print.

 

[LadyDestani]

I love these old short OAVs. I actually writing this one down. I've got one called Gesalt. I know there's a manga with that name. I haven't been able to get a hold of the first volumes, pretty sure its a tokyopop title, so that would be out of print.

Gestalt looks vaguely familiar to me. I don't remember watching it, but I've probably seen images or something around the internet way back in the day. It looks like it would be interesting. I love stories involving fantasy, magic, and elves.

 

[Reginald Fairfield]

Gestalt looks vaguely familiar to me. I don't remember watching it, but I've probably seen images or something around the internet way back in the day. It looks like it would be interesting. I love stories involving fantasy, magic, and elves.

I don't know if the manga has anything to the dvd version. There is also Dragon Half. The snooty anime reviewers that sound like they post on twitter don't seem to say many negative things about it, despite the main girl's outfit.

 

[LadyDestani]

My husband owns Dragon Half and he swears that we've watched it together. I honestly don't remember any of the story but I know I've seen the characters so he must be right.

 

[Reginald Fairfield]

My husband owns Dragon Half and he swears that we've watched it together. I honestly don't remember any of the story but I know I've seen the characters so he must be right.

The dub has a guy named Dick Saucer.

 

[Lancelot]

I started watching season 1 of Yugioh GX recently, really enjoying it I've gone through 20 episodes in a week or so. It's just so good. It's free on Amazon's Freevee, you don't need Prime to watch it, there are ads, but there's not too many and they're not super long, so it doesn't really bother me too much. If you buy it to own, then there are no adds

I used to LOVE Yugioh GX as a kid. You've made me want to go back and rewatch it

 

[DJ-Mika]

Just finished season 5 of Aggretsuko!

Spoiler: Aggretsuko season 5 spoiler talk

The politics angle was... interesting lmao
I'm glad we got to see Haida's family finally and why he was so hesitant to bring them up
My favorite part though has got to be that whole internet cafe bit when Haida gets kicked out of his apartment complex, especially Shikabane, I LOOOVE her design But most of all I really enjoyed how it showed that that kind of lifestyle isn't sustainable, it didn't try to glorify it like most anime these days tend to do. I'm glad we see towards the end of the series that Shikabane has started making an attempt to rejoin society and have hope for the future, as well as seeing that Dokachin is at least ok
Also.... is it just me? Or was it a pretty jerk move by Tadano to buy out the whole place when he could've just put up a small cubicle or something in his giant house if he wanted a more enclosed space, not kick out a bunch of people with no place to go >>;;

I'm now starting on Monster via Netflix; interesting premise so far, I'm curious to see what happens next! Old school anime always makes me a little nostalgic, even if I've technically never watched said anime before lol Also the opening slaps hard, so haunting :0

 

[Midoriya]

What will Vigilante Deku do on his own to stop the villains and defeat All For One once and for all? The battles continue... now.

Spoiler: for My Hero Academia S6E21, The Lovely Lady Nagant

All Might is cornered by some street thugs while trying to get to Midoriya, but stands his ground and survives.

Meanwhile, Midoriya fights an intense battle with Lady Nagant as Vigilante Deku. He manages to evade her, but gets cornered, so he releases a bunch of smoke from the sixth user of One For All's Quirk. He then uses the third user's Quirk, Fa Jin, in order to speed up and catch up to her, but Lady Nagant surprises him with an attack.

As Midoriya uses Blackwhip to try and race back to her, she takes aim at a powerless Overhaul on the roof of a building with full power. Midoriya then uses Fa Jin again at full power and saves Overhaul from the speeding bullet. He then uses the last of Fa Jin's power to perform a Manchester Smash on Lady Nagant, disabling her gun and rendering her powerless.

Midoriya understands more now that the world is gray beause of the unease and anger swirling within it. That's why he wants, more than anything, to reach out a hand to those in need. He tries to save Lady Nagant as well, but the Quirk All For One gave her explodes, damaging her greatly and putting her near death. Hawks, Endeavor, and All Might arrive, but it may be too late for Lady Nagant.

The heroes do learn some key information from her though, namely that in two months other villains must bring their targets to a specific location. Just what could this mean?

Next time on My Hero Academia season six, episode twenty-two. "Friend." You won't want to miss it!

 

[Reginald Fairfield]

I got Pioneer 10th anniversary coin with a used volume of Tenchi Muyo. Another person wants over a hundred bucks for an open volume with a coin.

 

[Corrie]

Bungo Stray Dogs talk!!

Can we just talk about the fact that Teruko's english voice is Cherami Leigh? Oh my goddddd. I've been waiting since 2021 to know what her voice sounded like. I'm not a manga reader for BSD but I've seen photos and panels of her and automatically had an idea of what I pictured her sounding like and Cherami pulls it off very well! I feel the same as the english voice for Nikolai too! Absolutely perfect. I'm so happy, guys.

 

[LadyDestani]

I finished season 5 of Aggretsuko today, so time to chime in with my opinions.

Spoiler

Where to start? I was fine with the series starting off with Haida and Retsuko dating. There has never been any real romance to speak of in the series and while it would have been nice to have a little more build up between them, the way they looked at each other and some of their dialogue adequately displayed their feelings despite being on the more subtle side. But that suited their shy and reserved natures.

Haida falls into the bottomless pit of unemployment and gaming. That felt very relatable since it's happened to people in my life. It becomes hard to dig yourself out of that kind of situation because all you feel is negativity and disappointment in the real world. The game world becomes your only escape, the only place where you feel any sense of accomplishment. So I thought that was handled quite well.

Haida's family dynamic was scarily similar to my own family dynamic, but I was disappointed that his family was so patriarchal. One of the things I love about hyenas in real life is that they are completely matriarchal. I would have loved to see Haida's mother in the dominant role and Jiro as a sister rather than a brother. His family does explain a lot about why Haida tends to be so self-deprecating and I like that. I just would have preferred it to be more accurate to his species.

Shikabane was a highlight of the season for me. She became a favorite character of mine and I'm really glad that she seemed to be thinking about re-entering society by the end of it. I'm also glad that there was never any romantic tension between her and Haida at all.

I felt like the political arc for Retsuko came out of nowhere, but then again I felt the same way about the idol arc in prior seasons.

But the one thing that really bothered me about this whole season is that Retsuko never took any agency of her own life or made any decisions for herself. Throughout the entire series, she has done what others have told her to do. She'll say what she wants or doesn't want, but nobody listens to her. And that's exactly what happened again in season 5. She wanted no part in running for office and yet she was coerced into it. I'm glad she didn't win in the end because I don't think she would have been happy. I wish that just once towards the end she would have put her foot down and said no to somebody.

Overall, while I did like several things that came out of this season, I can't say I was fully satisfied with the way the show ended. I still enjoyed the series as a whole, though.