[LinearPhilosopher]

@mark abott, you like gaming anime right? DId you end up watching the chinese anime that came out last cour, king's avatar?

[Maark Abbott]

D, on 31 August 2017 - 01:55 PM, said:

Maark Abbott, on 31 August 2017 - 07:46 AM, said:

See my photo a few pages up, there's a manga shop just around from where I work (!!!) which also happens to stock a metric fuckton of SF/F and anime as well. ^^;;

Tonally, it's much the same, issue one has a LOT of infodumps though and I'm gonna ST these for Silly who will be called Silly until GG is watched.

Spoiler

It actually starts with the original three girls. Miki appears at the end because they decide about 3/4 of the way through that they need to go to the mall for food. Miki is introduced after the balloons / pigeon fly out, she sees them drifting past her room's window. The fact that Megu-nee is a hallucination is already revealed, as is how she died (Yuki's flashbacks are very, VERY realistically handled, from experience). There's a lot said in the looks between Yuu and Kurumi when Yuki starts talking to Megumi (and there are a few times where they just show Yuki talking to an empty space or room). They do the Test of Courage in issue one, and there is a very notable art shift when Yuki sees the zombie in the library - her eyes go from full and darkish to absolutely ghostly (and not as in round Os, more along the lines of her irises lose all colour). It's very strong, even if it infodumps a little bit.

Veeeery interesting. I'm surprised they switched things around to that extent. I think I like the anime ordering better, by the sounds of it, but it probably doesn't make that much difference either way.

Spoiler

Really glad they did the twist with Megumi, though. Having her be known as a hallu from the start isn't nearly as cool.

So if there's no Miki at the start, does the manga even do the first-episode twist with Yuki at all? Or is it just up-front about the zombies right away?

Spoiler

They do the twist, yeah. But to be honest the anime is basically issues 1-4; issue 3 has Taromaru (bit character in the manga to show animals get infected too), issue 4 starts with Kurumi bitten and fuck me sideways, Bakker has been outdone in grimness. Also, without wanting tto give too much away, issue 4 ends with a their note being found... But by HUNK.[

read it right goddamn now I ssay. It's so damn good. Flows a bit weird bbut that adds to the drama.

Also I haven't seen that. Any good?

[LinearPhilosopher]

Maark Abbott, on 31 August 2017 - 05:42 PM, said:

D, on 31 August 2017 - 01:55 PM, said:

Maark Abbott, on 31 August 2017 - 07:46 AM, said:

See my photo a few pages up, there's a manga shop just around from where I work (!!!) which also happens to stock a metric fuckton of SF/F and anime as well. ^^;;

Tonally, it's much the same, issue one has a LOT of infodumps though and I'm gonna ST these for Silly who will be called Silly until GG is watched.

Spoiler

It actually starts with the original three girls. Miki appears at the end because they decide about 3/4 of the way through that they need to go to the mall for food. Miki is introduced after the balloons / pigeon fly out, she sees them drifting past her room's window. The fact that Megu-nee is a hallucination is already revealed, as is how she died (Yuki's flashbacks are very, VERY realistically handled, from experience). There's a lot said in the looks between Yuu and Kurumi when Yuki starts talking to Megumi (and there are a few times where they just show Yuki talking to an empty space or room). They do the Test of Courage in issue one, and there is a very notable art shift when Yuki sees the zombie in the library - her eyes go from full and darkish to absolutely ghostly (and not as in round Os, more along the lines of her irises lose all colour). It's very strong, even if it infodumps a little bit.

Veeeery interesting. I'm surprised they switched things around to that extent. I think I like the anime ordering better, by the sounds of it, but it probably doesn't make that much difference either way.

Spoiler

Really glad they did the twist with Megumi, though. Having her be known as a hallu from the start isn't nearly as cool.

So if there's no Miki at the start, does the manga even do the first-episode twist with Yuki at all? Or is it just up-front about the zombies right away?

Spoiler

They do the twist, yeah. But to be honest the anime is basically issues 1-4; issue 3 has Taromaru (bit character in the manga to show animals get infected too), issue 4 starts with Kurumi bitten and fuck me sideways, Bakker has been outdone in grimness. Also, without wanting tto give too much away, issue 4 ends with a their note being found... But by HUNK.[

read it right goddamn now I ssay. It's so damn good. Flows a bit weird bbut that adds to the drama.

