The Anime M@sterthread - Platinum is a Full Metal Panic Edition

[Darth Nichos]

Gundam Unicorn: I liked it despite the somewhat mediocre reveal at the end

Garden of Sinners: Really good and I liked the timejumps between movies

[Istal_Devalis]

So, barring any upsets, looks like I have my watch schedule done.

Not counting 'continuing to Watch' shows from past eps (like Precure)
Double Decker: I loved Tiger and Bunny, so this was probably a given. Same general sense of humor. The narrator's asides just leave me in stitches. Also, love the user of color. Pink is probably my favorite character so far. Especially after finding out she accepted her new partner just because they shared her dog's name. :D
Skull-Face Bookseller: I have friends who used to work at a bookstore. This is fairly close to the stuff they've mentioned. And I'm all for more work comedies dealing with adults.
That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime: Better then it has any right being. A good example of how good production values can help tired concepts. Good sense of comic timing too.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai: Reminds me a lot of the *Monogatari series. The two leads have a nice chemistry and I like the dry sense of humor.
Zombie Land Saga: *headbanging* RAAAAAAAAAAAWR! Bad Tae! No eating the audience!
Ms Vampire Who Lives in the Neighborhood: I'll be the first to admit this is empty, yuri themed fluff. But I dont mind yuri themed fluff. It's relaxing.
Goblin Slayer: And sometimes you just want to watch a train wreck. I'm a sucker for fantasy so I'm giving it a shot, even if a lot of what it shows just makes me roll my eyes, and from what people say, they do seem to be toning down the worse excesses. I do with the goblins had more nuance, 'Always Evil' villains are usually a sign of poor writing. I think Grimgar handled dark fantasy better, but I'm willing to see where this one takes us.
SSSS.Gridman: Now with three times the Transformers refs. This one was pretty much a given too, but all the Transformers touches are just icing. Akane is just a wonderful little psycho.
Radiant: I'm a fan of decently done Shonen Fight stuff. And this is decently done Shonen fight stuff. I'll probably completely forget about it once the anime's over, but it's watchable.

Totally skipped the scene where an all-girl party went to rescue captured women from goblin fortress.

...Gee, let me guess what happens to them.  ::)

[MadCapellan]

Double Decker: I loved Tiger and Bunny, so this was probably a given. Same general sense of humor. The narrator's asides just leave me in stitches. Also, love the user of color. Pink is probably my favorite character so far. Especially after finding out she accepted her new partner just because they shared her dog's name. :D

The Tiger & Bunny qualities are there, but visually it also reminds me in a positive way of a lot of early Gonzo works like Solty Rei & Speed Grapher! I'm absolutely having a blast with it! Pink is great, as is Doug, who never fails to play Kirill like a cheap kazoo! I think my favorite character is their Clark Gable lookin' dumb ass boss man, Travis Murphy, though! That dude cracks me up every time he's on screen!  ;D

Ms Vampire Who Lives in the Neighborhood: I'll be the first to admit this is empty, yuri themed fluff. But I dont mind yuri themed fluff. It's relaxing.

Moe doesn't need a reason!

  I do with the goblins had more nuance, 'Always Evil' villains are usually a sign of poor writing.

This is an absolute pet-peeve of mine. Whether they're goblins, zombies, or giant alien bugs, this always strikes me as such a cop out to avoid having to have the characters address any moral quandaries or philosophical challenges. Everytime I see it, I hear the voice of the author screaming in my head "I just want to write mindless slaughter! Don't judge me!" & I'm instantly turned off.  :P

SSSS.Gridman: Now with three times the Transformers refs. This one was pretty much a given too, but all the Transformers touches are just icing. Akane is just a wonderful little psycho.

Iwatched the first episode, but the real mid-90's Gainax style directing really turned me off. I assume it continues in that fashion?

