ANYONE HERE WATCH NANA?
I don’t watch Nana, but I read it.
@vikingsoup So my friend is crazy about Black Clover. I tried to give it a chance again and looked up some fights I am still so fucking disappointed. It’s like watching paint dry. The animation is the bottom of the garbage bin. Nothing has impact, the dialogue, the choreography, the powers…everything was WACK. I haven’t seen something that bad in a looooong time. Here if anyone wants to see it for themself. There’s another one I can’t find, but it was Asta versus some bald NPC looking guy with a dark snake, I actually lmao’d at how that supposed to be epic but washing the dishes evokes more emotion this shit lol.
MHA - if Bakugou died I would go back to watching it. There’s a lot of fun moments in the series and some really great characters that are just wasted and way too much fanservice annnd it wasn’t going anywhere after 4 seasons, wtf. League of villains my ass.
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Zeta Gundam is nearly unwatchable and Kamille is the most annoying character in the gundam franchise. ZZ and Judau are leagues better than Zeta and Kamille, even Casval can’t save Zeta.
People say that the narrator in hunter x hunter turns into a main character in the chimera ant arc.
They weren’t joking lmao
I mean, there’s really interesting characters and I want to know where this is gonna end but it sure drags, huh? Getting play by play commentary on every single character in one scene…It’s interesting insight but I also want to see the damn fight play out. the fuck.
No cap, this was both my most favorite and least favorite part of the Chimera Ant arc. I know this is the trash talk thread but I gotta be serious for just a second - the Chimera Ant arc would have been 5x longer if there had been actual dialog instead of the narrator giving us Cliff Notes, and it’s already the longest completed arc in the series. It’s the eternal trap of all shounen. That shit absolutely blows my mood when I’m watching an anime and the author decides to pump the brakes right before the climax and take a detour - whether that be needless exposition, flashbacks, an unexpected and unwelcome development that only complicates the plot, a needless power up, etc. Get to the story!
On the other hand, I find it absolutely hilarious how the narrator can dictate the actions in an entire episode and say it only took 2-5 minutes knowing that other animes coughcoughdragonballzcoughcough will stretch 5 minutes over just as many episodes with the main characters throwing punches and spouting exposition for four and a half literal hours. Watching the Chimera Ant arc week by week was a painful excursion, and this comes from someone who considers Hunter x Hunter to be one of their favorite anime of all time - so much so that sans One Piece I won’t try new shounen because I feel like I’ve seen every trope there is to see.
However, when I was done with the arc I ended up liking it way more than when I was watching it in the moment, because the ending is really memorable. It’s the arc I enjoy the most and have no intention of revisiting. I think I enjoy it so much because it nails that complex storytelling most shounen try to go for but it was planned out in advance, so it stuck the landing. Most anime start before they figure out where they want to finish, and it’s obvious when the author is winging it. That’s when they start bringing out The Tropes, and that’s when I close the tab and do something else. Like I said on the Discord, I got rules:
- School setting? I’m 30, not 14. Why is every third anime based around a school setting that half of them don’t go on to use? Age them up by four years and send them to college and suddenly the plot gets a lot more believable.
- Student council composed of five teenagers with no oversight and more power and authority than the Japanese government? Bonus points if they are also mercenaries by any other name.
- A tournament as a thinly veiled excuse to fight? YYH + DB did the tournament thing perfect for me and after that every single tournament arc is played out. I’m looking at y’all DBZ, DBS, Gakusen Toshi Asterisk, The God of High School, Sword Art Online: GGO, etc. No story development can happen when all people do are throw fists.
- Incest? Even slight overtones of “I wanna fuck you cuz” can fuck right off. Good plots are withheld because they’re too mature for kids, but you’ll throw in cousin fucking? Rub two out and then come back to me. I had to drop The Irregular at Magic High School because the author is bending time and space to justify brother and sister fucking (but not really brother and sister because one has no feelings and the other had some sort of genetic surgery so they’re compatible but not genetically related…bro just make them not related and STOP!)
