August 27th, 2023
Discussing My Recent Anime Experience.
Anime Relations: Shin Kidou Senki Gundam Wing, Slam Dunk, InuYasha, Shin Kidou Senki Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz Tokubetsu-hen, The First Slam Dunk
It may have been a long time since I posted here, but after reaching 600 completed anime yesterday I felt it was a perfect time to return and share a few of my thoughts about my recent experience in the world of anime.
First of all, I wanted to state for the record what my 500 and 600 anime milestones were: To Your Eternity Season 2 was my 500th anime and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz was my 600th. Both of these anime were quite enjoyable, with TYE being a marked improvement over the first season and Endless Waltz serving as a fun extension to the television series. In regards to Gundam in particular, I was surprised to see how many fans disliked Wing online. Even though I agree the story does seem quite strange in regards to the constantly shifting alliances and agendas that can be somewhat unclear, I thought it actually portrayed the messiness of genuine warfare quite well and the Gundam action was about on par with what I expected from previous series. I definitely don't agree with the consensus again on that one.
Next, I wanted to briefly mention the joy that was watching Slam Dunk. Going in, I had high expectations knowing it was one of the few older sports anime to still be talked about today. I also never liked the Zone powers of the characters in Kuroko's Basketball so I felt this had the chance to be an improvement on what I didn't like in my previous basketball anime experience. Thankfully, the series was a really great time. Sakuragi was a really interesting and fun protagonist whose goofiness and lacking abilities make him really easy to root for and see grow. I also appreciated the good mixture of comedy along with the sport to keep some variety. Really my main complaint with the anime adaptation was the very slow pacing at times - particularly in the Ryonan rematch. If they just cut down on some of the game lengths I truly think it would have been near perfect.
After completing the TV series, I managed last Thursday to attend the screening of The First Slam Dunk upon its debut in cinemas here. Again, I was keenly looking forward to it based on my time with the series and what I had seen in the marketing. However, even my strong expectations did not prepare me for the monumental time I was about to have. From the outset, The First Slam Dunk demonstrated boundless creativity and intensity that kept me hooked from start to finish. From the sketching of the characters in the intro, to the perfect blending of 2D and 3D animation, and the ingenious choice to make Ryota the protagonist, it seemed every decision had been perfectly crafted to make the ultimate movie. I literally felt my heart pounding and my fist clenching in the final minutes of the game as I desperately cheered in my heart for Shohoku to win. The First Slam Dunk was probably the greatest surprise of the year for me and I am now going to spend every chance convincing everyone else I know to see it.
Prior to these series, I also had the pleasure of watching the shonen classic Inuyasha. Having already experienced Rumiko Takahashi's works in Urusei Yatsura and Mao, I had some expectation of her style, but again I was really pleasantly surprised by just how enjoyable the series was. The semi-isekai premise with the female protagonist already made the series distinct from the beginning and the choice to maintain a single antagonist throughout kept the story focused and intense. I also thought it for once actually had clever and fun filler episodes which felt perfectly integrated into the larger storyline. Really my biggest complaint is just that The Final Act felt a little rushed. Extending it to 39 or 52 episodes would have given all the major moments just a little more time to leave an impact, though I still had a good time regardless. I have already decided to start watching the sequel, Yashahime, from today so hopefully it can at least respect the legacy made by this series.
Finally, I simply wanted to mention my current seasonal experience. Given I am watching 16 ongoing series, more than I have in the past, I have definitely felt a lot of pressure to keep up to date. Luckily, with the episodes spread throughout the week I have mostly been fine watching and enjoying each episode. Standouts for me right now are Link Click Season 2, Noble Farmer, and of course Mushoku Tensei Season 2 and Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. I would also like to say Zom 100 (especially given it was my most anticipated before the season started), but with the constant delays it has been hard to feel optimistic about the series. Next season is also looking rather stacked, which again can be a good and bad thing. I am especially looking forward to Frieren given what manga readers have said about it for ages so hopefully it lives up to the hype.
That is all I have to share in today's blog. Ideally it doesn't take me another year and a half to make my next post, though I can't speak for the future. Thank you for reading.
First of all, I wanted to state for the record what my 500 and 600 anime milestones were: To Your Eternity Season 2 was my 500th anime and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz was my 600th. Both of these anime were quite enjoyable, with TYE being a marked improvement over the first season and Endless Waltz serving as a fun extension to the television series. In regards to Gundam in particular, I was surprised to see how many fans disliked Wing online. Even though I agree the story does seem quite strange in regards to the constantly shifting alliances and agendas that can be somewhat unclear, I thought it actually portrayed the messiness of genuine warfare quite well and the Gundam action was about on par with what I expected from previous series. I definitely don't agree with the consensus again on that one.