[Matti]

This is an absolute pet-peeve of mine. Whether they're goblins, zombies, or giant alien bugs, this always strikes me as such a cop out to avoid having to have the characters address any moral quandaries or philosophical challenges. Everytime I see it, I hear the voice of the author screaming in my head "I just want to write mindless slaughter! Don't judge me!" & I'm instantly turned off.  :P

Oh come on! Did you miss the part where Goblin Slayer says that he himself is to goblins what goblins are to humans? Pay attention!

[edit]
Furthermore there are plenty more besides mindless slaughter. Adult age is 15 = medieval standard. Armour and helmet defeat sword and dagger but lose to pick; live-action movies based on history miss that. And there are more details, but people seem to be so much in shock & awe about rape and slaughter that they miss it. And when Goblin Slayer fights, he don't fight (nor slaughter) mindlessly:

The imagination is a weapon.
Those who don't use it die first.

Indeed, in manga he comes up with a number of tricks and stunts from poisons to dust explosion to collapsing the ceiling. Some genuine MacGyver stuff here.

[MadCapellan]

Oh come on! Did you miss the part where Goblin Slayer says that he himself is to goblins what goblins are to humans? Pay attention!

That doesn't sound like a moral quandary or philosphical challenge - that sounds like a declaration of being higher up the food chain.

Furthermore there are plenty more besides mindless slaughter. Adult age is 15 = medieval standard. Armour and helmet defeat sword and dagger but lose to pick; live-action movies based on history miss that. And there are more details, but people seem to be so much in shock & awe about rape and slaughter that they miss it. And when Goblin Slayer fights, he don't fight (nor slaughter) mindlessly:Indeed, in manga he comes up with a number of tricks and stunts from poisons to dust explosion to collapsing the ceiling. Some genuine MacGyver stuff here.

I didn't say "dull, straightforward slaughter", I said "mindless", as in without question, restraint, or due consideration. When a villain is pure evil, there's no need to consider their feelings, circumstances, or positive ecological impact. Every interaction is kill/enslave or be kill/be enslaved.  It's virtually unseen in real-life, & it's boring. Proper use of melee weapons doesn't really bridge thst gap for me.

[Matti]

That doesn't sound like a moral quandary or philosphical challenge - that sounds like a declaration of being higher up the food chain.

An interesting perspective. Guild Girl sees it otherwise though.

I didn't say "dull, straightforward slaughter", I said "mindless", as in without question, restraint, or due consideration.

Yet at least manga does that too (anime isn't there yet). Goblin Lord is totally chaotic evil, but he gets a fair bit of screen time and a flashback to his past and rise from just another goblin to one who commands sizable horde and several goblin champions.

[MadCapellan]

Tell me when a goblin does something positive or sympathetic, won't you?

[Matti]

Tell me when a goblin does something positive or sympathetic, won't you?

Goblin Slayer says this as he slaughters the goblin children (manga version):

A good goblin?
There might be, if we just looked.
But I think...
...the only good goblins are the ones who never come out of their stinking holes.

Were there any good goblins (or good dragons) in old stories like Lord of the Rings and whatever came before it? That is more of recent innovation. In this regard Goblin Slayer is more... traditional?

[MadCapellan]

As for me, I think this season is looking pretty awesome so far! Most shows are still just warming up, but I've already got a full dedicated watch list!

Ep.2 of Index III literally dropped Toma into Avignon & London & a pile of the kind of warped theology I was so looking forward to! Imagine Breaker vs Papal Infallibility, eh?

The second episode of RELEASE THE SPYCE really solidified the spy action aspects of the show by making Momo earn her place on the team while still having plenty of adorable moments! Expanding on the cute action of the first episode with some well-crafted character backgrounds is rewlly cementing this as one of my favorites this season!

Finally got around to watching ImoImo/My Sister, My Writer, & although the animation quality looked really shakey, the humor was pretty on point! Hopefully they can hold it together for another 11 episodes!  :-[

[MadCapellan]

Were there any good goblins (or good dragons) in old stories like Lord of the Rings and whatever came before it? That is more of recent innovation. In this regard Goblin Slayer is more... traditional?