- Isekai? So instead of under developing one world, you under develop two? Bo-ring! The most overused plot device since the first half of SAO, and I don’t want to see it anymore. MC dies and reincarnates in medieval setting/MC gets trapped in a game is such a lazy plot device because it wastes so much time setting up a place you spend no time in, to send you to another world you know nothing about, to do a thing that the main character inevitably avoids doing. I bet that we’ll look back in 15 years on isekai like we look at moe today. My favorite isekai is honestly a parody of them all and that’s Konosuba.
- Over 52 episodes and no resolution in sight? Listen here you little Naruto/DBZ/Inuyasha/Black Clover/Bleach clone…you need to know when to stop. Often times, if you haven’t figured out how to end your story by 52 episodes you’re gonna Game of Thrones yourself into irrelevance.
- Endless power ups? Enjoy this episode of screaming courtesy of Sean Schemmel.
- Plot armor thicker than the crust of the earth? Why bother watching for the epic fight when you already know how it’s gonna end? When there’s no chance that the protagonist is going to die then there’s no suspense and ultimately no point in watching the damn thing. Drop acid and stare at strobe lights instead - I guarantee you’ll have a more memorable time than watching Generic Shounen #456.
- Annoying protagonist? I don’t even touch Black Clover because I can’t stand Asta. Fuck Asta.
- Protagonist that’s 14 years old in a universe where adults are helpless minnows and they have to save the planet using <>? I cannot even suspend my disbelief here when I know some parents that won’t let their 14 year old go outside alone…and these MC’s almost never have parents.
- Protagonists with the personality of a candlestick that somehow manage to amass a harem of similarly under developed female characters is also so boring. No romance can ever blossom because the main character couldn’t make a decision even when the author makes one for him. The whole harem thing falls apart once the MC picks one, because other than wanting dick the other characters often have no reason to be around him because the author never developed one. Bonus points if the author remembers by episode 9 that there are supposed to be intergalactic aliens that fuck shit up so they invade outta nowhere and then it’s nothing but action…
- I forgot this one on the Discord but it bothers me all the same…characters who die but not really. What’s the point of introducing death if everyone cheats it all the time? Then there’s basically no penalty, no stakes, no investment in the plot…and no reason for me to watch.
- Does the first episode start with the apocalypse at the end of the anime and then we flashback a year to the beginning of school and then we just pretend none of that ever happens? If you see a fade out to a generic Japanese high school five minutes in, just stop watching. You’ve seen all the good stuff already.
3 of those and you’re out.
This is basically why I don’t watch anime anymore.
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I just got to the part where they infiltrate the palace 2 episodes where everything happens, no joke, in the span of 8 seconds.
It really is the eternal trap of shounen, this arc is LONG as fuck, we’re barely halfway in??? And I took a huge hiatus of about 3 months or so because I got burned out, so it feels like it’s neverending.
It’s so well developed, well written, etc. but I could not rewatch it ever again lmao me and housemate started watching hxh January 1st 2021 because we needed a good hit of that classic shounen and yeah…we’re getting it alright with these stretched out sequences.
I’m willing to watch the 90s hxh once I’m done with this. I watched the OVA where they introduce Kite and in those 20 minutes? Gon got WAY more character development than he has in the ENTIRE 2011(?) anime so far. He was a completely different and way more likeable protagonist. Plus I just prefer the overall style of the 90s anime.
Luckily I don’t think it got to the chimera ant arc. So yeah, I’m looking forward to that.
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Lmaoooo the unfinished Dark Continent arc is like a step up in complexity from the Chimera Ant arc. Like I don’t even know where to begin because he wove so many threads I have no idea how things are supposed to tie together. Narrator-san hasn’t made an appearance yet, but neither has Chapter 391.
