Anime

[J. Magi she/her]

11 minutes ago, TheRavenHasLanded said:

kaguya and rising of the shield hero, sure, i love recommendations, and yes, you have permission. 

I've actually never seen either of those!

Hmm okay

-Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. It's amazing it's fantastic it's one of the best pieces of fiction in the fantasy genre. Just gonna copy paste the synopsis because I'll probably describe it weirdly: 

"Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric search for the Philsopher's Stone, hoping to restore their bodies, which were lost when they attempted to use their alchemy skills to resurrect their deceased mother. Edward, who lost only limbs, joins the State Military, which gives him the freedom to continue the search as he tries to restore his brother, whose soul is tethered to earth by a suit of armor. However, Edward and Alphonse are not the only ones seeking the powerful stone. And as they search, they learn of a plot to transmute the entire country for reasons they cannot comprehend."

(fma has 2 anime adaptations, Brotherhood and 2003. I've only seen brotherhood because you can't really stream 2003 anywhere. Brotherhood is also a much more faithful adaptation of the manga, so in general the writing is better--whereas 2003 had a completely different ending because the manga wasn't done yet when they made it)

-I also really like Frieren: Beyond Joureny's end. This one is more of a traditional fantasy, and is much slower in pacing, but the writing is fantastic.

"Taking place in a fantasy world, the story follows Frieren, an elven mage, as she embarks on a journey to reach the resting place of souls in order to reunite with her former comrade Himmel, whose Hero Party once slew the Demon King."

-Komi Can't Communicate is also really good, not a fantasy but a typical high-school slice of life thing. Generally the genre isn't my vibe but it's really well done and super funny. 

"At a high school full of unique characters, Tadano helps his shy and unsociable classmate Komi reach her goal of making friends with 100 people."

I could keep going but I'm tired 

[TheRavenHasLanded he/him]

2 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

I've actually never seen either of those!

Hmm okay

-Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. It's amazing it's fantastic it's one of the best pieces of fiction in the fantasy genre. Just gonna copy paste the synopsis because I'll probably describe it weirdly: 

"Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric search for the Philsopher's Stone, hoping to restore their bodies, which were lost when they attempted to use their alchemy skills to resurrect their deceased mother. Edward, who lost only limbs, joins the State Military, which gives him the freedom to continue the search as he tries to restore his brother, whose soul is tethered to earth by a suit of armor. However, Edward and Alphonse are not the only ones seeking the powerful stone. And as they search, they learn of a plot to transmute the entire country for reasons they cannot comprehend."

(fma has 2 anime adaptations, Brotherhood and 2003. I've only seen brotherhood because you can't really stream 2003 anywhere. Brotherhood is also a much more faithful adaptation of the manga, so in general the writing is better--whereas 2003 had a completely different ending because the manga wasn't done yet when they made it)

-I also really like Frieren: Beyond Joureny's end. This one is more of a traditional fantasy, and is much slower in pacing, but the writing is fantastic.

"Taking place in a fantasy world, the story follows Frieren, an elven mage, as she embarks on a journey to reach the resting place of souls in order to reunite with her former comrade Himmel, whose Hero Party once slew the Demon King."

-Komi Can't Communicate is also really good, not a fantasy but a typical high-school slice of life thing. Generally the genre isn't my vibe but it's really well done and super funny. 

"At a high school full of unique characters, Tadano helps his shy and unsociable classmate Komi reach her goal of making friends with 100 people."

I could keep going but I'm tired 

im reading frieren right now!

[J. Magi she/her]

4 minutes ago, TheRavenHasLanded said:

im reading frieren right now!

NICE!! I was gonna get to the manga after I finish the manga I'm currently on. Who's your favorite character?

[TheRavenHasLanded he/him]

1 minute ago, J. Magi said:

NICE!! I was gonna get to the manga after I finish the manga I'm currently on. Who's your favorite character?

fern or their warrior.

[J. Magi she/her]

2 minutes ago, TheRavenHasLanded said:

fern or their warrior.

STARK? MY BOY? (he's my favorite lol . . .)

But yeah, Fern is really great too! She's my brother's favorite actually. She's a great example of not needing a complicated concept to write a great character, I think.

Edited August 23 by J. Magi

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

Hey, I know I'm probably de-railing the conversation, but I recently fell into the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood rabbit hole, and now I've binged it twice and it's one of my favorite shows ever.

Still my only anime.