The true main antagonists of The Lord of the Rings were corrupted & compromised men like Saruman, not Orcs or Sauron himself. It's that nuance of character & moral tension that makes a story relatable & interesting to me. Fighting zombies or goblins is as interesting to me as someone fighting a hord of bushes or shopping carts.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Were there any good goblins (or good dragons) in old stories like Lord of the Rings and whatever came before it? That is more of recent innovation. In this regard Goblin Slayer is more... traditional?

Goblins in Lord of the Rings were nothing but a faceless horde who's only motivation in life was pillage and burn.  They had no depth and no reason to exist in the story aside from threatening hobbits and being massacred by the Fellowship.

[MadCapellan]

Matti's question appeared rhetorical, Ogre. I understood it as "This great work also had simplistic, evil goblins, so it's not a problem!", but that really fails to account for who the true narrative antagonists are in Tolkien's works. If Tolkien was only capable of producing work with single-faceted villainy I doubt he would have become the renowned figure he is now.

[Matti]

Matti's question appeared rhetorical, Ogre. I understood it as "This great work also had simplistic, evil goblins, so it's not a problem!", but that really fails to account for who the true narrative antagonists are in Tolkien's works. If Tolkien was only capable of producing work with single-faceted villainy I doubt he would have become the renowned figure he is now.

I didn't give it much of thought was I typing rhetorical or not. Anyway Goblin Slayer has more than "simplistic, evil goblins" (see goblin lord in some posts above). Even the "simplistic, evil goblins" get some character in manga chapter #4 as one fat goblin wants to join the party, but another goblin tells him who earned the right to party and puts the fatty to sentry duty. This scene got cut off from anime.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Matti's question appeared rhetorical, Ogre. I understood it as "This great work also had simplistic, evil goblins, so it's not a problem!", but that really fails to account for who the true narrative antagonists are in Tolkien's works. If Tolkien was only capable of producing work with single-faceted villainy I doubt he would have become the renowned figure he is now.

Tolkien was also writing 100 years ago, when literature had different audience expectations.

I didn't give it much of thought was I typing rhetorical or not. Anyway Goblin Slayer has more than "simplistic, evil goblins" (see goblin lord in some posts above). Even the "simplistic, evil goblins" get some character in manga chapter #4 as one fat goblin wants to join the party, but another goblin tells him who earned the right to party and puts the fatty to sentry duty. This scene got cut off from anime.

None of that really shows goblins as being something other than an always-evil race that can be killed without remorse.

[Matti]

None of that really shows goblins as being something other than an always-evil race that can be killed without remorse.

Yet some adventurers show remorse and mercy. That is how goblin lord survived long enough to become lord. As Goblin Slayer says it:

Some think they're magnanimous...
...by sparing the young.
They are fools.
*skip*
The goblin, on the other hand, learns and grows from the encounter. It is known as a "wanderer."
Wanderers often join other nests as chieftains or guards.

[iamfanboy]

Matti, not to dogpile on you here, but... well...

Take the demihumans from Overlord. Most of them subscribe to the philosophy of the strong eat the weak, and humans happen to be weakest so they get eaten the most. But when shown that humans AREN'T necessarily weak - like the ogres at Carne Village - and that they can be lived with as neighbors everyone benefits. That's one reason why the Sorcerous Kingdom is prospering in the later novels. It has a nuance to it, a reasoning behind why they do what they do.


Goblin Slayer's goblins are, for the most part, mindless beasts. No intelligence, just cunning. One step up from murderous monkeys. They kill and rape and pillage because they enjoy it, for no other reason. They exist to serve as fodder for slaughtering, with no actual moral quandaries raised by incidents like when the Slayer kills a bunch of goblin kids. Yes, part of the point is that he's become just as vicious and nasty as they are (losing his humanity and replacing it with goblinity?) but it doesn't make you question his reasons for doing so by giving any other facet or nuance to them.

When he says, "The only good goblins are the ones that don't come out of their holes," we agree with him because we haven't been SHOWN anything else which would justify an opposing view. Goblin Slayer has lazy writing because it exists solely to create brutal images of battle, slaughter, and rapine.

