Manga/Anime

[Jetthebinturong]

Death Note is so great.

I'm currently on episode seven of Hellsing Ultimate and have been for many months. I really need to get back to it at some point so I can watch everything else on my list.

THERE IS TOO MUCH ANIME ON MY LIST!

[Banya]

Death Note is still my favourite of all.  You were the one to recommend Code Geass to me, Jet, and it's fantastic.  It may bump another show out of my top 5.

[Kitsune]

THERE IS TOO MUCH ANIME ON MY LIST!

^^^^^^^

[Banya]

I highly recommend Hotarubi no Mori e, a short (45-minute) anime movie.  I just watched it and absolutely loved it.  It's a simple but beautiful story that will likely stick with me for a long time.

[Kitsune]

Hmm, I will look into it. I have actually started watching Avatar: the Last Airbender. I consider it to be an anime, although I know some do not.

[Banya]

Most people, I think, consider it an anime, just an American one.  I hope you enjoy it!
I'm currently watching Tokyo Ghoul, and I really like it.  It provokes some interesting thoughts on the right to live and defining evil.  I tend to like best stories that explore themes like this.

Another great anime film is Wolf Children.  Maybe you've heard of it; it's well-known, and I heard nothing but good things about it before seeing it for myself.  It's a wonderful story.

[Groddil]

*revive*

Wolf children was awesome. Some more ideas for Pluggzy:

Trigun
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzamia (probably spelt wrong)
Axis Powers: Hetalia

[Jetthebinturong]

Okay Hellsing Ultimate is crazy. Great but crazy.

Here's the plot: An army of Nazi vampires plans to invade England. The main character is Alucard, the most powerful vampire there ever was.

BE WARNED! There is some messed up stuff in this show. It is INCREDIBLY gory. The backstory of both of our main characters (Alucard and his fledgling Seras Victoria) is disgusting and includes sexual assault in some form.

Also one of the main villains is a Catholic Archbishop who leads an army of Papal Knights then gets drunk on his own power.

There's also a 'good' Catholic if that helps. (Good in that he's one of the protagonists, that is. NONE of the characters are in any way morally good.) Alexander Anderson of the Iscariot Organisation. You probably understand the significance of that name.

One more episode to go; I'm excited to see how this all ends.

[Banya]

Big info dump:

Angel Beats! is a wonderful show!  I loved it!  It's about teens who are sent to a limbo-like afterlife that's meant to help them resolve any lingering emotions and unfinished goals they carry with them from their lives; those emotions have prevented them from moving on to whatever is beyond this afterlife.  Instead of resolving their problems, they create a battlefront and fight against the closure they're supposed to reach, refusing to accept the unfair lives they lived.  Naturally, it's got a lot of feels, because not only is every character already dead and you get to know a little about their unfair lives before death, but everything that happens in the afterlife is moving as well.  That said, it's absolutely hilarious, too.  It's best summed up like this: At first, I was crying with laughter; then, I was just crying.  For those who care, while the characters believe in God, and their goal is to defy Him, there is no role for the divine in the show, and the characters and the show don't attack, insult, or offend any religion.
The first volume of the manga, Angel Beats!: Heaven's Door comes out Tuesday, and I've already got it pre-ordered and on its way.  It follows events that happened many years prior to the events in the anime.

I also recently watched Deadman Wonderland, which was interesting.  It's too bad there won't be a second season.  I wouldn't recommend this show to those who feel faint about blood.  Not only is there a lot of bloodshed, but the weapons the characters use are made of their blood.  I think it's interesting, but roommate felt really faint when I showed her an image of a character wielding blood blades that he cut from his arms.

[Banya]

Updates...

In regards to a former post, forget Tokyo Ghoul the anime. The manga is where it's at. The story is incredible; it's a real shame that so much of the story was changed, left out, and toned down to make the anime. The second series of the manga, :re, is amazing. I'm always looking forward to a new chapter being translated each week.

