Anime

[ibanezmonster]

Honestly, I can't think of any favorite of mine with "Paradise" in the title.

But...

From an old post:

I've been wanting to redo my top 10 list... now, here it is, currently- Greg's official top 10 anime: 
(the names take the series as a whole, meaning all seasons and sequels)

1. Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni
2. Elfen Lied
3. Clannad
4. Monster
5. Gantz
6. Death Note
7. Welcome to the NHK
8. Full Metal Panic
9. Now and Then, Here and There
10. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

and if it went to 12...
(11). Cowboy Bebop
(12). Baccano!

A few more I rated highly:
Paranoia Agent, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Code Geass, Eve no Jikan, Higashi no Eden

At a certain point, I stopped using number ratings.

All anime with "Paradise" in the title:
http://myanimelist.net/anime.php?q=paradise

If you don't see it, sorry, man... that's about all I got.

[ibanezmonster]

Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) is the new hit anime, it seems.
It's already ranked #8 on MAL, with only 11 out of 25 episodes aired so far. People seem to be at a loss for words when it comes to this show.

Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by titans. Titans are typically several stories tall, seem to have no intelligence, devour human beings and, worst of all, seem to do it for the pleasure rather than as a food source. A small percentage of humanity survived by walling themselves in a city protected by extremely high walls, even taller than the biggest of titans.

Flash forward to the present and the city has not seen a titan in over 100 years. Teenage boy Eren and his foster sister Mikasa witness something horrific as the city walls are destroyed by a colossal titan that appears out of thin air. As the smaller titans flood the city, the two kids watch in horror as their mother is eaten alive. Eren vows that he will murder every single titan and take revenge for all of mankind.

http://myanimelist.net/anime/16498/Shingeki_no_Kyojin




Hmm...
so my must-watch list has expanded to:
-Legend of the Galactic Heroes
-Shingeki no Kyojin
-anything I haven't watched by KyoAni (Munto, the currently airing series Kyoukai no Kanata and Free!, and Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions II, which should air later this year).

Looking forward to Chunibyo II, since I enjoyed the original, but Free! looks like it will be a nightmare to watch. It's like a moe, or fan service show for girls, so it's just a bunch of swimmer guys goofing off. I heard it was only 12 episodes. I sincerely hope so. 

[Jaakko Keskinen]

I'm also currently reading/watching shingeki no kyojin. My favorite character is Jean Kirschtein, I really love his character development. Close second would be Levi.

[ibanezmonster]

I ended up watching the first episode of it. Looks very promising... I see that 17 out of 25 episodes have been aired, so looks like it isn't too far off from the end. Can't wait to watch it all. 

[DavidW]

I'm watching Neon Genesis Evangelion.  I had tried it before, but quit after a few episodes.  This time I gave myself a few more episodes and then I got hooked.

[ibanezmonster]

I'm watching Neon Genesis Evangelion.  I had tried it before, but quit after a few episodes.  This time I gave myself a few more episodes and then I got hooked.

Ha, I'll be interested in what you think about the infamous final episodes. 

[ibanezmonster]

Ookami no Kodomo no Ame to Yuki
Wolf Children
Movie
1 hr. 57 min.


I only watched this because of the extremely high ratings. It's about the childhood of two kids who were born as half-human, half-werewolf and can switch forms between both, often accidentally. The beginning of the movie details the mom and the dad, then the dad's death, and then the mom's adjustment and raising of her kids; it's sort of like a timeline of important events up until the kids are 10, at the end of the movie.

I can understand the high ratings; extremely well done. Personally, I just don't like this type of movie. Despite the wolf kids aspect, it felt too real and I don't watch anime to experience reality; I watch it to escape from it, even if it's some sort of really messed up reality.

[DavidW]

Ha, I'll be interested in what you think about the infamous final episodes. 