Compare it to another manga, Berserk, where the main antagonists - Griffith and his followers - are people who have literally sold their humanity for power. It strikes home because we can see ourselves in them, and wonder... would we do the same thing, if we had no other choice? Would we sacrifice our dearest and nearest in exchange for one wish?


And I always felt as though the main nemesis in Lord of the Rings is the Ring itself, and the corruption it represents. That's why Smeagol is so important, because he shows the effect of giving into evil - and why Faramir was so important in the books, because it shows that good men can resist evil if they see it for what it is. (man, it still pisses me off that they changed it in the movie.)

[Matti]

Goblin Slayer's goblins are, for the most part, mindless beasts. No intelligence, just cunning. One step up from murderous monkeys. They kill and rape and pillage because they enjoy it, for no other reason. They exist to serve as fodder for slaughtering, with no actual moral quandaries raised by incidents like when the Slayer kills a bunch of goblin kids. Yes, part of the point is that he's become just as vicious and nasty as they are (losing his humanity and replacing it with goblinity?) but it doesn't make you question his reasons for doing so by giving any other facet or nuance to them.

Well, yeah. There's a reason why Goblin Slayer is compared to Doom & Doomguy ::)

[MadCapellan]

Yet some adventurers show remorse and mercy.

"Some adventurers show them mercy" =/= they were portrayed as being worthy of mercy. It's an exhortation dismissive of mankind's compassion, akin to "Stupid nice people, don't you know all goblins are bad!?" That's not really a sentiment I can say we really need more of in this world...

[Istal_Devalis]

Well, yeah. There's a reason why Goblin Slayer is compared to Doom & Doomguy ::)

...considering that a major complain about Goblin Slayer is that it's fairly shallow once you get rid of the edgelord stuff, bringing up Doom probably isnt helping your case.

[Istal_Devalis]

I watched the first episode, but the real mid-90's Gainax style directing really turned me off. I assume it continues in that fashion?

Hard to say? There's definitely Gainax elements in there, but...it's not quite as brooding? I personally disliked Evangelion but like this so far, so take that as you will?

[Maingunnery]

Goblin Slayer's goblins are, for the most part, mindless beasts. No intelligence, just cunning. One step up from murderous monkeys. They kill and rape and pillage because they enjoy it, for no other reason.

Yes, Goblins do awful things with their food.

[iamfanboy]

...considering that a major complain about Goblin Slayer is that it's fairly shallow once you get rid of the edgelord stuff, bringing up Doom probably isnt helping your case.

EDGELORD. That's exactly the word I was looking for, or possibly gratuitous. "Gritty and dark fantasy" only gets you to a certain point, after that you have to have something a little bit bigger.

That's why I brought up Berserk specifically. Oh, it's definitely on that "dark and gritty fantasy" scale, but it has something else underlying it, a genuine epic tale of friendship, betrayal, and sacrifice. Or Attack on Titan, which is also in that area, but has the mystery of the Titans drawing you on to read more. Or Gate, which has the odd juxtaposition of modern military and fantasy to give interesting interactions (like at the PX).

What does Goblin Slayer have? He... doesn't take off his helmet to eat and all he wants to do is kill goblins because they killed his family. There's the thing about gods and possibly being in an RPG world, but it's offscreen and treated as completely incidental to the actual story (unlike, say, Danmachi).

[kato]

So, barring any upsets, looks like I have my watch schedule done.

Same, except it has some extra stuff. ;)

Hinomaru Sumo (CR) - AOTS for me. Sports anime with a distinct early 90s vibe to it, and i like how ep 1 actually wrapped up its story entirely - which is something i didn't expect at all. Still with the setup so far, which makes for a nice slow intro. Theoretically possible long-runner too, there's 20 volumes of manga out there...
The Girl in Twilight (Akane Sasu Shoujo) (Hidive) - Animax 20th Anniversary Title. Somewhat innovative in mixing Yuuki Yuuna with what's really a full copy of the Sliders multiverse, although i think some of it went over my head (why did that one girl merge and the other didn't?).
SAO: Alicization (CR) - Probably gonna drop if the next ep is as boring. Only reason it's not dropped already is the last three minutes, because, i mean, the rest... seriously, that was boring even for SAO.

