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

[MadCapellan]

Now w/all-inclusive thread title!

We're creeping up on the end of Spring season now:

Started watching SAO Alternative because of Studio 3Hz & because everyone assured me it wasn't SAO, but it still kind of is. I'll probably at least finish the cour though, since I'm 2/3rds there & I want to see the girl w/grenade launchers in action.

Hinamatsuri's definitely still top of the season. Not sure how much they can accomplish introducing Mao this late in the season, but with the back & forth between the hilarious & heartbreaking gut punches  there's no way I'm getting off this emotional rollercoaster until the end!

Wotakoi & Comic Girls are rounding out my No.2 & No.3. Just good, solid character writing & comedic timing in both.

Loving Invisible Victory thus far, but I'm beginning to worry they'll run out of time to conclude the story at the pace they're going - can Sousuke really sew it all up in 5 episodes?

Darling In The FranXX on the other hand is just kind of underwhelmingly data-dumping its less than inspiring humanist plotline. I had kind of hoped A-1 would bring a bit more gravitas to this project, but the plot is pure Trigger & the straight-laced presentation is not doing it any favors. Stick to the outlandish, guys. It's your one big strength!

[Top Sergeant]

I'm still following Darling in the FranXX, Galactic Heroes, Golden Kamuy, Gun Gale, Hinamatsuri and Gancrest Senki.

[pheonixstorm]

I'm impatiently waiting for mid July. Got a bit bored with this season and the waiting for some of the shows I watch. Ended up binge watcing KONOSUBA, Gate, Snow White with the Red Hair, The World Is Still Beautiful, and Maoyu.

[MadCapellan]

What are you looking forward to next season PhoenixStorm? This summer is looking like one of the most boring anime seasons in years to me at the moment. What's good?  ;)

[pheonixstorm]

Next season of Overlord.

Rumor has it that filler from the next few books will be cut to cover 7-10. Really want to see how they do the big battle on the plains (v7 or 8?) and the tomb exploration from beginning of v7. Don't follow the news much so don't really know what else is coming out.

[Dies Irae]

I'm following this list:
Hisone to Masotan (Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan)
Piano no Mori (The Forest Piano: The Perfect World of Kai)
Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academia)
Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii (WotaKoi: Love is Hard for Otaku)
Darling in the FranXX
Juushinki Pandora (Unit Pandora)
Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Die Neue These (The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: The New Thesis)
Uchuu Senkan Tiramisù (Space Battleship Tiramisu)

Hisone to Masotan is shaping up quietly to be the sleeper hit of the season for me. It's a robustly written coming-of-age story with just enough absurdist elements (in the form of transforming dragon aircraft), a likable cast and a surprisingly realistic, if sleepy military setting that scratches an itch I've been struggling with for a while.

Piano no Mori has off-putting CGI sequences with a slight uncanny valley effect whenever someone touches the piano, but the score is soul-crushingly beautiful. I hear a lot of complaints from fans of the manga that they're rushing it, but given the heroic attempt to transpose 241 chapters into 24 episodes, I can't blame them. It's a story focusing on two friends, Kai Ichinose -  a rough and tumble kid from a red light district who happens to be a piano prodigy, and Shuuhei Amamiya - a technically excellent pianist saddled with the burden of carrying on the family music tradition, and the one sided rivalry that slowly develops as one finds himself threatened by the other's meteoric rise.

Juushinki Pandora has the ingredients to be an excellent mecha show and has an interesting setting underpinning, but it's been content to wallow at the kids end of the pool and shows no interest in kicking off. As a two cour show carrying into next season, I'm not sure if I have the patience to stick with it much longer.

Uchuu Senkan Tiramisù is a 7 minute episodic shitpost about a socially maladjusted hikkomori openly masquerading as a mecha show. It surprisingly has a deeper underlying plot, which it actively derails to focus on the protagonist's hijinks, playing genre tropes fast and furious to comedic effect. The 7 minute episode run time keeps the jokes punchy and even if it occasionally wanders into cringe territory, the format keeps it from overstaying its welcome. It's highly recommended. Also, without further context, this is probably the first (and only time) a drifting zero-g pubic hair is best supporting character.

[pheonixstorm]

So decide to look into the summer season and found a few I might give a whirl

FLCL Progressive - Looks goofy but might make for a good watch. Will give it an easy 3 episodes to pull me in.
Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu - Story sounds interesting and for the most part I usually like this genre.
High Score Girl - Looks like it might be a cute little comedy.
Tenrou: Sirius the Jaeger - Vampires and Werewolves oh my! Might be interesting, worth a look I guess.
Sunoharasou no Kanrinin-san - Slice of life and comedy. Another genre I enjoy. Will try it out.

There are a few others I might check out the first episode for such as Island.

[VhenRa]

Loving Invisible Victory thus far, but I'm beginning to worry they'll run out of time to conclude the story at the pace they're going - can Sousuke really sew it all up in 5 episodes?

Current rate... I think they are gonna need another cour.

