Currently Watching (Winter 2011 Edition)

[Glamrgrl104]

Lupin the third voyage to danger- I never get tired of Lupin lol. If I didn't have finals tomorrow I'd start another movie.

[cress2000]

I think I need to go back to work on my physical backlog...

Winter 2011:

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (7-10)
Okay, yeah. Episode 10 was so gripping and powerful that this show just completely outclasses everything else this season. I'm really anxious to see where this ends up, but I'm having a tough time believing they can really wrap everything up in just two more episodes in a completely satisfying way. I dunno what kind of theories are being cooked up in the discussion thread right now as I kind of became afraid to read it again after seeing how accurate the predictions were post ep 6.

Madoka pleading and dying in that one time loop really, really got to me. Far more than anything else that's happened.

Wish I could afford to import this, since it probably has less than a 1% chance of being licensed in R1.

Gosick (7-9)
Still liking this one a lot. Victorique is a gothic lolita goddess. The ED song is still my favorite of the season.

Wandering Son (1-6)
This covers a very interesting theme, but feels like it barely scratches the surface. It's still good, but I'm stopping here and waiting for the manga's official English release instead.

Fractale (1-8)
Not quite what I was expecting, but I really want to like it. It's starting to pick up, and some questions are finally starting to be answered. If it doesn't end on a really crappy note, I will probably at least give it a marathon rewatch after it finishes airing.

Also, Freckle Girl's "pervert" schtick got old six episodes ago. Seriously.

Somebody who made episode 7 evidently likes Resident Evil 4. Those damn living armors with their axes were reminder enough, but Clain falling on his ass and giving us a "pantyshot" while dodging them sealed the deal.

Yumekui Merry (7-8)
I dunno--nice as Merry herself is, I don't think I'm into this one as much as others here. I'm not feeling all that compelled to keep up with it as it releases anymore, but I'll at least give it another chance when it's out in full.

Dragon Crisis! (1-9)
Average show with a throwaway story. Rose's cuteservice keeps me watching it anyway.

Episode 9 was kind of fun though, which kind of made up for how boring most of episode 8 was. Jason!

Older stuff:

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 (1-11) B+
Recent tragedies pushed me to give it a go. A few things early on felt a tad forced, and something about Yuki's death seemed a little off, not to mention his apparitions really messed with the general realism the show had going for it. Still, it was a very good, heartfelt adventure.

FLCL (1)
It's been SO long since I last watched this. I can hardly remember it besides it being an awesome, total mindfuck. Need to finish; haven't watched this episode since getting the Blu-ray a few weeks ago.

Kanon 2002 (1)
Talk about awkward seeing it for the first time, particularly after having experienced KyoAni's version a couple times already beforehand.

Being such a big fan of the 2006 series, curiosity got the best of me. I think it goes without saying, but I'm pretty glad I didn't have the story spoiled ahead of time by this version. The differences are still interesting at least, so I'll probably watch the rest.

The Tatami Galaxy (1)
This looks really cool and fun, but I think I need a dub. Stuff happens so fast that subtitles are too much of a distraction for me.

[something]

Originally Posted by cress2000

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (7-10)
I dunno what kind of theories are being cooked up in the discussion thread right now as I kind of became afraid to read it again after seeing how accurate the predictions were post ep 6.

There have been as many inaccurate guesses as accurate and almost none of us saw the specifics of many recent plot developments (just some fairly obvious stuff early on) so I really wouldn't worry about it or let it stop you from participating in the thread. Speculating is half the fun of a show like this. Just watching it by yourself is almost certainly not what was intended.

[Garasharp K7]

Originally Posted by something

Speculating is half the fun of a show like this. Just watching it by yourself is almost certainly not what was intended.

You're probably right, though marathoning a good chunk of episodes last week after leaving it alone since the first ep aired certainly didn't diminish my enjoyment of the show. Didn't soften any of the emotional punches to the gut either.
I don't know, I guess I've never thought the community aspect of watching shows is integral to enjoying them. That's what comes of being late to the party most of the time. Not to mention I mainly watch old stuff no-one else likes.

[EmperorBrandon]

Originally Posted by Garasharp K7

I don't know, I guess I've never thought the community aspect of watching shows is integral to enjoying them. That's what comes of being late to the party most of the time. Not to mention I mainly watch old stuff no-one else likes.