I’m about the halfway of Code Geass 2nd season and it boogles my mind how much praise this anime got being this dumb. It expects you to accept so much bullshit without any questioning its kinda amazing in a sense. Rolo is a character that makes no sense whatsoever. The way they force school interaction when stakes are all time high is so funny. Zero supposed smarts are just a constant flux of deus ex machina situations it kinda stops working after the 20th time… its like they tried to replicate the Kira/L dynamic, but written by a horny 14yo or smh (not that Death Note aged well, but anyway). Not to mention they’ve upped the ante on teenager tits and ass on this second season uh, they sure do take every chance they can to show those girls in unconfortable positions… I’m sticking till the end cuz theres about 8 or so episodes left but can’t say I’m really looking forward to it
i don’t think i’ll even bother watching the rest of Lupin pt 6 because it sucks ass
i saw clannad hyped so much as a tear-jerky slice of life godsend and i just couldn’t with its cheesiness
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School setting? [
]
Student council? []
Annoying protagonist and helpless adults? []
STRIKE 3 YER OUTTT
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- Cardcaptor Sakura is my favorite series
- went back to re-read it as an adult
- 11 year old girl is in a relationship with the 30 year old teacher
- they paint her as mature and wise as a 30 year old woman, spitting out facts about true love and counselling her classmates on their little crush shenanigans
- her and teacher are engaged by the end of the series
Japan I am begging you
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Usagi Drop. Anime vs Manga. That is all.
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it’s my favorite anime ever but I would never criticize anyone for calling it “dumb”
To Be Fair, it started out well but then became a shitfest, and by the 2nd season we all knew it was going nowhere but the ride was fun … I still rewatch S1 on occasion, and I love how I keep seeing new details as I grow up and mature (the animators were very … careful) but yeah, ain’t touching S2 again unless I get paid for that … the memes were good tho
(then again, Clannad is like my 2nd fave anime ever and it’s not getting a lot of love itt either so)
… no anime trash talk from me, haven’t watched anime in the past couple of years? since the arson I just don’t feel like it
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Tokyo Ghoul and Psycho Pass are overrated
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It’s both interesting and a little disappointing that you bring up Psycho Pass at this time @VkeiWitch!
For those who might not be aware, @CAT5 and I are huge fans of both anime and the cyberpunk aesthetic. One of the things we first bonded over was our enjoyment of Ghost in the Shell and Yoko Kanno music! Another of my IRL friends is watching Stand Alone Complex with me again and he’s said at least three times that the anime is top tier in all aspects, and we’re halfway through Season 1. I’ve been into SAC since it first aired on Toonami, so let’s estimate ~2004, and yet I have never asked myself this question until yesterday.
Where are all the cyberpunk anime at?
Here’s a definition of cyberpunk so everyone’s on the same page.
Cyberpunk is a type of science fiction where rapid advancement of technology comes at the cost of neglecting social issues. Common themes include powerful or intelligent computers, vast cyberspace networks that can be jacked into or explored virtually, or human augmentation.
I had this conversation with CAT and with my group of anime watching friends and came to some conclusions. The one I’m going to lead with is that anime has become homogenized and diluted similar to blockbuster Hollywood summer fucks; companies won’t take a risk because they have to make a profit or they risk shutting down. Because of that, seasoned anime watchers can generate a solid mental map of where a story can go based on genre and synopsis (if it has one) and that’s how a few of my friends determine if they give a show a shot or not.
I see it as a self-cannibalistic vortex where only ideas in the pot get considered until they’re wrung dry and tossed aside. This means that niche elements (cyberpunk, steampunk, biopunk, dieselpunk, there are so many *punk derivatives with minor overlaps that it’s impressive), as well as associated elements that fit (goth fashion, noir, retrofuturism, and vaporwave to name a few) are considered not viable because of an unproven track record.
Go on, name an anime released within the last ten years besides Ghost in the Shell and Psycho Pass that use some of these elements. Are you having trouble? I did too! There aren’t many.
That link catalogs all the cyberpunk anime out there out of a list of 20,496. I’m gonna cap the first three pages for posterity so future readers have an understanding of where I’m coming from right now.