Also I haven't seen that. Any good?

i enjoyed it

[D'rek]

I enjoyed it (King's Avatar), too. It definitely has some weird directing choices where the story seemingly skips over some things, and the main character is suuuch an overpowered Gary Stu, but it was fun and the Chinese voice acting is an interesting bit of novelty. Surprising how good it looks at times, too.

[LinearPhilosopher]

D, on 01 September 2017 - 03:30 AM, said:

I enjoyed it (King's Avatar), too. It definitely has some weird directing choices where the story seemingly skips over some things, and the main character is suuuch an overpowered Gary Stu, but it was fun and the Chinese voice acting is an interesting bit of novelty. Surprising how good it looks at times, too.

He's a bit of a gary stu. Admittedly most of the show is him just rekking pugs which the best pro player should be able to do to.

Its more the fact he has godlike mechanics and god tier shot calling. The best mechanical players usually aren't the best shotcallers.

[Maark Abbott]

I'll have a lookie into it at some stage then.

Magus Bride OVER #3 is due to drop next week on CR; of all the stuff I know is coming up, I'm looking forward to this one the most because it has the potential to be uplifting, tragic, beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time. A bit like Malazan.

[rhulad]

Is there any new anime worth watching this season or from the last couple of seasons? I haven't watched anything new for a few years and am really out of the loop.

[D'rek]

Last couple seasons / last few years are really different, you know! Good thing I was bored and needed a distraction!

rhulad, on 01 September 2017 - 04:29 PM, said:

Is there any new anime worth watching this season or from the last couple of seasons?

Last couple of seasons:

Princess Principal (Steampunk spy-girls)
King's Avatar / Quanzhi Gaoshou (Chinese SAO)
Scum's Wish / Kuzu no Honkai (fucked up romances)
Little Witch Academia (fun little Harry Potter-esque kid show)
Tanya the Evil / Youjo Senki (alt-dimension WW2 with sarcastic loli-Hitler)
Urara Meirochou (really good fantasy slice of life)
The Great Passage / Fune wo Amu (adult drama)
Kado The Right Answer / Seikaisuru Kado (so bad it's so so good)
Sakura Quest (not quite Shirobako)
Dragon Ball became pretty fun again
KonoSuba season 2
My Hero Academia season 2
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (well-reviewed comedy series; I haven't seen it though)
Gabriel DropOut (likewise)

rhulad, on 01 September 2017 - 04:29 PM, said:

I haven't watched anything new for a few years and am really out of the loop.

Here's pretty much all the "big deal" anime from the last couple years (though being a "big deal" doesn't necessarily mean it's good):


Attack on Titan season 2 (finally!)
My Hero Academia (superheroes-in-training action series)
Blood Blockade Battlefront (bizarre action series set in a New York that has all sorts of aliens, Cthulhu monsters, and more)
Ghost in the Shell: Arise (new adaptation/remake/alternate version of the Ghost in the Shell manga, aimed at new viewers who aren't already familiar with the franchise)
Food Wars (over-the-top food show that plays out a lot like a typical action series but with food. Has foodgasms.)
Charlotte (latest Jun Maeda adaptation; superpowered high-schooler drama; majority opinion is that it goes off the rails at the end)
Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist (extremely lewd censorship satire)
School-Live! (Standard "Cute Girls in a School Club Slice of Life" sort of initial premise, but executes on the premise in a new and amazing way. Also has great directing)
Haikyuu (volleyball sports anime with great writing and production)
One Punch Man (semi-satirical action/comedy series about a main character so over-powered he (depressingly) beats every opponent with only one punch)
Re:Zero (a nerdy-guy-in-fantasy show with lots of big twists and dire consequences)
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (Attack on Titan but with zombies and trains)
Bananya (kids' short about a banana-cat)
The Disastrous Life of Saiki Kusuo (comedy short about a cynical/depressed psychic high-schooler. Has like 100 episodes but is consistently funny all throughout, and apparently they're making 100 more!)
91 Days (A The Godfather-esque 1930s mafia thriller)
Mob Psycho 100 (from the same original creator as One Punch Man; semi-satirical action show with amazing animation)
Yuri on Ice (figure-skating sports/romance series that was hugely popular and lauded for (somewhat) overtly displaying a gay romance)
March Comes in Like a Lion (Shaft drama about a Shogi player)

Kizumonogatari film trilogy
Your Name (Worldwide sensation. First film to overtake the Ghibli records in 15 years. Now number one anime film of all time in numerous categories. Won a bunch of awards.)
A Silent Voice (teen drama, especially about bullying)
In This Corner of the World (WW2 drama film. Won a bunch of awards.)
Project Itoh film trilogy - Genocidal Organ, Harmony, Empire of Corpses (a big deal because of Itoh and the novels, but all three films were not reviewed all that well)

[rhulad]

Thanks D'rek, that's a long list.