Deadman Wonderland is also an amazing manga, with the bonus of an anime that closely follows the story (though leaving out many interesting, important characters). It's no wonder it's got such a die-hard fan community.

In other anime news, I'm just getting into Naruto. It's a huge but enjoyable commitment. I didn't really get "into it" until the episodes were in the 40s, but now I have to limit myself on how many episodes I watch at a time. It's no wonder it's so popular; it's that good. Its themes are what I like most about it. Naruto believes that people are free to make their own choices; no one is resigned to a destiny set for them. He also argues that people who fight to protect someone else can never be considered weak. It's really an inspiring show.

Baccano! was as entertaining as it was confusing. It wasn't until the last episode that I thought, "Oh, things are making sense." Narita's famous for that in his works, and he does it well. The first novel, The Rolling Bootlegs, which was published years ago in Japan, was just released in English last week.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. Bonus points for the blooper reel on YouTube. It's got a great cast of characters and many stand-up-and-cheer moments. My one complaint with it probably won't be shared by many, but that's that all 64 episodes occur in one plot. There are several story arcs that tie together, but they are all a part of one greater plot. It's a great storyline, but its length makes it really easy to forget key events and even many characters, unless you somehow manage to binge it in less than a week. Watching episode 49 reference something in episode 8 (for example) made me have to pause the show and review things.

Black Lagoon is rated for mature audiences and that should be taken to heart. It's not that the main character's obscene language will damage the viewer, it's combining the language, violence, and other elements of R-rated TV. I did like it, especially the shoot-out scenes, but I wasn't so hung on the plot that I'm anxious to start the second season. The plot can be summarized thusly: It's a show about guns and explosives.

Blood-C is the absolute limit to gore that I can handle (I don't have a high tolerance for gore). I guess you should expect some violence in a show with "blood" in the title, but I wasn't expecting that. However, violence aside, the plot was a lot better than I imagined. As in, there is a plot, and it's good. The short series is followed by a movie, The Last Dark (still not sure what that means). Also good. I wasn't expecting to like this series; I only watched it on a recommendation from a fellow action-loving friend, and I really liked it.

Finally, I just finished No. 6 tonight. I was expecting a futuristic, sci-fi story somewhat like a more youthful version of Psycho-Pass in which the protagonists uncover and right the flaws in their heavily-government-regulated society. I got that, but even more than that, I got BL. And it was great. Usually when two male protagonists work together toward a goal, mold each others' hearts, face conflict together, and show how much they mean to each other in conflict, the BL exists solely within the fandom. In this case, it's canon, and it's wonderful. The plot surrounding their society was pretty good, but the development of their relationship was better. Nothing obscene or inappropriate occurs; they ways the two main characters changed each others' hearts, saved each others' lives several times over, and influenced each others' personalities since their first encounter as children made a great story. I'm still reeling.

[Perifaen]

No. 6 was so cute. I kind of wish it was longer.

[Rainshadow]

  Anyone else here watch Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academy)?  It's an anime about a kid who lives in a world that's eighty percent superheroes, and most kids are born with a Quirk (a superpower, basically), so pretty much all kids want to grow up to be a superhero.  The protagonist, Izuku, is no exception to this, but there's one problem: he was born without a Quirk.  This means that pretty much everyone looks down on him and tries to keep him from becoming a superhero.

  I've only seen a few episodes of it, but it's already quickly becoming one of my favourite anime.  I mean, look at the main character!



  Izuku is so adorable. 

  Or there's also All Might, who's the most fantastic superhero ever. 



  So, yeah, Boku no Hero Academia.  S'a good anime.  I like it.

[Hickory]

I one of my friends left for a convention today. She's cosplaying as Light, whoever that is.

I needs a reason to post!

[Jetthebinturong]

She probably means this guy:

[Hickory]

Yeah, him.

She also met the voice actor who voices Tamaki, she said that he signed her jacket.