I don't really think it's integral, but depending on the title it can be a lot of fun for me. With series like Ikamusume and Oreimo, I followed along with each episode and the discussion thread, but it didn't really matter too much even though they were both extremely enjoyable. With some series like Sora no Woto and Madoka Magica, it can be very interesting and very much part of a great experience for me, though.

[something]

Originally Posted by Garasharp K7

I don't know, I guess I've never thought the community aspect of watching shows is integral to enjoying them.

It's not a fundamental requirement for enjoying them at all, of course not. But it sure makes it better. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, if I were watching everything purely by myself, Hourou Musuko would get the nod over Madoka for me (though it'd be close after Madoka 10). But there's not much of a fandom surrounding Hourou. It just kinda airs, then fades until the next week (and it's hardly the least talked-about show around here... look at Tegami Bachi's thread. ). As for Madoka, it's like it never ends. Same thing with OreImo last season - it had all sorts of flaws but the discussions and fandom more than made up for it. I wouldn't have rated it as highly if I saw it by myself.

Heck, only one show I've seen by myself has ever entered my Top 10 (Gurren Lagann) since it became common for me to watch shows as they air.

That's what comes of being late to the party most of the time. Not to mention I mainly watch old stuff no-one else likes.

For old stuff, yeah, there's not much choice there. It's really just a function of how diffuse the fandom has become. Right after something airs, fandom is most concentrated; a year or two later, less people are watching the show at the same time, which is only natural.

That's why I virtually never rewatch shows anymore unless there's a discussion thread going on - just flying through a show myself is so much less interesting to me even if it's still enjoyable. I'd rather watch a decent show I'm discussing with other people than rewatch a great show by myself. This is also part of why I completely dumped the R1 industry.

Not that I really have time to rewatch stuff anyway, or even keep up with the new shows as well as I'd like. Stupid job. But that's a different issue.

[Glamrgrl104]

Lupin the third Dead or alive- I love the lupin movies; I wish they would release more.


Ginga nagareboshi Gin aka Silver fang- I like this anime because it is more real life than fantasy no magic or robots.

The Cat Returns- I can't get enough of the cast: Cary Ewles, Tim Curry, and Anne Hathaway. A funny story to pass the time.

Phantom for the the requiem-Eng dub-P1- Well I quite liked this series, but the 2nd half I didn't enjoy so I am just going to stop. Plus they didn't have p2 in to rent.

Now will switch over to I was thinking about Wild Arms? hmm any more recent shows I should check out? Looking at Sengoku Basara, Sacred Blacksmith...

[Garasharp K7]

Originally Posted by something

As for Madoka, it's like it never ends. Same thing with OreImo last season - it had all sorts of flaws but the discussions and fandom more than made up for it. I wouldn't have rated it as highly if I saw it by myself.

I'm not sure what convinced me to give Madoka another go. The first ep's trippy visuals put me off, but I sometimes give shows another chance even if they're not my cup of tea initially. I have to admit some of the fan art that's been circulating has been a mixture of awesome, hilarious and even poigant. Though I'd never have bothered with it if I hadn't given the series another go.
As for OreImo, that's another one outside my comfort sone, and I gave that one a chance too - but I dropped it after a couple of eps. The show just annoyed me at times.

For old stuff, yeah, there's not much choice there. It's really just a function of how diffuse the fandom has become. Right after something airs, fandom is most concentrated; a year or two later, less people are watching the show at the same time, which is only natural.

True, that's to be expected, but the whole 'absorb, discard and move on' aspect of fandom has never sat well with me. Many of my favourite shows have stayed with me for years after I first saw them, even if I don't watch them that often. (hell, that's one of the reasons why Nadesico and Zone of the Enders are still high on my own top 10 list, and Mazinger is still in the top 5 too)
Granted, I have brushed through some shows in the past only to forget them not long afterwards, but there are plenty of others that are etched in my brain and I doubt they'll ever go away.

That's why I virtually never rewatch shows anymore unless there's a discussion thread going on - just flying through a show myself is so much less interesting to me even if it's still enjoyable. I'd rather watch a decent show I'm discussing with other people than rewatch a great show by myself. This is also part of why I completely dumped the R1 industry.