Unless you count Ghibli stuff.

I really want to watch Frieren next but don't have any way to access it...

Edited August 23 by The Bookwyrm

[J. Magi she/her]

4 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

Hey, I know I'm probably de-railing the conversation, but I recently fell into the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood rabbit hole, and now I've binged it twice and it's one of my favorite shows ever.

YES OH MY GOODNESS IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU (the manga is just as good if not better btw) ITS LITERALLY SO GOOD.

5 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

Unless you count Ghibli stuff.

 

Ghibli absolutely counts, their pretty much considered the Disney of Japan (on an influence level, not an ownership level). Have you seen The Boy and The Heron?

6 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

I really want to watch Frieren next but don't have any way to access it..

Yeah, it's unfortunate it's not on more places. Where I live you can buy crunchyroll gift cards that let you have premium for a month without getting a subscription, which is how I watched it.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

3 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

YES OH MY GOODNESS IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU (the manga is just as good if not better btw) ITS LITERALLY SO GOOD.

I want to read the Manga, but I need to figure out the cheapest option and if it's worth it to buy. Or find another place to read it. I don't know if my library has it.

3 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

Ghibli absolutely counts, their pretty much considered the Disney of Japan (on an influence level, not an ownership level). Have you seen The Boy and The Heron?

I have. It was weird, but very Ghibli. I liked it.

Princess Mononoke is one of my favorite movies of all time now.

4 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

Yeah, it's unfortunate it's not on more places. Where I live you can buy crunchyroll gift cards that let you have premium for a month without getting a subscription, which is how I watched it.

Ooh...I should look around...

I do have a birthday coming up.

How long is it right now?

[Retsam]

6 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

(fma has 2 anime adaptations, Brotherhood and 2003. I've only seen brotherhood because you can't really stream 2003 anywhere. Brotherhood is also a much more faithful adaptation of the manga, so in general the writing is better--whereas 2003 had a completely different ending because the manga wasn't done yet when they made it)

Shame that it's not really available for streaming - I tend to recommend people try the 2003 version first.  Not necessarily because it's better, but because it's different and it's different in such a way that if you watch the 2003 version first you can still enjoy Brotherhood, but if you watch Brotherhood first, it's harder to appreciate the 2003 version.

FMA2003 does a lot better with the shared material: it's got a better introduction and a better (slower) pacing through a lot of the earlier plot. Brotherhood moves quickly through some plot stuff and it just doesn't hit as hard, and even skips some stuff, which it awkwardly addresses with a flashback later.  If you watch FMA2003 first you don't mind that Brotherhood speed runs the same material, but I don't think it works as well in reverse.  

I think this is a pretty common opinion - a lot of people who like Brotherhood more overall think the original handles the early stuff better.

... but honestly I'm not one of those people, on the whole I actually just think the 2003 version is better.  Yes, Brotherhood is "more faithful to the manga" but that's not the same as "better".  Brotherhood is good, and the plot is more coherent in some places, but it's a lot more of just a shonen battle anime in the end, while the 2003 version stays a lot more focused on the themes and philosophy of Equivalent Exchange and keeps a much stronger melancholy tone throughout the show.

The main downside is that the ending of 2003 isn't great - the show's ending as a whole is good, but a cliffhanger, and the movie that resolves it is underwhelming (and a bit dated visually).  But still, journey before destination, and I like the journey of 2003 better.

 

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

6 minutes ago, Retsam said:

Shame that it's not really available for streaming - I tend to recommend people try the 2003 version first.  Not necessarily because it's better, but because it's different and it's different in such a way that if you watch the 2003 version first you can still enjoy Brotherhood, but if you watch Brotherhood first, it's harder to appreciate the 2003 version.

FMA2003 does a lot better with the shared material: it's got a better introduction and a better (slower) pacing through a lot of the earlier plot. Brotherhood moves quickly through some plot stuff and it just doesn't hit as hard, and even skips some stuff, which it awkwardly addresses with a flashback later.  If you watch FMA2003 first you don't mind that Brotherhood speed runs the same material, but I don't think it works as well in reverse.  

I think this is a pretty common opinion - a lot of people who like Brotherhood more overall think the original handles the early stuff better.

... but honestly I'm not one of those people, on the whole I actually just think the 2003 version is better.  Yes, Brotherhood is "more faithful to the manga" but that's not the same as "better".  Brotherhood is good, and the plot is more coherent in some places, but it's a lot more of just a shonen battle anime in the end, while the 2003 version stays a lot more focused on the themes and philosophy of Equivalent Exchange and keeps a much stronger melancholy tone throughout the show.

