Board 8 > Anime and Manga Topic 271:

(+) Yeah! (+)

Xeybozn posted...

It's a good thing we have isekai to make literally every other genre look good by comparison.

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Gate has some good reverse isekai parts.

Shield Hero just has such bad writing with pretty much all the characters. The story has some interesting beats. Wish every character wasn't so bad.
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Shield Hero had amazing characters based on the double length premiere

Shield Dude: hey guys Im nice lets all work together since my power looks lame

Other Heroes: Fuck you bro were pricks

Other people: XFD shield get the fuck outta here loser hero

Shield Dude: Fuck the world

I liked the main party in Shield Hero but I think most other characters I actively disliked. I guess the weapons shop dude was good also but yeah.
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swordz9 posted...

The problem is you believed anyone calling any part of SAO good tbh

I still adore Mother's Rosario.
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pyresword posted...

I liked the main party in Shield Hero but I think most other characters I actively disliked. I guess the weapons shop dude was good also but yeah.

It's lame how the main girls mostly have zero identity other than being obsessed with Naofumi.
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220 hours later, the Dark God that is Fire Emblem has been defeated. It is time to catch up to anime. I was still in on Yaiba, Fire Force, Vinland, and Fate, gonna start off withhhhhhh

Astra.
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good decision

I mean other than Granbelm, Astra is the only other one with plot that I was watching. Granbelm I was starting to wain on that a bit, but sounds like that's really worth catching up on too, though.
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Dammit.

Of course I put it on pause as soon as shit really starts to kick off.

WOW is this not a theme I expected to be addressed in this show

I super need this OST to come out so I can nab this "revelations" tone track.
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Like I think in Shield Hero, Naofumi has a harsh view on things, but is ultimately fair (maybe even lenient) to people in the story. Motoyasu, while not like a good guy, is more just misled and generally an idiot. I think his characterization is pretty good.

But it's the other two are like why do they even exist?

I'm told they toned Naofumi down in the anime. Like I guess he's a lot harsher in the source material.
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I feel like Naofumi would be better if he were harsher. He's so in the middle that his character makes no sense.
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Bruh.

This show is WILD.

Anybody sleeping on Astra needs to get off their ass.

Though it'll be over soon enough so I guess I could understand waiting another 2 weeks.
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I loved the premiere. Waiting for it to end

I keep seeing Astra and thinking you're talking about Asta from Black Clover
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why would anyone be talking about black clover though

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Bane_Of_Despair posted...

I keep seeing Astra and thinking you're talking about Asta from Black Clover

Now I'm thinking Asta from Trinity Blood.
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Anyway on SAO

I've stated several times I don't like the first season. I think the first few episodes are fine, but still hold troublesome story points, like the whole thing with beta players being cheaters. Like, that just doesn't make any sense whatsoever in the context of any game ever. There is a pretty major case of the show barely establishing the rules for the world and then having Kirito break all the rules they do set. Not to mention the extreme tonal shifts the show has. A lot of things happen just because it hits some sort of story beat. They don't really build characters to make you feel anything for them. It has zero narrative flow and is only really saved from the infamy of being a worst of all time through some production value, a good presentation of the stakes involved (something a show like Log Horizon absolutely fails at) and like a framework for having the potential to be something good.

The second season, imo, has an even stronger start. Sinon is one of my favorite designed characters in terms of her overall appearance in recent memory. Even when Kirito was like "I'm not going to use a gun" it was like, okay whatever. But when they basically boosted Sinon up only for her to become an absolute nothing for Kirito to rush in and save her, it was like... come on now. And I could not take it anymore and dropped it.

So, I went into SAO 3 with like no real expectations except that it was a major departure from the first two seasons. I really like this season, it's almost a completely different show. Kirito feels very vulnerable. He overcomes his obstacles, but he often doesn't do it by breaking game rules that have been established. He instead is forced to think of creative ways to use the ingame mechanics. Yeah, he has a bit of a head start, but the show manages to present a sense of danger that is simply lacking in the other seasons. The characters actions are also more believable based on the world that has been created.

I know that the rape scene is very controversial with a lot of people calling it a simple shock value style scene or whatever. Like, with the tentacle thing in S1 I totally agree, but when I look at the state of the world in SAO 3, the characters involved, etc, it makes a lot of sense that it would happen. Remember, th world was set up where absolute rules were put into place. Of course bad people would abuse this power for their own gains. Now, I'm not sure if I want to give credit to the author for this and it might have been a mistake that it just fits into the world... but there is proper world building and setting for events like that to happen. They also use it to drive forward character and story revelations that feel more natural than what happened in S1.

The same thing with the Administrator. Even though I'm sure she's naked all the time partly for simple fan service, I do think that another part of this choice was simply based on her personality. She's manipulative and narcissistic to a point where I think I can suspend disbelief to a point where I can accept her not wearing clothes from a narrative perspective.