[Maark Abbott]

Gabriel Dropout is great. One of my top picks for the year.

[LinearPhilosopher]

D, on 01 September 2017 - 06:00 PM, said:

Last couple seasons / last few years are really different, you know! Good thing I was bored and needed a distraction!

rhulad, on 01 September 2017 - 04:29 PM, said:

Is there any new anime worth watching this season or from the last couple of seasons?

Last couple of seasons:

Princess Principal (Steampunk spy-girls)
King's Avatar / Quanzhi Gaoshou (Chinese SAO)
Scum's Wish / Kuzu no Honkai (fucked up romances)
Little Witch Academia (fun little Harry Potter-esque kid show)
Tanya the Evil / Youjo Senki (alt-dimension WW2 with sarcastic loli-Hitler)
Urara Meirochou (really good fantasy slice of life)
The Great Passage / Fune wo Amu (adult drama)
Kado The Right Answer / Seikaisuru Kado (so bad it's so so good)
Sakura Quest (not quite Shirobako)
Dragon Ball became pretty fun again
KonoSuba season 2
My Hero Academia season 2
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (well-reviewed comedy series; I haven't seen it though)
Gabriel DropOut (likewise)

rhulad, on 01 September 2017 - 04:29 PM, said:

I haven't watched anything new for a few years and am really out of the loop.

Here's pretty much all the "big deal" anime from the last couple years (though being a "big deal" doesn't necessarily mean it's good):


Attack on Titan season 2 (finally!)
My Hero Academia (superheroes-in-training action series)
Blood Blockade Battlefront (bizarre action series set in a New York that has all sorts of aliens, Cthulhu monsters, and more)
Ghost in the Shell: Arise (new adaptation/remake/alternate version of the Ghost in the Shell manga, aimed at new viewers who aren't already familiar with the franchise)
Food Wars (over-the-top food show that plays out a lot like a typical action series but with food. Has foodgasms.)
Charlotte (latest Jun Maeda adaptation; superpowered high-schooler drama; majority opinion is that it goes off the rails at the end)
Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist (extremely lewd censorship satire)
School-Live! (Standard "Cute Girls in a School Club Slice of Life" sort of initial premise, but executes on the premise in a new and amazing way. Also has great directing)
Haikyuu (volleyball sports anime with great writing and production)
One Punch Man (semi-satirical action/comedy series about a main character so over-powered he (depressingly) beats every opponent with only one punch)
Re:Zero (a nerdy-guy-in-fantasy show with lots of big twists and dire consequences)
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (Attack on Titan but with zombies and trains)
Bananya (kids' short about a banana-cat)
The Disastrous Life of Saiki Kusuo (comedy short about a cynical/depressed psychic high-schooler. Has like 100 episodes but is consistently funny all throughout, and apparently they're making 100 more!)
91 Days (A The Godfather-esque 1930s mafia thriller)
Mob Psycho 100 (from the same original creator as One Punch Man; semi-satirical action show with amazing animation)
Yuri on Ice (figure-skating sports/romance series that was hugely popular and lauded for (somewhat) overtly displaying a gay romance)
March Comes in Like a Lion (Shaft drama about a Shogi player)

Kizumonogatari film trilogy
Your Name (Worldwide sensation. First film to overtake the Ghibli records in 15 years. Now number one anime film of all time in numerous categories. Won a bunch of awards.)
A Silent Voice (teen drama, especially about bullying)
In This Corner of the World (WW2 drama film. Won a bunch of awards.)
Project Itoh film trilogy - Genocidal Organ, Harmony, Empire of Corpses (a big deal because of Itoh and the novels, but all three films were not reviewed all that well)

So on top of being a malaz encyclopedia you're also an anime encyclopedia.

[Maark Abbott]

Also Ancient Magus Bride next season looks like a contender.

D'rek, I'm up to V4 of the GG manga and I'm gonna list some stuff that differs in various spoiler tags. Read if you want because it's nearly at e12 but not quite.

SLC

Spoiler

Taroumaru only exists to prove that all mammals can be infected and that zombies have a sort of homing instinct. He appears for about four pages, having already been bitten, and then turns. Megumi takes him away but he then comes back. It's implied that Kurumi kills him but you're never told.