The main downside is that the ending of 2003 isn't great - the show's ending as a whole is good, but a cliffhanger, and the movie that resolves it is underwhelming (and a bit dated visually).  But still, journey before destination, and I like the journey of 2003 better.

 

As I've gotten into FMAB, I've heard a lot of these arguments. And I do acknowledge that the first little bit of Brotherhood misses the mark just a tad.

I do want to try the 2003 anime at some point just to have the chance to see what people like about it and come to my own opinion. Because everywhere I see, people are saying both are great, just in different ways, so it comes down to preference in the end.

I think I'll always like Brotherhood better, but someday I'll be able to see both sides.

I just don't like that some people have to put one above the other...

[J. Magi she/her]

7 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

I want to read the Manga, but I need to figure out the cheapest option and if it's worth it to buy. Or find another place to read it. I don't know if my library has it.

12 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

*glances at the semi-legal manga site I use*

. . . yeah . . .

8 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

I have. It was weird, but very Ghibli. I liked it.

Princess Mononoke is one of my favorite movies of all time now.

Yeah, from what I heard it was pretty divisive, but I loved it. Princess Mononoke is fantastic!! It's one of my biggest inspirations.

10 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

Ooh...I should look around...

I do have a birthday coming up.

How long is it right now?

I found them at Walmart, btw. You can choose if you want a one month one, or I think they have some longer ones that are more expensive. You just put the code in the site, and it gives you full access (you do have to make an account first, but luckily that's free).

13 minutes ago, Retsam said:

Shame that it's not really available for streaming - I tend to recommend people try the 2003 version first.  Not necessarily because it's better, but because it's different and it's different in such a way that if you watch the 2003 version first you can still enjoy Brotherhood, but if you watch Brotherhood first, it's harder to appreciate the 2003 version.

FMA2003 does a lot better with the shared material: it's got a better introduction and a better (slower) pacing through a lot of the earlier plot. Brotherhood moves quickly through some plot stuff and it just doesn't hit as hard, and even skips some stuff, which it awkwardly addresses with a flashback later.  If you watch FMA2003 first you don't mind that Brotherhood speed runs the same material, but I don't think it works as well in reverse.  

I think this is a pretty common opinion - a lot of people who like Brotherhood more overall think the original handles the early stuff better.

... but honestly I'm not one of those people, on the whole I actually just think the 2003 version is better.  Yes, Brotherhood is "more faithful to the manga" but that's not the same as "better".  Brotherhood is good, and the plot is more coherent in some places, but it's a lot more of just a shonen battle anime in the end, while the 2003 version stays a lot more focused on the themes and philosophy of Equivalent Exchange and keeps a much stronger melancholy tone throughout the show.

The main downside is that the ending of 2003 isn't great - the show's ending as a whole is good, but a cliffhanger, and the movie that resolves it is underwhelming (and a bit dated visually).  But still, journey before destination, and I like the journey of 2003 better.

 

(First of all, you have my full respect due to the Trigun pfp)

But yeah, I've heard all that before. My older brother is a fellow 2003 enjoyer, and has told me a lot about why he likes it. The issues with brotherhoods beginning arch is why I like the manga as the best version of the story.

Obviously, I don't have much of an opinion of 2003 because I've never seen it, but I do think I'll always like Brotherhood more. From sheer nostalgia to the fact that I expect I'll enjoy the writing choices more.

7 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

I just don't like that some people have to put one above the other...

Absolutely! I'm just grateful there's more fma out there for me to enjoy someday.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

1 minute ago, J. Magi said:

*glances at the semi-legal manga site I use*

. . . yeah . . .

...*considers carefully*

2 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

Yeah, from what I heard it was pretty divisive, but I loved it. Princess Mononoke is fantastic!! It's one of my biggest inspirations.

I feel like The Boy and the Heron was far more about vibe and style than it was about plot. Plot felt almost nonexistent. It didn't bother explaining itself and kind of just went with what it went with. Almost even more so than Spirited Away, which literally felt like having a dream. Like, watching the end of that movie felt like me being a child waking up from a dream.

But TBatH was beautiful. The animation was stunning, the unexplained worldbuilding was awesome, the feel and flow of the movie was incredible. I like plot, so it didn't land 100% for me as a story, but I absolutely adore it for what it seemed to be, which was a visual work of art. It's worth watching.