That’s it. Half of the list is some variation of Ghost in the Shell and Psycho Pass. I think it’s embarrassing that there’s so much potential with this type of science fiction to create interesting content and commentary and not a single author or anime company wants to touch it with a ten foot pole. Yet I guarantee there’s at least two or three isekai released this year with the same formula.
https://www.desuzone.com/2021/11/isekai-anime-2022.html
Oh look, there’s 25 for just this year…we barely have 25 different cyberpunk anime properties! There’s at least six pages for isekai catalogued on Anime-Planet.
Don’t even get me started on my other arguments and rambles of shounen staple tropes. I’ve sat through countless shounen anime with vapid plots that insist on following some prepubescent cardboard cutout of a protagonist in a future with advanced technology but then goes on to do nothing with said plot (examples include Gakusen Toshi Asterisk, Taboo Tattoo, Absolute Duo, Hundred, Hand Shakers, Black Bullet, Kekkai Sensen [this in particular was a clusterfuck of beautiful visuals with the most threadbare story I don’t remember watching], and yes, even Tokyo Ghoul). Half of these involve super powers and could dip their toes into aforementioned list of ignored genres in order to stand out, because there are no redeeming qualities about any of the anime I listed and I will die on that hill.
Which is where I return to my original question. Where are all the cyberpunk anime at? The answer that I came up with was interesting enough for me to want to share it, and I’ll share the thought I had directly instead of trying to word it differently.
Ghost in the Shell is to cyberpunk anime what Sword Art Online is to isekai. The biggest difference in the impact between the two is that Ghost in the Shell tackled cyberpunk so well that people see very little room for improvement on top, and don’t have enough imagination to go in a different direction. Sword Art Online hit on a good concept but the execution was so ass backwards that every studio now wants to do their own spin on it - hence, isekai as a genre.
I focus on Ghost in the Shell because a) I’m a fanboy and b) it’s the most recent action-oriented serialized cyberpunk seinen out there (still need to finish 2045). I throw the silver to Psycho-Pass because it has beautiful animation and fight scenes, but I feel the focus is on the psychological thriller aspects. I don’t even know who to give Bronze too…might check out Edge Runners just because there isn’t much else.
That’s why I lead what I lead with. Anime has become homogenized and diluted, focusing on overly flashy fight scenes and choreography instead of a story with substance to give fights definition and weight. Everyone tells me to watch Jujutsu Kaisen, but I fell asleep during the movie because the setting and plot did not interest me at all. I was told The God Of High School was an amazing anime with good fight scenes, and when I said the anime was trash I was told I need to read the manga to understand what’s going on (THEN WHY THE FUCK DID I WATCH???). Everyone worships Demon Slayer for the fight choreography, but I read the story synopsis and to be honest it sounds mid as fuck. Young boy loses his father early in life, becomes breadwinner of the family, sister becomes sick and turns into a demon, he joins some group dedicated to destroying demons, undergoes rigorous training bordering on abuse, surprise one of the two of them are special somehow, the cure for the girl involves doing some impossible shit, ally with some people, big flashy fights, lots of blood, defeat the eternal boss on some technicality that didn’t really need the boy to begin with just a few neurons sparking, btdubz sister magically gets cured, the end. Jesus Christ how many anime tropes did they smash together to get funding for that?
Yet I gotta settle for Megalobox and Battle Angel Alita for my cyberpunk anime fix? That’s rough.
I’m not even sure if I want them to homogenize the cyberpunk aesthetic to where it loses its charm, but the alternative is to get nothing at all…
And this is one of the few reasons why I can’t enjoy new anime anymore. Back to SAC I gooooo…
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i loved lain, armitage and ghost in the shell in the past but for some reason psycho pass just isn’t doing anything for me and i’ve been wanting to watch it for a few years
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I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this before, but I was suddenly reminded of this yaoi manga I read years ago called “Lamb of God”.
The whole thing is pretty ridiculous, and it’s basically just a PWP story, but it has one of the funniest, laziest endings I’ve ever seen.
This is the second-to-last page:
Way to tie up all the loose ends there yandere man.
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well that escalated quickly 
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