Anime Thigh Thread II

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Pokemon Movie 23: Koko
(also known as Secrets of the Jungle)

4/10 (bad)


Wow, this was disappointing.

For those who don't know, the first 3 Pokemon movies were legit good movies, the third one especially so. After movie 3, the quality of the Pokemon films substantially dropped in quality (both in production values and the actual storytelling), and pretty much became mediocre trash you would only watch on Cartoon Network if you were really bored. But the last Pokemon movie, The Power of Us, was surprisingly good, and saw a return to form in high production values. It seemed like the Pokemon Company was serious about making good movies again.

Then we got... this. First there is the production values. Not only is the nuance in the last movie's animation gone, but now you have shoddy 3D CGI everywhere, from the characters in the background to the mech that is far too detailed and shiny for the cartoon environment it is supposed to inhabit, and just looks bad when you have simple 2D drawn characters standing in front and on top of it. Then you have the story. The first half was "okay", but then the second half of the movie devolves into your plot about a rich businessman trying to exploit some power at the expense of the Pokemon who depend upon that power. The exact same plot that defied 15 years of formulaic, trashy Pokemon movies that the last one renounced so fervently.

I guess I might be biased given how I experienced this movie. I saw The Power of Us in theaters, so I may have walked out of the theater with a more grandiose impression of that movie than it actually was, whereas here I just watched Koko on a TV. Anyway, I wonder if the Power of Us was just a fluke and the Pokemon movies are still going to be overall trashy.

Not recommended.

[Yunru]

[

Pokemon Movie 23: Koko
(also known as Secrets of the Jungle)

4/10 (bad)


Wow, this was disappointing.

For those who don't know, the first 3 Pokemon movies were legit good movies, the third one especially so. After movie 3, the quality of the Pokemon films substantially dropped in quality (both in production values and the actual storytelling), and pretty much became mediocre trash you would only watch on Cartoon Network if you were really bored. But the last Pokemon movie, The Power of Us, was surprisingly good, and saw a return to form in high production values. It seemed like the Pokemon Company was serious about making good movies again.

Then we got... this. First there is the production values. Not only is the nuance in the last movie's animation gone, but now you have shoddy 3D CGI everywhere, from the characters in the background to the mech that is far too detailed and shiny for the cartoon environment it is supposed to inhabit, and just looks bad when you have simple 2D drawn characters standing in front and on top of it. Then you have the story. The first half was "okay", but then the second half of the movie devolves into your plot about a rich businessman trying to exploit some power at the expense of the Pokemon who depend upon that power. The exact same plot that defied 15 years of formulaic, trashy Pokemon movies that the last one renounced so fervently.

I guess I might be biased given how I experienced this movie. I saw The Power of Us in theaters, so I may have walked out of the theater with a more grandiose impression of that movie than it actually was, whereas here I just watched Koko on a TV. Anyway, I wonder if the Power of Us was just a fluke and the Pokemon movies are still going to be overall trashy.

Not recommended.

Heh, i forgot it existed.

Anyway Guild of Depravity is getting better and better each episode. More and more more depraved each episode i mean .
EP 5 of Reincarnated as a Sword may trigger twitter.

Also i dropped My Master Has No Tail ..... its just.. ehh. (and jokes are not funny)
Legend of Mana: The Teardrop Crystal seems to skip a bit of video game path.
Chainsaw Man battle animation is pretty decent to.

- - - Updated - - -

Anyone here is gona try to watch Arknights: Reimei Zensou? (i know its some crappy tower mobile defense game)

[Pejo]

I am going to skip Arknight as I’m not really connected to any of the characters; however, I’ll give the Genshin Impact anime a chance.

I wish HIDIVE didn’t suck so bad as I would be watching more anime this season. It constantly freezes or doesn’t load across both the Apple TV / Xbox / Roku. So far, the only one that doesn’t freeze is my iPhone which confuses me why the AppleTV one does so I only end up watching one at the end of the night when I can.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms 6/10 (fine)

The Final Fantasy Tactics storyline was pretty interesting. A declining dynasty's last ditch attempt to retain power. Dragons, armies, villages being wiped out, assassination attempts, all that good stuff. Unfortunately, the other half of the movie is about the idolization of single mothers. Meh. There are a thousand movies about that already. Brings down the overall movie. Unusually decent production values for a modern anime movie, with only a couple shots of conspicuously shoddy 3D CGI. English dub is okay.

[Yunru]

Since simpsons did the anime:

What do you guys think?
In my option it was pretty well done.

[Pejo]

The Simpsons Clip is hard for me as it has a very set style. But good on them for having fun with it.