Next, I wanted to briefly mention the joy that was watching Slam Dunk. Going in, I had high expectations knowing it was one of the few older sports anime to still be talked about today. I also never liked the Zone powers of the characters in Kuroko's Basketball so I felt this had the chance to be an improvement on what I didn't like in my previous basketball anime experience. Thankfully, the series was a really great time. Sakuragi was a really interesting and fun protagonist whose goofiness and lacking abilities make him really easy to root for and see grow. I also appreciated the good mixture of comedy along with the sport to keep some variety. Really my main complaint with the anime adaptation was the very slow pacing at times - particularly in the Ryonan rematch. If they just cut down on some of the game lengths I truly think it would have been near perfect.
After completing the TV series, I managed last Thursday to attend the screening of The First Slam Dunk upon its debut in cinemas here. Again, I was keenly looking forward to it based on my time with the series and what I had seen in the marketing. However, even my strong expectations did not prepare me for the monumental time I was about to have. From the outset, The First Slam Dunk demonstrated boundless creativity and intensity that kept me hooked from start to finish. From the sketching of the characters in the intro, to the perfect blending of 2D and 3D animation, and the ingenious choice to make Ryota the protagonist, it seemed every decision had been perfectly crafted to make the ultimate movie. I literally felt my heart pounding and my fist clenching in the final minutes of the game as I desperately cheered in my heart for Shohoku to win. The First Slam Dunk was probably the greatest surprise of the year for me and I am now going to spend every chance convincing everyone else I know to see it.
Prior to these series, I also had the pleasure of watching the shonen classic Inuyasha. Having already experienced Rumiko Takahashi's works in Urusei Yatsura and Mao, I had some expectation of her style, but again I was really pleasantly surprised by just how enjoyable the series was. The semi-isekai premise with the female protagonist already made the series distinct from the beginning and the choice to maintain a single antagonist throughout kept the story focused and intense. I also thought it for once actually had clever and fun filler episodes which felt perfectly integrated into the larger storyline. Really my biggest complaint is just that The Final Act felt a little rushed. Extending it to 39 or 52 episodes would have given all the major moments just a little more time to leave an impact, though I still had a good time regardless. I have already decided to start watching the sequel, Yashahime, from today so hopefully it can at least respect the legacy made by this series.
Finally, I simply wanted to mention my current seasonal experience. Given I am watching 16 ongoing series, more than I have in the past, I have definitely felt a lot of pressure to keep up to date. Luckily, with the episodes spread throughout the week I have mostly been fine watching and enjoying each episode. Standouts for me right now are Link Click Season 2, Noble Farmer, and of course Mushoku Tensei Season 2 and Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. I would also like to say Zom 100 (especially given it was my most anticipated before the season started), but with the constant delays it has been hard to feel optimistic about the series. Next season is also looking rather stacked, which again can be a good and bad thing. I am especially looking forward to Frieren given what manga readers have said about it for ages so hopefully it lives up to the hype.
That is all I have to share in today's blog. Ideally it doesn't take me another year and a half to make my next post, though I can't speak for the future. Thank you for reading.
Posted by InfinityDude88 | Aug 27, 2023 3:20 PM | 2 comments
April 24th, 2022
That Is Right Folks, Another Milestone!
Anime Relations: Paprika, Colorful (Movie), Fragtime, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Ultra Romantic, Summertime Render, Kakkou no Iinazuke, Fruits Basket: Prelude, Aharen-san wa Hakarenai, Spy x Family
7 months later and I am back once again celebrating my hitting another anime milestone. I have finally surpassed the 400 completed anime mark. What an achievement! This time around, the milestone anime for me was a film called Fragtime - a rather dull yuri melodrama with particularly bland characters and what felt like three quarters of the time spent without any real character development (and the film was only an hour long). Honestly after reading about the production of it I can entirely understand why it turned out like that, though it doesn't make it any better to watch.
Unlike Fragtime, the last few anime I watched leading up to the 400th were all rather outstanding in their own ways, that being the films Fruits Basket: Prelude, Paprika and Colorful. Of these, Paprika was a bizarrely beautiful experience that only the likes of Satoshi Kon could dream up, Fruits Basket was both an emotional recap and an equally dramatic prequel and Colorful was a slow yet deep insight into a family of flawed but believable characters. As a whole, while the grand finale of my 400 anime celebration was a rather big let down, at least the journey that got me there was a thoroughly enjoyable time.
In other news, I have again undertaken the colossal task of watching a whopping fourteen anime this season, something which I have not done in a good few seasons now. Luckily for me there are so many bangers airing otherwise I might not have been able to take it. Especially the likes of Spy x Family, Kaguya-sama and Summer Time Render are really offering me a grand relief from my generally dull week. As of today I also began the late comer of the season, A Couple of Cuckoos which is looking rather promising at least from the first episode, if a little generic. Honestly the most surprising thing about the show to me is that it has already been confirm for 24 episodes, seemingly a rarity for harem anime in this day and age.