E10/11/12

Spoiler

The Bite. Fuck me, you thought it was bad in the anime? The manga is a lot worse. They find the emergency manual earlier in that issue and that's how Kurumi ends up there. The actual scene is drawn fantastically, with a number of freeze frames before the bite (which is the same style as you saw in the anime). Yuu's breakdown is a little different; Miki walks in on her about to kill Kurumi (this is just after Miki gets the medicine). And Yuu wasn't going to stop due to the breakdown she was having either.

Also at this stage the rain hasn't driven the zombies inside en masse yet.

MS

Spoiler

Megumi gets a lot more backstory development in #4. She's shown the emergency manual but isn't able to read it. When she does get to it, she hides it from the Club and blames herself for what's happening. And her diary is basically a will. We also see in detail how she turns into a zombie and it's pretty heartbreaking.

Miki must have hidden the corpse because it's gone when the club goes to the basement. Kurumi finds a corpse hanging in the room where in the anime Miki gets trapped. Seems like the shelter didn't help at all.

TZP

Spoiler

Now this is where things get NOT DAIJOBOU very goddamn quickly. The evacuation manual still describes the zombies as bioweapons, but also hints that the school is owned by the Randall Corporation, as is the mall where Miki was sheltering. In addition, it reads as though there was always going to be an outbreak. It's a very Umbrella setup, and at the end of #4 their guys show up in hazmats with a 'field research' kit. And it seems like they might be tracking the club now. There are a lot of questions coming up with them...

This post has been edited by Maark Abbott: 03 September 2017 - 03:50 PM

[D'rek]

LinearPhilosopher, on 30 August 2017 - 06:10 PM, said:

Also D'rek i highly reccomend you watch Shoukoku no Altair, fantasy anime though more towards low fantasy (similar setting to legend of arslan). Pretty good so far, the main focus of the shows is less on martial prowess and more the gathering and use of intelligence.

Okay, so I watched the first 4 episodes of this. Yeah, it's definitely taking a page from Arslan Senki with the whole faux-middle-east setting, but even weirder with having the catholic empire, faux-Venice, faux-Florence and faux-Phoenicia of all things in close proximity. Seems like mostly just window dressing, as none of these countries so far seem to take all that much from their real counterparts other than the name and (maybe) clothing/architecture.

I do like the political focus and how the generic heroic "I must save my buddy!" charging off blindly is the wrong thing to do setup. But on the other hand it feels like the main character is just getting lead around by the nose without any thinking of his own, and a lot of the secondary characters are overwhelmingly stupid/obtuse - the sort where they just spout some idealism and assuredness of their victory and then won't even listen to a single sentence from anyone else.

So, mixed bag so far. Not sure yet if I will keep going or not.

LinearPhilosopher, on 03 September 2017 - 02:26 PM, said:

So on top of being a malaz encyclopedia you're also an anime encyclopedia.

Every anime fact I remember pushes out a Malaz fact. Who was that Anomander Shovel guy, again?

Maark Abbott, on 03 September 2017 - 03:50 PM, said:

Also Ancient Magus Bride next season looks like a contender.

D'rek, I'm up to V4 of the GG manga and I'm gonna list some stuff that differs in various spoiler tags. Read if you want because it's nearly at e12 but not quite.

Wow, that's a lot more different than I expected. Seems like a lot of good/interesting changes, but how can they have less cute dog?! The anime wins just for having more cute dog!

[LinearPhilosopher]

D, on 03 September 2017 - 05:59 PM, said:

LinearPhilosopher, on 30 August 2017 - 06:10 PM, said:

Also D'rek i highly reccomend you watch Shoukoku no Altair, fantasy anime though more towards low fantasy (similar setting to legend of arslan). Pretty good so far, the main focus of the shows is less on martial prowess and more the gathering and use of intelligence.

Okay, so I watched the first 4 episodes of this. Yeah, it's definitely taking a page from Arslan Senki with the whole faux-middle-east setting, but even weirder with having the catholic empire, faux-Venice, faux-Florence and faux-Phoenicia of all things in close proximity. Seems like mostly just window dressing, as none of these countries so far seem to take all that much from their real counterparts other than the name and (maybe) clothing/architecture.

I do like the political focus and how the generic heroic "I must save my buddy!" charging off blindly is the wrong thing to do setup. But on the other hand it feels like the main character is just getting lead around by the nose without any thinking of his own, and a lot of the secondary characters are overwhelmingly stupid/obtuse - the sort where they just spout some idealism and assuredness of their victory and then won't even listen to a single sentence from anyone else.