I finished it.  While it's good to see closure on Shinji's arc, what about you know everyone and everything else?  And did the budget go down the toilet?  I haven't seen such bad animation since the extended cut of Mass Effect 3 (which showed stills).  I must watch The End of Evangelion.

[ibanezmonster]

And did the budget go down the toilet?

Exactly. 

But the negativity and pessimism is delicious! Viva el Schopenhauer! 

[ibanezmonster]

Munto

Munto has two versions which are exactly the same thing: the 2 OVAs & final movie or the anime series, titled "Sora wo Miageru Shoujo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai" (The World Reflected in the Eyes of a Girl Looking Up at the Heavens), which is 9 episodes. I watched the former.

The plot involves a girl having visions of Munto (the king of the heavens) begging her to help save their worlds. The energy of the heavens runs on Akuto, which is the power of human desire. There are some fantastic moments in this show.

Definitely worth a watch and much better than I thought it would be. The huge problem that is holding it back from being a definitive masterpiece is that it's just too short. 3 hours just isn't enough time for something like this. It should have been a 24 episode series. It doesn't seem "smoothed out" enough, but basically crammed together. I would say a 24 episode version of this would have been one of my favorite shows.

[DavidW]

The End of Evangelion was awesome, excepting one scene that was disturbing, out of character and inappropriate.  It answered the questions, resolved the major plot threads, and didn't contradict the two episodes that it was replacing.  But there are things I don't know:

1. Why didn't Asuka dissolve like everyone else?

2. Why was Shinji choking her at the end?

3. Were the evangelions that created the anti-AT field piloted by more clones of Rei?  And is that why the faces of Rei emerged as she became fully herself?

4. Is Rei Lilith?  Or is she a clone of Shinji's Mother?  The show seems to imply both but that doesn't make sense.

5. What did Ikari say to Ritsuko right before he killed her?

6. It seemed as if Shinji rejected unity of human souls to restore the world as it was (with individuality)... but at the end everyone is still dead and he seems to emerge out of the primordial ooze to kill Asuka.  Did he actually choose an apocalyptic fate, and he and unit 01 are the only remnants of humanity?

7. Throughout most of the show Shinji is asexual, showing no attraction to anybody.  But then he falls in love with the last angel, suggesting that he is gay.  But then in the movie, the questionable hospital scene establishes that he is straight (and yes that is the scene that bothered me).  So is he asexual, gay, straight or bi?

8. Did Ikari share the same plan or did he have a different agenda?  He seemed to be preoccupied with seeing his dead wife again, but he started the whole operation before she passed away, so that must be a secondary motive on his part, did he want to see third impact? or was he trying to subvert Seele to fulfill something different?

If you remember the show at all Greg, I would appreciate your thoughts on that crazy ending!

I think next up is rewatch of Ghost in the Shell and watch Stand Alone Complex.

[ibanezmonster]

I don't really remember much of the show, honestly... I would go back and view the ending on youtube a couple times, though. As for the strangling... must be a love-hate relationship. I think the show tries intentionally to not be so obvious to figure out. 

[DavidW]

It had been too long huh?  That's okay I understand.

[ibanezmonster]

Got episode 15 out of 25 on Sword Art Online.

Episode 14 made me think even more that there must be something seriously psychologically wrong with modern Japanese. It's in the same mold as some of my favorite shows, which means that it seems like the entire point of the show is to throw you into some traumatic, yet cathartic experience. Do young Japanese males just walk around, suicidal most of the time and end up writing manga/anime like this? 

Whatever happened to Japanese stoicism? Based on my limited experience with Japanese literature and films (mainly Kurosawa), "shikata ga nai" ("It can't be helped") is a strong element of the Japanese psyche, yet with many modern anime dramas, there are so many heartbreaking deaths, screaming, desperate crying, etc. which is the complete opposite. This stuff can't be healthy to watch to much of, as much as I love it. "Really is terror, this truth is absolute."

More details, though, when I finish this thing...