Finally, in regards to my manga consumption, I have as of late caught up to all ongoing manga which I have been following, something which I strive to achieve every couple of months. I also got motivated to read both Aharen-san and Jujutsu Kaisen after watching their respective anime and boy are their original manga amazing too. While I have to admit that in both cases I think their anime counterparts might edge out the originals, the un-adapted sections and base stories and artwork are just so good that I can't help but love both manga anyway. On a whim I also chose to read my first Osamu Tezuka manga the other day, with me reading a somewhat obscure work of his called Apollo's Song for no reason other than that was the one that I randomly picked. As expected of a man of his renown, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read, being essentially an anthology of tragic romance stories after a boy was cursed to experience this fate repeatedly throughout time. My favourite of these stories, as to be expected given my taste in media, was the story set in a future where artificial humans have taken over the planet and despite being a member of the human resistance, the M.C. still falls in love with the evil queen anyway. While on a technical level it may have been similar to the other stories in the collection, I found the slight sci-fi twist to it to be rather refreshing in the end. After reading Apollo's Song, I simply hope that I will be able to read many more of Tezuka's works in the future.
In a similar vein, my ultimate goal going forward remains unchanged: to continue to consume the medium of entertainment which I love. In other words, as long as I can sit down and relieve my stress with some cute anime waifus once in a while then I am one happy guy.
Unlike Fragtime, the last few anime I watched leading up to the 400th were all rather outstanding in their own ways, that being the films Fruits Basket: Prelude, Paprika and Colorful. Of these, Paprika was a bizarrely beautiful experience that only the likes of Satoshi Kon could dream up, Fruits Basket was both an emotional recap and an equally dramatic prequel and Colorful was a slow yet deep insight into a family of flawed but believable characters. As a whole, while the grand finale of my 400 anime celebration was a rather big let down, at least the journey that got me there was a thoroughly enjoyable time.
In other news, I have again undertaken the colossal task of watching a whopping fourteen anime this season, something which I have not done in a good few seasons now. Luckily for me there are so many bangers airing otherwise I might not have been able to take it. Especially the likes of Spy x Family, Kaguya-sama and Summer Time Render are really offering me a grand relief from my generally dull week. As of today I also began the late comer of the season, A Couple of Cuckoos which is looking rather promising at least from the first episode, if a little generic. Honestly the most surprising thing about the show to me is that it has already been confirm for 24 episodes, seemingly a rarity for harem anime in this day and age.
Finally, in regards to my manga consumption, I have as of late caught up to all ongoing manga which I have been following, something which I strive to achieve every couple of months. I also got motivated to read both Aharen-san and Jujutsu Kaisen after watching their respective anime and boy are their original manga amazing too. While I have to admit that in both cases I think their anime counterparts might edge out the originals, the un-adapted sections and base stories and artwork are just so good that I can't help but love both manga anyway. On a whim I also chose to read my first Osamu Tezuka manga the other day, with me reading a somewhat obscure work of his called Apollo's Song for no reason other than that was the one that I randomly picked. As expected of a man of his renown, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read, being essentially an anthology of tragic romance stories after a boy was cursed to experience this fate repeatedly throughout time. My favourite of these stories, as to be expected given my taste in media, was the story set in a future where artificial humans have taken over the planet and despite being a member of the human resistance, the M.C. still falls in love with the evil queen anyway. While on a technical level it may have been similar to the other stories in the collection, I found the slight sci-fi twist to it to be rather refreshing in the end. After reading Apollo's Song, I simply hope that I will be able to read many more of Tezuka's works in the future.
In a similar vein, my ultimate goal going forward remains unchanged: to continue to consume the medium of entertainment which I love. In other words, as long as I can sit down and relieve my stress with some cute anime waifus once in a while then I am one happy guy.
Posted by InfinityDude88 | Apr 24, 2022 7:35 AM | 0 comments
September 17th, 2021
Another Milestone
Anime Relations: Tonari no Yamada-kun, Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko
Been going through all of the remaining Ghibli films which I hadn't yet watched over the past week and through that I've managed to accidentally achieve two milestones simultaneously; that is, I've now completed 100 anime films and 300 total anime. My Neighbors the Yamadas was the 100th film and Pom Poko was the 300th overall anime. Unlike my last milestone, this time I hit these new records with two fantastic films both by the same director, Isao Takahata. The first film is a witty, satirical take on modern family life in Japan which I personally found immensely funny and relatable and the latter film is a youthful yet depressing piece with the express purpose of teaching children the downside of deforestation and urbanization, albeit in a fun, family-friendly way. With such momentous and exciting milestones now attained, I have now set my sights upon the next goal of 400 (and hopefully 500 too) completed anime. Hopefully this time it doesn't take me another 6 months, although the large number of lengthy series I am in the middle of suggests that it may take me some time yet. I will also strive to post here again in a shorter span of time, as my blog posts have certainly been lacking as of late (scratch that, as of forever). Well, until we meet again fellow reader - sayonara.
