Another Monday, another general discussion thread. Feel free to ask questions, talk about things you have watched, give recommendations, etc.
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I have been and continue to be traveling at the moment, so my watch time has been limited, and this post will be short. I have even fallen behind on many weekly shows that I normally watch. However, to try to restore a weary brain, I tried watching Squid Girl, and I have some thoughts.
For context, I am currently reading my way through the manga, and I absolutely love this series. It is such a silly, no-stakes SOL; which I thought would be perfect after a long day of work/travel. However, I found that the anime version just wasn’t doing it for me. I much preferred just reading a couple chapters of the manga over watching it play out on screen.
I have struggled to pinpoint what about the anime I haven’t been able to connect with. Overall, it seems like a competent adaptation. The jokes are there, the voice work seems fine, the animation doesn’t really stick out as a problem either. I suspect that it is probably just the fact that I love the manga so much that the anime was never really going to live up to that with a straightforward adaptation. It would need some kind of transformative adaptation (eg Bocchi the Rock) to make it fresh.
All that said, I think this is where I landed: if you haven’t read the Squid Girl manga, then the anime is probably going to serve its job. However, if you already know/love the manga like me, then the anime isn’t really adding anything.
Weekly ranking roundup:
- Anime Corner - Full Results - Weekly Winner: Wind Breaker
- Anime Trending - Full Results - Weekly Winner: Konosuba
- Reddit Karma - Weekly Winner: Mushoku Tensei
Credit to /u/Abysswatcherbel for making the chart for reddit karma and /u/Nooble5 for the Anime Trending chart.
Like I mentioned earlier, I haven’t really gotten to watch much this week. However, I have noticed Wind Breaker consistently climbing up charts this season, culminating in topping AC this week. Seems like a show worth checking out in the future when I get a chance.
Wind Breaker is definitely good. Not quite great, like Dungeon Meshi, but very watchable.
The MC, Haruka Sakura, is a parody on the “fight to become top delinquent” type of main character. His strange appearance with bi-colored hair, and odd eye colors, set him apart as the freak that he is. He even has 2 girls names.
The local delinquent gang is loved by the local merchants, and when they’re not fighting other roving gangs, they do positive social work.
The highlight so far has been the gorgeously animated fight in episode 5.
Just binged Violet Evergarden, including the OVA; I’ve still got the movies to go through though.
As usual, war shows really bring out the feels, making it another instant 10/10.
I thought it is especially relevant in these times, given the geopolitical tensions around the world.
Edit
Having watched the movies, it is still one of my top series.
Violet Evergarden is so good. Sadly, I didn’t enjoy the final movie that much. Without going into spoilers, it kinda spat in the face of Violet’s development imo.
I just want to use this week’s thread to give a PSA: don’t watch Unnamed Memory. It’s bad
Okay, but what is bad about it?
1st half starts fine. 2nd half, it becomes very clear that they’ve skipped a lot of world building, plot development and character development. Some of the world building that is only told, is not shown at all. If anything, the opposite is shown, making some events hard to believe. Characters’ actions/motivations are sudden and only explained afterwards with no proper setup.
Aside from that, they’re speeding through the plot so hard. It’s not even rushed anymore. It may as well be a summary of the story, especially the latest 2-3 eps. What would usually be climactic arcs fit for the final episodes are done 1 episode. Things just happen like they’re going through bullet points in a power point presentation instead of presenting the actual content.
It sounds like you liked the source material.
Sorry it got a bad adaptation.
I don’t know the source material actually. I don’t know what they skipped, but it’s very clear they did because things just don’t make sense.
Just saw Hajime no Ippo is on Netflix. Time for some Philly shell.