Also doing SSSS.Gridman and Zombieland Saga, as well as Bunny Girl and Slime. Not that much to say there so far. Slime surprises by fully adapting a certain scene from the manga in its full red color in the last episode.

If you have Amazon Prime and are into slow slice-of-life-type stuff with minor drama Iroduku might be worth a shot this season btw. Just saying.

Edit, PS: Forgot Bloom Into You (Yagate kimi ni naru) (Hidive). Yay for characters that actually say what they want by episode 2 already.

[MadCapellan]

The Girl in Twilight (Akane Sasu Shoujo) (Hidive) - Animax 20th Anniversary Title. Somewhat innovative in mixing Yuuki Yuuna with what's really a full copy of the Sliders multiverse, although i think some of it went over my head (why did that one girl merge and the other didn't?).

So for their 20th anniversary, Animax wanted to make an anime that looks like it was planned 20 years ago?  ;D I kid, I kid. This one's got me confused, but I'm still hanging onto it for now. It's very much Sliders/Quantum Leap: The Anime™ so of course with high school girls, but I really worry if these girls have the personality to pull it off in an interesting way. I guess we'll see!

Edit, PS: Forgot Bloom Into You (Yagate kimi ni naru) (Hidive). Yay for characters that actually say what they want by episode 2 already.

YES! This is some top tier yuri thus far! I really enjoy how they were both like "We, could beat around the bush with this for another twenty episo- Screw it! I think I like you, wanna date?"  :smitten:

[Dies Irae]

Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san
It's a show from the perspective of a long suffering anonymous Japanese retail clerk working the book trade.

I run a retail business. This show is my spirit animal.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I'm watching the 3rd (really the actual 2nd, since what was labeled season 2 was just an interlude) season of Seven Deadly Sins.

You know, I didn't enjoy the mad groper character when I saw the first season, but by now I think they really need to stop with them.

[Daemion]

Were there any good goblins (or good dragons) in old stories like Lord of the Rings and whatever came before it? That is more of recent innovation. In this regard Goblin Slayer is more... traditional?

Considering the age of the Lord of the Rings, it's hard to say, but I remember reading a children's story growing up in the nineties that had goblins working much like old fairy tale elves did, helping out people in a tight spot when they slept.

I'm wondering if that notion didn't have an origin in something older.

[Daemion]

I'm excited that they have new episodes for 7 Deadly Sins on Netflix. I think. Didn't get a chance to really check, as I was ceding the TV to someone else while I work on writing.

[Matti]

What does Goblin Slayer have? He... doesn't take off his helmet to eat and all he wants to do is kill goblins because they killed his family.

Goblin Slayer as a character may be as interesting as Judge Dredd at best or Doomguy at worst. But he isn't overpowered killing machine like Guts nor does he have some game-like skills & statistics. He is just badass normal with imagination for weapon. Also look at the side characters. They have some decent character on them. And Goblin Slayer also gets some character development and growth. Less so in anime because of cuts :(

[Ruger]

Goblin Slayer as a character may be as interesting as Judge Dredd at best or Doomguy at worst. But he isn't overpowered killing machine like Guts nor does he have some game-like skills & statistics. He is just badass normal with imagination for weapon. Also look at the side characters. They have some decent character on them. And Goblin Slayer also gets some character development and growth. Less so in anime because of cuts :(

Just watched the first episode of Goblin Slayer...and I have to wonder about the complaints on the goblins...how many gaming sessions have anything other than goblins portrayed as they are here, if not less of a threat because they are less cunning than as shown here? (Ref: Pathfinder Goblins for the most part)...it's been a staple of rog's for years, and that is what this series appears to be at its heart...an rpg set to screen or images in a manga...

Oh, and I like Judge Dredd and did not care for Guts or most of the Berserk series (was bored by it)...as to (several) someone's comment about how good Attack on Titan is...I've never understood that...I was disgusted by that series almost from the get-go...

Ruger