Romantic Killers got dropped on Netflix and it’s a pretty enjoyable rom com. The one thing is though Rie Takahashi does an amazing job, I couldn’t tell it was her. I blame the show and its need for Anzu to “react” to everything

[Val the Moofia Boss]

The Princess and the Pilot - 4/10 (Bad)

It starts off okay. It's a fantasy Pacific WW2 setting between not-Italy and not-Japan. Then half an hour into the movie the princess is being flown across the ocean for the rest of the movie. About half way in, she begins trying to seduce the pilot. WTF? Lady, you've known the prince for how many years? And you've been engaged to him for at least two and have been writing letters to him every day since? How on earth do you throw that all away and betray him for some guy you just met two days ago? Yes, he saved your life but that was that. I feel sorry for the prince that his woman turned out to be so fickle.

The generals at the end were petty evil for no reason. Also, crappy 3D CGI planes.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Saiunkoku Monogatari - Dropped

I watched this for 13 episodes. It's strange how the show keeps giving mixed signals as to what it is promising to the audience.

The narrated intro in the first episode talks about how the world was overrun by demons until one young man rose up to fight them, and gained the favor of 8 spirits. Eventually he rid the land of the demons and built the empire. So it seems like the show is setting up a fantasy adventure story about how the empire is going to be in decline and the demons are going to come back and the heroes are going to have to seek out the eight spirits to save the empire?

But then you watch the show and it is... a rom-com? I found the early episodes that focused on the romance to be entertaining. The characters are pleasant enough, the English dub had some charming jokes, you want to see the heroine and the king get together, and the music is immersive (same composer who did Twelve Kingdoms and Yona of the Dawn).

But then as the show goes on, the heroine separates from the love interest and becomes a bureaucrat at the palace, and the show becomes about boring administration. The show can't seem to decide what it wants to be.

[Yunru]

Saiunkoku Monogatari - Dropped

I watched this for 13 episodes. It's strange how the show keeps giving mixed signals as to what it is promising to the audience.

The narrated intro in the first episode talks about how the world was overrun by demons until one young man rose up to fight them, and gained the favor of 8 spirits. Eventually he rid the land of the demons and built the empire. So it seems like the show is setting up a fantasy adventure story about how the empire is going to be in decline and the demons are going to come back and the heroes are going to have to seek out the eight spirits to save the empire?

But then you watch the show and it is... a rom-com? I found the early episodes that focused on the romance to be entertaining. The characters are pleasant enough, the English dub had some charming jokes, you want to see the heroine and the king get together, and the music is immersive (same composer who did Twelve Kingdoms and Yona of the Dawn).

But then as the show goes on, the heroine separates from the love interest and becomes a bureaucrat at the palace, and the show becomes about boring administration. The show can't seem to decide what it wants to be.

You are better off watching Kingdom:

[Belize]

Watching Aria The Animation for the first time and I just had to go track down a copy of the manga. It's so good.

[Yunru]

So this is a fan animation:


Some people have no life.

[Skizzit]

Watching Aria The Animation for the first time and I just had to go track down a copy of the manga. It's so good.

The comfiest of all anime! For many years Aria was my go-to if I was having a bad day and needed a nice, pleasant pick me up.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Snow White with the Red Hair - 7/10 (Good)

A romance anime... that actually goes somewhere! Unlike 99% of other romance shows, this isn't one about constant "will they or won't they" teasing all the way to the end. There is actually progression. By the end of the first season, they're unofficially engaged, and the struggle going forward is the prince trying to figure out how to announce that he is going to marry a commoner and get the first prince's approval.

If I had a complaint, it's that season 2 is a filler deteour. Sure, it had some funny moments, but it isn't progressing the plot. Should've focused on the couple trying to get married, but alas. Looks like the show won't be getting a third season so there goes any hope of the ending being animated. Season 2 should have been an anime original ending in that case.

The other issue I had was Obi. Once Shirayuki and Prince Zen declared their love for each other at the end of season 1, it was over for Obi. But throughout season 2, he is still hanging around poking and prodding at Shirayuki. Yes dude, I know you're sad and demoralized, but it's time to move on to greener pastures. Also, Zen is your friend, and your boss. He entrusted you to protect her. Don't betray Zen!

[Pendulous]

The best part of Snow White is Shirayuki herself. If you see it more as a slice of life with a romance subplot, it works out great. She's my favorite female protagonist. I just wish they spent more time on Kiki and Mitsuhide. hell, the scummy prince Raj got more time than they did.

[Rustedsaint]

Soo new trigun trailer is out

Personally I’m not liking it since it’s a reboot of the series.

Note to everyone who didn’t read the manga but the girls changed jobs to reporters on the last chapter. So that’s kinda neat how they kept that.

[Yunru]

Uncle episodes are back

[Val the Moofia Boss]

The World is Still Beautiful - Dropped

Princess x dictator romance anime. The pacing is off. On a macro level, the show leaps through the relationship. At first they are standoffish and then they are close with no in-between. On a micro level, there are no moments of rest in between scenes. Feels very breakneck.

It's also hard to root for the romance when the king is rather evil. He took over the world and there are freedom fighters trying to throw off his rule. The freedom fighters are depicted as antagonists and the king being a tyrant is never really questioned. The heroine treats the tyrant as a sweet boy, and it kinda makes her look rather amoral. It also feels rather ridiculous that this 10/11/12 year old looking boy somehow managed to conquer an entire continent within a couple years. I started tuning out when the show started depicting the Catholic Church stand-in as evil for obstructing the king's marriage.