So, mixed bag so far. Not sure yet if I will keep going or not.

LinearPhilosopher, on 03 September 2017 - 02:26 PM, said:

So on top of being a malaz encyclopedia you're also an anime encyclopedia.

Every anime fact I remember pushes out a Malaz fact. Who was that Anomander Shovel guy, again?

Maark Abbott, on 03 September 2017 - 03:50 PM, said:

Also Ancient Magus Bride next season looks like a contender.

D'rek, I'm up to V4 of the GG manga and I'm gonna list some stuff that differs in various spoiler tags. Read if you want because it's nearly at e12 but not quite.

Wow, that's a lot more different than I expected. Seems like a lot of good/interesting changes, but how can they have less cute dog?! The anime wins just for having more cute dog!

@altair

If you're only 4 episodes in then you havent met any of the real cast yet as they are slowly being revealed. But part of the story is the characters overall lack of agency which steadily grows over the series. He's on the path to growing up, like arslan but taking a different route.

On the side note, i know of plenty of coming of ages animes for guys, not so much girls, anything you could reccomend?

[D'rek]

LinearPhilosopher, on 04 September 2017 - 02:04 AM, said:

D, on 03 September 2017 - 05:59 PM, said:

LinearPhilosopher, on 30 August 2017 - 06:10 PM, said:

Also D'rek i highly reccomend you watch Shoukoku no Altair, fantasy anime though more towards low fantasy (similar setting to legend of arslan). Pretty good so far, the main focus of the shows is less on martial prowess and more the gathering and use of intelligence.

Okay, so I watched the first 4 episodes of this. Yeah, it's definitely taking a page from Arslan Senki with the whole faux-middle-east setting, but even weirder with having the catholic empire, faux-Venice, faux-Florence and faux-Phoenicia of all things in close proximity. Seems like mostly just window dressing, as none of these countries so far seem to take all that much from their real counterparts other than the name and (maybe) clothing/architecture.

I do like the political focus and how the generic heroic "I must save my buddy!" charging off blindly is the wrong thing to do setup. But on the other hand it feels like the main character is just getting lead around by the nose without any thinking of his own, and a lot of the secondary characters are overwhelmingly stupid/obtuse - the sort where they just spout some idealism and assuredness of their victory and then won't even listen to a single sentence from anyone else.

So, mixed bag so far. Not sure yet if I will keep going or not.

If you're only 4 episodes in then you havent met any of the real cast yet as they are slowly being revealed. But part of the story is the characters overall lack of agency which steadily grows over the series. He's on the path to growing up, like arslan but taking a different route.

Okay, but how long is this show going to run for? I watched 2 more episodes, so now Mahmut has his one Phoenician buddy joining him.

Sure, in Arslan by episode 6 Arslan didn't have his whole squad assembled either, but we'd had a huge battle, several major deaths and world-shaking events, and the characters that hadn't yet joined his squad were getting screen-time elsewhere in the plot clashing with the antagonist. By episode 6 of Magi, Aladdin has already met the two other main characters, they've conquered a dungeon, and he's gotten mixed up in the Chinese subjugation of Mongolia, and then we're back to Morgiana approaching Balbadd.

Mahmut, after 6 episodes, has 1 guy so far with no hints of others yet, and nothing of major interest has really happened so far. The one big "event" - the rebellion in Hisar - ended pretty much as just back to the status quo minus the title change to kickstart the next bit of plot. This Phoenicia business so far is extremely shallow and Mahmut isn't taking much part in it at all, not even trying... he's just standing around watching it happen (and since the Phoenician leaders are so dumb, it is emphasized even more how little he is doing). So much for his military strategy training??? This show better be two cours long if it wants to get anywhere, and even then seeing the number of characters standing around Mahmut in the ending song and how slow he's collecting them this seems like it'll be 20 episodes of traveling and squad-building, a sudden minor climax where Mahmut finally does something, and then "go read the manga for more".

I could definitely be wrong, but that's the feeling it gives me at the moment.

LinearPhilosopher, on 04 September 2017 - 02:04 AM, said:

On the side note, i know of plenty of coming of ages animes for guys, not so much girls, anything you could reccomend?