I think another big thing is that Kirito spends a lot of the show actively not involved with female characters, or when he does it doesn't feel like he's doing all the work. I will say that what stops this from being a like a truly amazing show is that the side parts outside of the game are pretty bad, like they had to have something for Asuna to do any she's really dull. It also moves pretty slowly, which I think is a double edged sword. It makes for more world-building, but also makes some patches seem a little too dull. I will also say that the action has suffered at the expense of the improved narrative.

wonder which was worse Elf Online or GGO

spoilers they both bottom tier trash
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GGO was the only arc of SAO I thought was watchable. Still not good or anything, but watchable.
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I don't actually mind Administrator as a character honestly, even if I do find her design funny.

I have issues with the finale of Alicization part 1 but it's more related to the way the final fight plays out as well as stuff they decided to do with Eugeo's character for some reason

Also the jester character really is obnoxious and I do not like him at all.
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I mean, the jester is not really meant to be likable. He's designed to be hated. I also think his role at the end is kind of poetic justice.

I want to talk about a couple of other isekais too.

Log Horizon, I think establishes in world rules better than any one within its genre. But it just has zero stakes involved. Like in the first season the biggest thing that really happens is some low level world event or whatever. They spend so much time world building and just putzing around that nothing happens. Characters (at least the main ones) don't develop because they don't have opportunities to. This is a case where the base of the show overall is very strong, but they don't build on it enough to make it more than an okay show imo.

Grimgar is a show that quickly establishes a dangerous and gritty reality. But it's maybe the worst paced show I have ever seen. The cast is extremely forgettable or just unlikable, like that one dark knight character (I think that's his class). Like, he's such an ass and there is not really a good reason for it except that that's just his personality type deal. To make it worse the show tries to make you feel a sense of sympathy for him at the end, like it erases all the shit he does before that. What's worse is that people who watch the show fucking fall for that crap.

As for Overlord. I know I'm in a minority in this camp but I don't really like the show. I only saw S1 because I didn't like it enough to pick up S2 and unlike with SAO, also didn't see enough potential in it where it could become better. I think it boils down to I don't really find the characters really engaging overall, and in a show where the main character is overpowered as hell, and where it doesn't really have the level of flair that something that NGNL does.... that's really all the show has to fall back on for entertainment. I mean, Slime's Rurumu Tempest is also very OP (although in the world he's not yet the strongest in the anime), but I think it tells a better narrative than Overlord and manages to make its cast much more vibrant overall. Like, even that doofy goblin, Gobuta manages to be memorable. Like, the fucking wolf makes an impression. I'll be honest, besides Ainz and Albedo, I probably would have forgotten the cast of Overlord if it wasn't for Iseki Quartet.

What are the Iseki Quartet shows?

I enjoy overlord and want to watch it but figure I should watch the others first.
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Tanya, Re:Zero, SAO and Overlord I think?

There's no SAO. It's Konosuba.
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Oh, right. Dunno why I thought SAO was one

Wait KA did you NOT watch Mother's Rosario?
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Alright I will add those to my watch list for the future

Thanks
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That reminds me, guess Re:Zero S2 isn't gonna make fall.
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https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2019-09-04/gen-urobuchi-next-work-is-about-hardcore-mecha/.150710

Hey, maybe he'll work on it this time.

I think people forgot Aldniah happened.
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berserk slaps wow

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>looks up Berserk
>first new chapter in 4 months
>first page is ad for Miura's NEW project Duranki

well then
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MysticBrohan posted...

berserk slaps wow

that's what everyone says

I keep not getting into it because of HIATUS but then again where I would be if I didn't read HxH?


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i'm almost halfway caught up and i'm already loving it. what's one more hiatus to a man who faces an endless number?

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https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-09-05/fairy-tail-anime-gets-rpg-in-2020/.150767

Hell yeah a Fairy Tail game coming to America

Not musou not worth playing

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Lol Gust.

I'm about 50 chapters into Golden Kamuy these days. A good time.

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Looks like Vic's done.

Watched first 2 episodes of Carole and Tuesday,

Also lowkey hate it saying Netflix original anime series, at least put licensed in there you fucks (yes I know this isn't a new concept but being reminded of it sucks)
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Are you watching the dub? If so how is it?
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Nah bro I gotta go subs

I'm sure the dub is fine but subs all the way
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New question then, did they sub the songs also or just the Japanese dialogue?
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songs are no subs, just english vocals
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Ah so Netflix is being lazier than the fansubbers.

I'm shocked.
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Oh is that out?

Literally zero push.

Dedue posted...

Oh is that out?

Literally zero push.

Bane_Of_Despair posted...

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