They are almost done with Novel 8 (Burning One Man Force), they went through Novel 7 (Continuing On My Own) in 4 episodes, looks like they will be done with 8 after the next episode. Episode 9-12 will probably cover Novel 9 (Come Make My Day) and there is 3 more novels.

The OP for the show covers events from Novels 7-9.

[Wrangler]

I have been trying desperately keep up with new releases. Here my aspiration of stuff i want see.

However, I'm trying keep watching

• Darling in the Fraxx
• Space Battleship Yamato 2202
• Beatless
• Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory
• Legends of Galactic Heroes
• Gundam Build Divers
• Hoozuki no Reitetsu

Future Shows i'm going watch in Summer

• Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu - Comedy -This Isekai show, based on manga I've been reading of guy who summoned as his character to a fantasy world by two girls who were to enslave him, but he turns out his game persona is wee bit too powerful for them.
• Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san - Another Comedy, more sitcom type. Of a homeless Shaman teenager who get's stay at a "haunted" resort, where he's expected to remove a ghost keeping people away.  The situation turns out not what it seems.  Manga is good, WAY too fan-service for anime on regular broadcast. I wonder if it's going get tonned down enough without losing it's original audience.  It was very good manga if you ignored the fan-service.
• Shichisei no Subaru - Adventure / Game type.
• Hyakuren no Haou to Seiyaku no Valkyria - Fantasy / Harem - Looks like another comedy/fantasy sort thing. I tend to be sucker for these, i hope it's better written than some others i've seen as of late.
• FLCL Progressive - OMG it's coming! I hope it's good. Reboots hard to handle if they've been gone as long this one. I'm not fan of Cartoon Network backed things since they've had questionable results.
• Grand Blue - College / Comedy / Slice of Life - lol this is hilarious in the manga form. This is on Animal House type mentality, with nudity but not fan-service way. I honestly don't know how they'll do this anime style without losing some of the more mature humor that's in this.

Couple i've left out, is Zoid Wild. I'm heavily concern this is going be not good continuation of the franchise. I didn't like character designs, and throw back to older version zoids when their impossibly mineral-base lifeforms who don't mind being used as riding-Mecha in a pokemon sort way. Banana Fish - Looks to of making of a good crime drama, but i'm not really into that stuff. Its similar in mentality like Gangster, but i can't say i've seen more than write up about it. Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi - I may check this out, but i'm not dedicating to it. This is about a Demon (more a supernatural person) who wants pays off his family debt and ends up working Bed & Breakfast. I think it's comedy as well as supernatural sort of thing.

[HobbesHurlbut]

Just started season three.

Well, that escalated quickly.

  Did you watch The Quest for the Six Dofus Eliatropes first? Because it set things up for Season 3

[MadCapellan]

Current rate... I think they are gonna need another cour.....

The OP for the show covers events from Novels 7-9.

Man, I really hope they get one then!  :-\

[Maingunnery]

My current watch list:

Hisone to Masotan
Darling in the FranXX
Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory
Legend of the Galactic Heroes - Die Neue These
Sword Art Online Alternative - Gun Gale Online

[HobbesHurlbut]

*chuckles* I found the Wakfu MMORPG trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRWDgzmyJWk
Hmm I would like to see video shorts of those four characters.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

  Did you watch The Quest for the Six Dofus Eliatropes first? Because it set things up for Season 3

No.  Is that available on Netflix?

[Matti]

Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu - Comedy -This Isekai show, based on manga I've been reading of guy who summoned as his character to a fantasy world by two girls who were to enslave him, but he turns out his game persona is wee bit too powerful for them.

Is that How to not summon demon lord (or something like that)? I've read manga a bit, but I lost interest. I find How to build a dungeon: Book of a demon king much more interesting. When is next translated volume due... end of August. That long... :(

[iamfanboy]

Man, I really hope they get one then!  :-\

Well, nine ends on a... reasonably not unhappy note? Something of an invisible victory? And 10-12 all tell a self-contained story, so having it as its own cour would make sense. As long as they don't take another what, THIRTEEN YEARS to do it?

At this rate, maybe we'll get the Intrigues of Suzumiya Haruhi in 2021. Still MY favorite story from that series.


So I decided to start Overlord, binged it with my wife, and my only complaint is this:

Two loli vampires.

I like lolis, and I enjoy the 'immortal loli' archetype, but dammit no story needs two of them.

[pheonixstorm]

Yeah, at least the second loli vamp isn't around that often. The one thing I did like about her is the age of the character and that she has a real history to her.

[HobbesHurlbut]

No.  Is that available on Netflix?

Wakfu: The Quest for the Six Eliatrope Dofus
And yes it is available. It set up Season 3.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

So what's the timeline for Wakfu, anyway?

Season 1 took about a year to complete, and there seems to be a jump of several months to Season 2.  Then Season 3 seems to be something like 10-12 years later, based on the apparent age of the children.

[Wrangler]

Is that How to not summon demon lord (or something like that)? I've read manga a bit, but I lost interest. I find How to build a dungeon: Book of a demon king much more interesting. When is next translated volume due... end of August. That long... :(

After relooking it up, How to not summon demon lord is what's being called now for western audiences.