4 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

I found them at Walmart, btw. You can choose if you want a one month one, or I think they have some longer ones that are more expensive. You just put the code in the site, and it gives you full access (you do have to make an account first, but luckily that's free).

Yeah, I'll look into this. 

I could probably binge it in a month, right?

5 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

Absolutely! I'm just grateful there's more fma out there for me to enjoy someday.

I just want to talk about FMAB now.

I think Hawkeye is my favorite character.

[J. Magi she/her]

Just now, The Bookwyrm said:

..*considers carefully*

you heard nothing

1 minute ago, The Bookwyrm said:

I feel like The Boy and the Heron was far more about vibe and style than it was about plot. Plot felt almost nonexistent. It didn't bother explaining itself and kind of just went with what it went with. Almost even more so than Spirited Away, which literally felt like having a dream. Like, watching the end of that movie felt like me being a child waking up from a dream.

But TBatH was beautiful. The animation was stunning, the unexplained worldbuilding was awesome, the feel and flow of the movie was incredible. I like plot, so it didn't land 100% for me as a story, but I absolutely adore it for what it seemed to be, which was a visual work of art. It's worth watching.

Yeah I get that. Most people interpret it as more of a meta commentary on Miyazaki's career, as well as the book it's based on (I believe it's a Japanese novel called 'how do you live). I would argue that it does, in fact have it's own plot (the boy going on a journey of accepting his new mother and letting go of his old one) but it's definitely overshadowed by the movies other elements because it wasn't the most important part of the work.

4 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

Yeah, I'll look into this. 

I could probably binge it in a month, right?

Oh yeah, it's only like 28 episodes, I think I got through it in less then a week.

5 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

I just want to talk about FMAB now.

I think Hawkeye is my favorite character.

hehe awesome. Major General Oliver Armstrong is my favorite character (aside from Edward--I had a crush on him in middle school), I have a funko pop of her on my desk.

[+Slowswift he/him]

I'll second the recommendations for Kaguya and Komi. Recently, in the romance department, I also loved The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten (I'm keeping up with the LN and it's one of the most sickeningly sweet and wholesome things I've ever read/seen) and Tomo-chan is a Girl! In fact, I watched both series through twice. I don't think I've done that for any others (yet).

I'm slowly getting into watching things again. Frieren's at the top of the list for fantasy/adventure, then Re:Zero (one of my favorite series I need to catch up on).

And of course there's SPY x FAMILY. Take a guess as to how I feel about that.  

27 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

I want to read the Manga, but I need to figure out the cheapest option and if it's worth it to buy. Or find another place to read it. I don't know if my library has it.

The Shonen Jump and Viz Manga apps are wonderful and only cost like $4/month. I think Frieren's on Viz.

[J. Magi she/her]

1 minute ago, Slowswift said:

And of course there's SPY x FAMILY. Take a guess as to how I feel about that.  

34 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

I love SpyXFamily! I almost forgot I'd seen that one! I still haven't seen the movie or read the manga for that one.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

1 minute ago, J. Magi said:

you heard nothing

...But what if I want to use it

1 minute ago, J. Magi said:

Yeah I get that. Most people interpret it as more of a meta commentary on Miyazaki's career, as well as the book it's based on (I believe it's a Japanese novel called 'how do you live). I would argue that it does, in fact have it's own plot (the boy going on a journey of accepting his new mother and letting go of his old one) but it's definitely overshadowed by the movies other elements because it wasn't the most important part of the work.

Yeah. I wasn't trying to say it didn't have a plot, just that the plot was more abstract and was overshadowed, like you said.

...Also, did you notice my member title?

2 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

hehe awesome. Major General Oliver Armstrong is my favorite character (aside from Edward--I had a crush on him in middle school), I have a funko pop of her on my desk.

Olivier scares me.

I think that's the point though.

3 minutes ago, Slowswift said:

The Shonen Jump and Viz Manga apps are wonderful and only cost like $4/month. I think Frieren's on Viz.

I can look into that, too.

[J. Magi she/her]

Just now, The Bookwyrm said:

...But what if I want to use it

4 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

Shhhhhhhhh sweet innocent child

Spoiler

. . . .

Just now, The Bookwyrm said:

...Also, did you notice my member title?