Almost every magical girl series has some degree of coming-of-age. Other than those (I haven't actually seen all of these, though):

Kiki's Delivery Service
Hana-Saku Iroha
Princess Kaguya
Nana
Kimi ni Todoke
Kemono no Souja Erin
Kanamemo

[Maark Abbott]

D, on 03 September 2017 - 05:59 PM, said:

LinearPhilosopher, on 30 August 2017 - 06:10 PM, said:

Also D'rek i highly reccomend you watch Shoukoku no Altair, fantasy anime though more towards low fantasy (similar setting to legend of arslan). Pretty good so far, the main focus of the shows is less on martial prowess and more the gathering and use of intelligence.

Okay, so I watched the first 4 episodes of this. Yeah, it's definitely taking a page from Arslan Senki with the whole faux-middle-east setting, but even weirder with having the catholic empire, faux-Venice, faux-Florence and faux-Phoenicia of all things in close proximity. Seems like mostly just window dressing, as none of these countries so far seem to take all that much from their real counterparts other than the name and (maybe) clothing/architecture.

I do like the political focus and how the generic heroic "I must save my buddy!" charging off blindly is the wrong thing to do setup. But on the other hand it feels like the main character is just getting lead around by the nose without any thinking of his own, and a lot of the secondary characters are overwhelmingly stupid/obtuse - the sort where they just spout some idealism and assuredness of their victory and then won't even listen to a single sentence from anyone else.

So, mixed bag so far. Not sure yet if I will keep going or not.

LinearPhilosopher, on 03 September 2017 - 02:26 PM, said:

So on top of being a malaz encyclopedia you're also an anime encyclopedia.

Every anime fact I remember pushes out a Malaz fact. Who was that Anomander Shovel guy, again?

Maark Abbott, on 03 September 2017 - 03:50 PM, said:

Also Ancient Magus Bride next season looks like a contender.

D'rek, I'm up to V4 of the GG manga and I'm gonna list some stuff that differs in various spoiler tags. Read if you want because it's nearly at e12 but not quite.

Wow, that's a lot more different than I expected. Seems like a lot of good/interesting changes, but how can they have less cute dog?! The anime wins just for having more cute dog!

Spoiler

The manga is much,. much grimmer than the anime. Yuki's mental breakdowns (when she has them) go full on grey shaded and creepy as fuck, and everyone else is visibly only just holding together. So that'd really explain why Tarou only appears as a one-shot. And apparently from issue 5 onwards, IT GETS DARKER. It's a good thing I'm a slut for punishment.

This week the Mrs is off work so watching my weeklies will be a bit trickier than usual. I'll manage somehow.

[Maark Abbott]

Caught up with two today:

Knight has & Magic: Anything where Yuichi Nakamura shows up is a good thing, hey? Hazama-chan's VA lends the new antagonist some creepy weight, and we're looking at an Alderamin-style standoff between two academics who are obsessed with a particular, shared field. Lots of setup this episode but the payoff should be good in the next few.

Centaur's Worries: Well, that got unexpectedly fucking heavy. No cutesie slice-of-life this week, instead we have almost an essay on how civilization impacts on the lives of tribes (think the Amazon), and there's half of the episode which is basically the Holocaust, with one character saying 'even if we're all fundamentally the same race, humans will find something to kill one another over'. What the fuck man. Completely blindsided me because there was no warning that this was going to happen.

Didn't have time to look at PrinPrin this morning - remind me, D'rek, which episode # is next?

[D'rek]

This week was #9

[Dolmen 2.0]

Wow so I'm up to episode 9 of new game! The first season of the anime. I'm shocked to say I'm really really REALLY enjoying it. Not that I didn't think I'd like it but the synopsis Kinda clashed with Mark's high opinion of it so I was pretty unsure going in.

It's casual but well paced and developed. It's the type of slice of life anime that makes you feel like your visiting a friend. Really distinct from anything I've watched before with a female cast that although good looking are interesting for the character and characterization. It's the type of anime I can watch with my daughter when she's a bit older. Highly enjoy it, great recco mark!

What's the story with the director though...

[Maark Abbott]

Woah woah woah how did the synopsis clash? Man, that hurts my soul a bit.

The director is a little creepy at times but I think it's one of those things where it's saying 'sometimes your boss is gonna be weird as fuck'.

There are a few fanservice moments in Season 2 and they kind of jarred a little (this week's for instance) but generally they're written in so that whilst they're obviously fanservice moments, they don't really take from the story. I kind of feel like we could have gotten away without them, though.

Without spoiling anything, Dolmen, season 2 is at time a little weaker than the first, at times a bit stronger. The opening is nowhere near as good (then again Sakura Skip is perfection, though), but it introduces a lot more in the way of conflicts and obstacles for the characters to work past. And because of that, this arc has much stronger character growth.