I admit that the it's properly going be maybe a hair better than In Another World with a Smart Phone.

[Top Sergeant]

I see that the anime adaption for Goblin Slayer will be out in the Fall season.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

After relooking it up, How to not summon demon lord is what's being called now for western audiences.

I admit that the it's properly going be maybe a hair better than In Another World with a Smart Phone.

How good/bad was In Another World With a Smart Phone?

[MadCapellan]

How good/bad was In Another World With a Smart Phone?

Absolutely awful. The wish fulfillment anime I expect every isekai to be, but this time I wasn't pleasantly surprised. I watched it all the way through just to be polite to Eiji Usatsuka, but it was the worst kind of shallow wish-fulfillment - harem route, all the powers, knows all the spoilers because cell phone, the whole nine yards.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Glad I didn't bother with it, then.

I'm finding that I can't go wrong if choose to avoid isekai, especially if harems are involved.  The Ambition of Oda Nobuna and Outbreak Company being the only two exceptions.

[HobbesHurlbut]

So what's the timeline for Wakfu, anyway?

Season 1 took about a year to complete, and there seems to be a jump of several months to Season 2.  Then Season 3 seems to be something like 10-12 years later, based on the apparent age of the children.

https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=58103.msg1416442#msg1416442

[MadCapellan]

I'm finding that I can't go wrong if choose to avoid isekai, especially if harems are involved.  The Ambition of Oda Nobuna and Outbreak Company being the only two exceptions.

That's because we're on the trailing edge of the isekai trend now, so it's nearly all derivative crap. Stuff from the 90's & aughts like Rayearth, El Hazard, Escaflowne & Zero no Tsukaima are some of my favorite anime of all time, but I think Re:Zero was the last great isekai anime. Maybe Konosuba, although that's a full-costume parody, really.

The same thing happens to most trends in anime.  There are a few experimental works with the concept that are really good but perhaps go largely unnoticed, followed by a single massive hit, then dozens of blatant imitators. In the end, you'll have a smattering of shows following a paint-by-numbers formula know one even recalls why became the formula in the first place. When it happened with tsunderes, it was awful. I really love tsundere heroines, but if try to write them as just some whiny check-box, you get all of the irritation and 0 charm.

[iamfanboy]

That's because we're on the trailing edge of the isekai trend now, so it's nearly all derivative crap. Stuff from the 90's & aughts like Rayearth, El Hazard, Escaflowne & Zero no Tsukaima are some of my favorite anime of all time, but I think Re:Zero was the last great isekai anime. Maybe Konosuba, although that's a full-costume parody, really.

The same thing happens to most trends in anime.  There are a few experimental works with the concept that are really good but perhaps go largely unnoticed, followed by a single massive hit, then dozens of blatant imitators. In the end, you'll have a smattering of shows following a paint-by-numbers formula know one even recalls why became the formula in the first place. When it happened with tsunderes, it was awful. I really love tsundere heroines, but if try to write them as just some whiny check-box, you get all of the irritation and 0 charm.

Or Rei Ayanami. Good gods, the clones...

But, and let's be honest here, Zero no Tsukaima isn't any better or worse than any of the isekai anime that followed it; it's exactly the same and if it had been released sometime in the last five years would be derided as formulaic and boring. Just because it came up with the formula doesn't mean it has any less of the formula in it - especially because it didn't, as Escaflowne and El-Hazard predate it by some years, and ZnT leans heavily into harem, OP MC, and tropetastic girl formulae as well.

******, El-Hazard. Still one of my favorites. 


A tsundere that I'm liking almost against my will is Emilia, the heroine from Devil is a Part-Timer (hey, does it count as isekai if the characters are from another world coming to ours)? I mean, her prickliness makes SENSE - she's supposed to kill the titular character and doesn't WANT to see anything that would make her job more difficult.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

And she's never explicitly a love-interest for Sedou.

[kato]

That's because we're on the trailing edge of the isekai trend now, so it's nearly all derivative crap.

There's some good isekai manga still around, though most of these are either not ... mainstream enough for adaption (e.g. Kumo desu ga nani ka) or aren't evolved enough (e.g. Boku no Heya ga Dungeon no Kyuukeijo) to still catch the trend wave.

Slime, coming in ... autumn i think, should still be good.

Is that How to not summon demon lord (or something like that)? I've read manga a bit, but I lost interest.

In my opinion it got boring the moment they got off the tower.

[pheonixstorm]

For Smartphone the anime wasn't bad. Yeah OP MC, harem... but the fun doesn't really begin until after that season ends. It might have been better if they continued another 12 or 13 episodes to get to the better parts of the LN. It is by far not the best, but it can be a decent diversion. As for Zero I enjoyed all of it. Far more than Smartphone or Deathmarch. For now I will be happy to keep watching Overlord and hoping someone ponies up for another season of Log Horizon. Besides, if you really think about it everything has taken from everything else. There isn't much you can do that will be entirely original.