Posted by InfinityDude88 | Sep 17, 2021 1:16 AM | 0 comments
March 26th, 2021
Milestone
Anime Relations: Urasekai Picnic
After finishing a lot of the winter 2021 anime today I finally hit the 200 completed anime mark, with Urasekai Picnic being the 200th anime. Too bad I hit this milestone with such a mediocre anime though... oh well.
Posted by InfinityDude88 | Mar 26, 2021 3:45 AM | 0 comments
October 3rd, 2020
Finished Tower of God
Finally managed to catch up to date with Tower of God today after reading it for the past few months. The current arc is so exciting so I am sad to see that it has ended so abruptly for now. Hopefully SIU (the author) will get better soon and is able to continue creating more.
In terms of anime I have just finished watching Uzaki-Chan and Rent-a-Girlfriend which were both cute/awkward shows in their own rights. Overall I probably preferred Uzaki due to how chill and fun it was, while Rent-a-Girlfriend remained super weird throughout. I also got to the end of God of Highschool which was such a boring show. The plot and characters were just so stupid. At least the action and fighting was done well.
In terms of anime I have just finished watching Uzaki-Chan and Rent-a-Girlfriend which were both cute/awkward shows in their own rights. Overall I probably preferred Uzaki due to how chill and fun it was, while Rent-a-Girlfriend remained super weird throughout. I also got to the end of God of Highschool which was such a boring show. The plot and characters were just so stupid. At least the action and fighting was done well.
Posted by InfinityDude88 | Oct 3, 2020 3:17 AM | 1 comments
September 1st, 2020
Anime/manga updates
Anime Relations: Hajime no Ippo, Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger, Hajime no Ippo: Rising, Kami no Tou
Been watching Hajime no Ippo over the past couple of weeks. Now that I am almost finished I just have to comment on how much fun it is. I love watching the crazy antics that Takamura, Aoki, Kimura and Ippo can get up to. The way they have such a strong bond with each other yet refuse to compliment each other normally can be pretty hilarious. The actual boxing fights that take up most of the show’s runtime are stunning too. The animation is so fluid and the action is so intense I am often left awe-struck sitting at the screen. Some of the matches can get intense too - I am regularly left unsure as to who is going to win any given match. So overall I am incredibly glad that I watched this show.
I have also been slowing continuing to work my way through Tower of God. I am now in the middle of the Hell Train arc at the point where the characters have reached the Floor of Death (chapter 312). Things have definitely been heating up in the story as multiple characters have died and the threat of more death looms. Super excited to keep reading this. Hoping to finish it soon now that I only have around 170 chapters to go.
Finally, I read a variety of different one-shot and short manga series over the weekend. The highlights from what I read were probably Tokidoki, hotel: since 2079, AAA, and Hideout. I won’t go into detail but Tokidoki is a really depressing romance, hotel is peak sci-fi, AAA is a cliche but nice shoujo and Hideout is a really creepy horror. All of these were really great in their own ways and I am now badly wanting to try out more short manga series.
Overall I have been enjoying the free time available to chill out and let free my inner weeb recently. I am really looking forward to spending more time making my way through the world of Japanese comics and animation and I hope to update this blog with future updates. Thanks for reading.
I have also been slowing continuing to work my way through Tower of God. I am now in the middle of the Hell Train arc at the point where the characters have reached the Floor of Death (chapter 312). Things have definitely been heating up in the story as multiple characters have died and the threat of more death looms. Super excited to keep reading this. Hoping to finish it soon now that I only have around 170 chapters to go.
Finally, I read a variety of different one-shot and short manga series over the weekend. The highlights from what I read were probably Tokidoki, hotel: since 2079, AAA, and Hideout. I won’t go into detail but Tokidoki is a really depressing romance, hotel is peak sci-fi, AAA is a cliche but nice shoujo and Hideout is a really creepy horror. All of these were really great in their own ways and I am now badly wanting to try out more short manga series.
Overall I have been enjoying the free time available to chill out and let free my inner weeb recently. I am really looking forward to spending more time making my way through the world of Japanese comics and animation and I hope to update this blog with future updates. Thanks for reading.
Posted by InfinityDude88 | Sep 1, 2020 6:13 AM | 0 comments