4 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

NO AKJLSDFLKSD I ALWAYS FORGET TO READ THOSE

1 minute ago, The Bookwyrm said:

Olivier scares me.

I think that's the point though.

YES SHES FANTASTIC!!!

Other girls looked up to celebrities in their middle school years, meanwhile I wanted to be just like Oliver (and also ironically botw zelda, but that's unrelated).

[+Slowswift he/him]

12 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

I love SpyXFamily! I almost forgot I'd seen that one! I still haven't seen the movie or read the manga for that one.

I got hooked on the manga first, thanks to the aforementioned Shonen Jump app. I can highly recommend reading it--the anime's amazing in the way it brings the story to life, but there's a richness to the manga that makes me like it just a tad better. Plus, the manga currently outpaces the anime in terms of material, so there's more to read.  

(I haven't seen the movie yet either, funnily enough.)

Also, Yor is best girl. Hands down, no contest. (Except from Sylvia, but we don't get to see as much of her, sadly.)

10 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

I can look into that, too.

I'm all for sailing the seven seas, but I've found the apps to have a decent selection at great quality. The few time's I've read fan translations there's always been some level of jankiness that distracts me. Up to you, though.

Edited August 23 by Slowswift

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

Just now, J. Magi said:

YES SHES FANTASTIC!!!

Other girls looked up to celebrities in their middle school years, meanwhile I wanted to be just like Oliver (and also ironically botw zelda, but that's unrelated).

Those two would not get along.

...I'm older than BotW Zelda and that scares me.

1 minute ago, J. Magi said:

Shhhhhhhhh sweet innocent child

...What?

[J. Magi she/her]

2 minutes ago, Slowswift said:

I got hooked on the manga first, thanks to the aforementioned Shonen Jump app. I can highly recommend reading it--the anime's amazing in the way it brings the story to life, but there's a richness to the manga that makes me like it just a tad better. Plus, the manga currently outpaces the anime in terms of material, so there's more to read.  

(I haven't seen the movie yet either, funnily enough.)

Also, Yor is best girl. Hands down, no contest. (Except from Sylvia, but we don't get to see much of her.)

I'll have to add it to my (massive) tbr! I love Yor too lol

3 minutes ago, Slowswift said:

I'm all for sailing the seven seas, but I've found the apps to have a decent selection at great quality. The few time's I've read fan translations there's always been some level of jankiness that distracts me. Up to you, though.

The site I use is fan-run and mostly fan-translations and I've never had a quality problem so *shrug*

2 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

Those two would not get along.

...I'm older than BotW Zelda and that scares me.

Inside me there are 2 blonde fantasy ladies, one of the them is terrifying and the other is terrified

3 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

...What?

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

it's called MangaDex. Like I said, it is fan translations/scans, but there aren't any adds which is handy

 

 

 

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

4 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

Inside me there are 2 blonde fantasy ladies, one of the them is terrifying and the other is terrified

Imagine if she worked for the Hyrulean military instead of the Amestrian one.

Then Zelda would technically be her superior. At least post-BotW.

And even then, having your boss's daughter around would be interesting.

...

...

...

Why does this work so well in my head.

4 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

it's called MangaDex. Like I said, it is fan translations/scans, but there aren't any adds which is handy

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

I will use this information wisely.

And by that I mean I will consider whether or not to use it until I probably eventually forget about it.

But we'll see.

Part of me just wants to buy the whole thing physically anyway.

 

Edited August 23 by The Bookwyrm

[Wierdo he/him]

I'm currently reading fullmetal alchemist  

[J. Magi she/her]

3 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

Imagine if she worked for the Hyrulean military instead of the Amestrian one.

Then Zelda would technically be her superior. At least post-BotW.

And even then, having your boss's daughter around would be interesting.

...

...

...

Why does this work so well in my head.

lol I'd read that fanfic

4 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

Spoiler

Part of me just wants to buy the whole thing physically anyway.

 

I get that, honestly. I don't own a lot of manga and I sort of wish I did.

3 minutes ago, Wierdo said:

I'm currently reading fullmetal alchemist  

NICE

[Wierdo he/him]

Just now, J. Magi said:

NICE

And, i'm waiting for more dungeon meshi-

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

3 minutes ago, Wierdo said:

I'm currently reading fullmetal alchemist  

YAY MORE FMA PEOPLES

Just now, J. Magi said:

lol I'd read that fanfic

...I wish I was brave enough to write it.

Who else is a FMA and Zelda fan around here-