Made in Abyss - 7/10 (good)

Reg and Nanachi are quite likeable characters. Riko is okay. Pacing is uneven. The first 3 or 4 episodes where they are in the top layers are pretty boring. Then you reach the middle arc of season 1 where they go to the Inverted Forest, which looks cool, but here the story becomes a total snooze. I don't care about Ozen or the maid girl/boy/whatever. Also, Ozen straight up tried to kill the kids, and gets off the hook for saying "just kidding I was ackshually training you?" What? After that the show becomes a lot better as they continue to explore cool fantasy environments. The Shroombears were neat. Shocking body horror. As someone with family members who committed assisted suicide, the euthanasia/murder subplot left a bad taste in my mouth.

The movie left me scratching my head at the end too. The villain is an evil scientist who commits horrific experimentation and would fit right into Unit 731. He is an active menace to the world, kidnapping children so he could turn them into meatshields. The heroes have the power to kill him... and yet they just go "nah, it's okay. We have an understanding now!" and leave while he smiles at them. This is supposed to be a happy ending? How many more people will meet a horrible end because they didn't take him out while they had the chance?

There is also some bizzare writing: it has been repeatedly emphasized that you cannot return from the 6th layer without turning into a monster or dying, and yet the heroes are trying to delve into the 6th layer but never address that conundrum. Are they planning to live their whole lives down there? Try to find another way back? Never brought up.

I should note that on a technical level, the art and animation of the series is well above average for a modern anime. It's a shame that the soundtrack is so forgettable, though.




Season 2 is next but it doesn't seem that there are any streaming services on Roku TV that have it (Hi-Dive only has the first season and the movie), and streaming from an yarrrr site to my TV is a hassle.

[Yunru]

[I

The World is Still Beautiful - Dropped

Princess x dictator romance anime. The pacing is off. On a macro level, the show leaps through the relationship. At first they are standoffish and then they are close with no in-between. On a micro level, there are no moments of rest in between scenes. Feels very breakneck.

It's also hard to root for the romance when the king is rather evil. He took over the world and there are freedom fighters trying to throw off his rule. The freedom fighters are depicted as antagonists and the king being a tyrant is never really questioned. The heroine treats the tyrant as a sweet boy, and it kinda makes her look rather amoral. It also feels rather ridiculous that this 10/11/12 year old looking boy somehow managed to conquer an entire continent within a couple years. I started tuning out when the show started depicting the Catholic Church stand-in as evil for obstructing the king's marriage.





Made in Abyss - 7/10 (good)

Reg and Nanachi are quite likeable characters. Riko is okay. Pacing is uneven. The first 3 or 4 episodes where they are in the top layers are pretty boring. Then you reach the middle arc of season 1 where they go to the Inverted Forest, which looks cool, but here the story becomes a total snooze. I don't care about Ozen or the maid girl/boy/whatever. Also, Ozen straight up tried to kill the kids, and gets off the hook for saying "just kidding I was ackshually training you?" What? After that the show becomes a lot better as they continue to explore cool fantasy environments. The Shroombears were neat. Shocking body horror. As someone with family members who committed assisted suicide, the euthanasia/murder subplot left a bad taste in my mouth.

The movie left me scratching my head at the end too. The villain is an evil scientist who commits horrific experimentation and would fit right into Unit 731. He is an active menace to the world, kidnapping children so he could turn them into meatshields. The heroes have the power to kill him... and yet they just go "nah, it's okay. We have an understanding now!" and leave while he smiles at them. This is supposed to be a happy ending? How many more people will meet a horrible end because they didn't take him out while they had the chance?

There is also some bizzare writing: it has been repeatedly emphasized that you cannot return from the 6th layer without turning into a monster or dying, and yet the heroes are trying to delve into the 6th layer but never address that conundrum. Are they planning to live their whole lives down there? Try to find another way back? Never brought up.

I should note that on a technical level, the art and animation of the series is well above average for a modern anime. It's a shame that the soundtrack is so forgettable, though.




Season 2 is next but it doesn't seem that there are any streaming services on Roku TV that have it (Hi-Dive only has the first season and the movie), and streaming from an yarrrr site to my TV is a hassle.

Season 2 of abyss is ..... suprise. Worst part is that manga also ends at that point.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Trails anime about the North Ambria War coming next month in January.

Season 2 of abyss is ..... suprise. Worst part is that manga also ends at that point.

As in, that was the furthest the manga was, or the manga actually ends at season 2?

[Yunru]

Trails anime about the North Ambria War coming next month in January.




As in, that was the furthest the manga was, or the manga actually ends at season 2?

It ends on chapter 61 pretty much (anime does miss some things).

Made in Abyss chapter 63 is then something with new characters from what i have seen. They have probaly enogh material for 1 special episode at best, maybe 2.