[ibanezmonster]

Sword Art Online
25 episodes

Finished watching the rest of this today. Perfect example of a show with unfulfilled potential.

The show is essentially divided into two parts: Part 1 (episodes 1-14) and Part 2 (15-25). Part one, I thought, was very impressive. Part two was just a terrible borefest.

The plot is essentially that a new game, called Sword Art Online is released. People use something called Nerve Gear to play it, which simulates full virtual reality immersion. However, on the first day, the log out function is cancelled and the creator of the game set it up to where if you die in the game, you die in real life because the equipment will send fatal electronic signals into your brain. The only way to return to real life is to complete the 100 level tower alive.

The psychology of actually going through such an experience, which takes place over two years in the virtual game world, is explored enough through character interactions and such. The main buildup of the first part, mentioned in my previous post, was (spoiler) through the marriage of the main character. There are a few episodes which portray a sort of perfect bliss between Kirito and Asuna, but episode 14 ends with her tragic death and his barely defeating the game creator and walking out of his hospital bed in real life. Now, those episodes (~10-14) are AWESOME. (end spoiler)

In the second part, we find out no one really died! Well, well, well... now that the whole power of the show has been completely undermined, it turns into a "rescue the princess," or in other words, rescue Asuna story, from some nasty, creepy dude. Now they are playing a completely different game, one where you don't die in real life if you die in the game. Just meandering here, nothing good to see. Dumb happy ending.

The way to make the show great would have been to keep the 25 episode length, but to end it on the events of episode 14. He survives, she dies. More development in the story and characters as well. It would have been a truly great tale of loss.

I ended up watching this in the first place because it was not only the most hyped anime of last year, but someone in my class recommended it and said it was probably his favorite show. The opinions on this show are supposedly some of the most divided for any anime.

[ibanezmonster]

Free!
12 episodes

The only reason I watched this is to keep up with all of KyoAni's completed shows.

This is just a show for girls to look at guys, and it has become infamous for this, since shows like K-On! (also by KyoAni) were shows for guys to look at girls. It's like a version of K-On! for girls. They get to look at muscular guy swimmers taking their shirts off throughout the show. Needless to say, plenty of homoerotic undertones, as was the same with K-On!. I did like K-On!, but only because of the girls. Terribly shallow show, just like this one. Plus, I don't like swimming.

The plot is about some high school guys trying to rebuild their swimming club and swim competitively. There are actually a few dramatic moments (unlike K-On!), but none of them were particularly interesting. Overall, a pretty dull show unless you are a girl or like swimming.



Now just Shingeki no Kyojin and Legend of the Galactic Heroes to knock off my list...

[ibanezmonster]

Watching Attack on Titan, currently on episode 8 out of 25...

quick thought: who wrote this show, GOD!??? How else could it be so perfect? 

[ibanezmonster]

Attack on Titan
25 episodes

Well, looks like there is going to have to be a second season eventually, though no more than that, since the manga is still ongoing but will be done in 20 volumes.

What can I say about this show? It simply must be experienced. Brutal stuff, yet extremely intriguing. There are virtually no "flaws" or complaints about this show I can think of, and everything about it is just done so well. The mystery of the Titans and what they are exactly is something that I will be looking forward to. Probably the best anime I've watched this year.

[ibanezmonster]

Last on my list of must watches... the great Legend of the Galactic Heroes, which I've been meaning to watch for the last 2 or 3 years.

Seriously considering only watching one episode of that per day, and having it be the first thing I do when I wake up. Considering that it is 110 episodes, that means it will take nearly 4 months! 

A long space opera with Mahler as its general soundtrack and extremely high ratings for the few who have watched it... I have high expectations!

[ibanezmonster]

I just took a "Which Anime character are You?" test, and it said I was Rin Okumura from Blue Exorcist. Never watched the show, but supposedly he is the son of Satan and a human woman and has Satan's powers.