Yeah, I can see where you're coming from. In my case, the fun comes from discovering older shows I've never seen, or marathoning them in large chunks rather than waiting for the next weekly installment. Being completely engrossed for an hour or two. (or several if I have the time)
And then there's pulling some old title off the shelf and giving it another spin, (as I'm doing with Gurren Lagann right now) remembering what made it so enjoyable or spotting stuff I'd missed the first time. And the main reason I'm watching GL again is because I've recently seen several older mech shows that influenced it. If anything, it's given me a greater appreciation of the show. That sort of thing happens alot when I rewatch stuff, and I love that.

Sometimes I don't get that same level of enjoyment from following stuff as it airs, or even the community aspect - I've been soured on some shows thanks to the odd bit of fandom drama and suchlike - but I do get some fun out of it. I wouldn't be here otherwise.

[something]

Originally Posted by Garasharp K7

True, that's to be expected, but the whole 'absorb, discard and move on' aspect of fandom has never sat well with me.

I'm not sure that's a fair characterization of the behavior I mean, for a few reasons:

1) Moving on to the next show doesn't mean "discarding" old shows. I love Aria, but I can't talk about it all the time. Haruhi is my favorite franchise but the volume of discussion has to taper off eventually. I haven't cast Scrapped Princess aside simply because I haven't watched it in some years.

2) I believe that anime is ever improving. If I ever got to a point where my Top 10 hadn't changed at all for five years straight I would begin to question whether anime was still an enjoyable hobby for me. So constantly watching lots of new shows is important to me, because it means the art form is living. And you never know where your new favorite show will pop up.

3) A hundred or more new TV anime air every year. I end up watching, in full, probably half of them (and try out significantly more), maybe more if if you cut out children's shows. I absolutely love doing it, more than anything else in the world, but it's incredibly time-consuming. If I've got the option of watching a show from 1995 (or hell, 2009) again or having a completely new experience with a new show, I'm probably going to watch the new show.

4) Simple math. The universe of potential shows to watch never gets smaller, it increases significantly every year because of new shows. But the number of hours in a day or days in a week never increases. And you'll almost never get to a point where there are as many (or even a fraction as many) people watching and talking about [*] a given show at a given point in time as was the case when it first aired. We try to recreate that experience on a small scale with the rewatch discussion threads we have here (latest to complete was Sketchbook, more in my sig) but that only goes so far.

So, I don't think it's something that can be boiled down to merely "absorb, discard, move on". I think there are a lot of good reasons behind the preference for consuming new material over revisiting old that are unrelated to a short attention span or lack of respect for the material.

Many of my favourite shows have stayed with me for years after I first saw them, even if I don't watch them that often. (hell, that's one of the reasons why Nadesico and Zone of the Enders are still high on my own top 10 list, and Mazinger is still in the top 5 too)

I'm sure this is the case with a lot of people who watch all the new shows too. And even if a show drops out of my top 10, that doesn't mean it hasn't stayed with me. It just means I've discovered something I enjoy even more.

Or something that's more relevant to me, because after all people change and tastes change. For example, Lain and Eva, with all their angst and symbolism, meant a lot more to me as a teen than they do today, when I'm out living on my own, have a good job and don't fret over relationships. I still respect and like those shows, but I relate them them in a different way. They don't resonate with me as strongly as K-ON! or Aria or Gurren Lagann do today. I'm just a different person now.

I've been soured on some shows thanks to the odd bit of fandom drama and suchlike

Sure, there are cases where fandom can negatively impact the experience of a show - and frankly if I frequented places like 4chan or the big anime blogs sites, I'd be more down on fandom. But that's why I stick around here and a few other places instead. And there's so much creativity in fandom sometimes. Overall, the good far outweighs the bad.


[*] Or people/companies/creators releasing DVD/BDs/other merch, drawing fanart, writing doujin, programming amusing flash games, updating official websites/news (all the MadoMagi staff tweets are a great example of this extra form of engagement that ends after initial airing), engaging in plot/character speculation, making amusing AMV/MAD/parody videos on NND, etc etc etc...

[Buckeye]

Originally Posted by Buckeye

Taisho Baseball Girls is up next.

And I just finished watching that last night. This is an example of a sports anime done right with the focus on building a girls baseball team rather than going through a season as is what Princess Nine is all about. Not to mention, those throwback school unis that some of the girls wore before there were seifukus are really lovely. Character development was all-around great.

Next up, I will be watching OreImo.