Manga/Anime You Read/Watch

[quote=MrCuddowls][quote=YayaFTW] [quote=MrCuddowls] Ive decided to share my must watch list. I recommend that you watch any that you have not seen that are on this list Evangelion (Probably the greatest anime ever made but I digress) Cowboy Bebop Madoka Magica Death Note Great Teacher Onizuka Mononoke Baccano! Durarara!! Code Geass Ghost in The Shell Stein's Gate Ano Hana Fate/Zero Samurai Champloo Legend of The Galactic Heroes Hellsing Ultimate Katanagatari Bakuman Natsume Yuujinchou Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood NOTE: NOT princess Mononoke This: http://myanimelist.net/anime/2246/Mononoke [/quote] Mirai Nikki Bakemonogatari Nisemonogatari Nekomonogatari Kuro Sword Art Online Hyouka Black Rock Shooter Eureka Seven Kurokami Fate/Stay Night Btw I watched all except champloo and Mononoke, let me know if you have more [/quote] I would have to disagree with Fate/Stay Night The concept was alright but the main character was retarded It just wasn't as refined as Fate/Zero As stated above Mirai Nikki - No Sword Art Online - HELL no Now in terms of Hyouka This anime is actually quite alright But I wouldn't say that it is important enough for a must watch spot The shows I gave as a must watch were thing that I felt were "too important to miss" I used Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion as a base and simply expanded based on why those two anime fit the phrase "too important to miss" This is my personal opinion, yes But it was made with a lot of effort I'm not trying to bash you really, just trying to make a point That if you put sword art online as a must watch than you must really start paying attention and thinking more when you watch anime. The only reason I really watched it was for the action scenes. The Romance was garbage and the story wasn't even focused on. The producers apparently cared more about fishing.[/quote]

[quote=Searz][quote=Yukimaru] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o9qZbUlkbQ[/youtube][/quote] Yuki going brony. [quote=lifebaka] Of the -monogatari series, I'd have to say that Bakemonogatari is probably the best and the only one that I'd say is even borderline must-watch material. They just got progressively creepier and more sexual, and that really started to ruin the experience.[/quote] Yes, oh god yes. The oversexualisation of the females in that series is annoying at times.. That said, I enjoyed the Nekomonogatari Kuro most in the whole series. It was the most interesting one because of the themes it brought up; human selfishness and "evil" and the character of Himekawa was developed incredibly well. Of course along with the trademark dialogue and amazing art, but that goes without saying :P [quote]That said, if you liked Mushishi, you'll probably also like Hyouka.[/quote] AHA! I thought I recognized it somewhere in the back of my head and after googling for images of it I remember watching that a few years back. I quite enjoyed it, so I might give Hyouka a chance, even though I doubt it'll be anything amazing. [quote]Do you mean Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai? If so, it was quite good, but I'm not perfectly sure that it's quite up to the must-watch level.[/quote] I agree. Ano Hana is most certainly not a must watch. It's good at best, and making the connection that good=must watch is silly. Well, there is a lot of overrated media in general; a lot of people are probably just devoid of any proper critical reasoning (as seen by how popular crappy anime adaptations are..). [quote]Also, I haven't seen it here yet, but I've really been enjoying Tamako Market from this season.[/quote] Lol, Winter linked me to a trailer of that (he's a total sucker for moe :D). It's by the same people that made K-ON and Hyouka, if I'm not mistaken. It didn't interest me much at first seeing as K-ON was nothing more than decent, but I'd be willing to consider it if somebody else that has some proper critical reasoning thinks it's good. [quote]It's got nice pacing and unlike most slice of life/romcom/omg-anime-about-girls-imafapnow it isn't getting itself mired in romcom bullshit two thirds of the way through the season.[/quote] What is romcom bullshit? *oblivious*[/quote]

[quote=Searz][quote=MrCuddowls] I found Mushishi to be quite odd I wasn't very attracted to it, but that is just me[/quote] I really enjoyed Mushishi for the most part. It was just a little bit too slow at times I feel. I wouldn't call it a must-watch, but it's quite good. (it's been more than 5 years since I watched it tho, so I may not remember it accurately) [quote]Searz have you seen all the anime I listed?[/quote] [b]Nope, but DON'T YOU WORRY, I'm going on a quoting-spree.[/b] [quote=MrCuddowls] Evangelion (Probably the greatest anime ever made but I digress)[/quote] I doubt I'd call Evangelion a must watch. I think I'd rate it as good or slightly above average. That said, I've only watched 2 episodes and they didn't interest me in the least; it looked kinda bad quite honestly. [quote]Cowboy Bebop[/quote] I liked it, but I don't know if I'd call it a must watch. That said, it has been quite some time since I saw it, I don't remember it too clearly. The animation I do remember clearly tho: it's ok, not good, not bad. [quote]Madoka Magica[/quote] I'm reeeeaaaally skeptical towards moe anime like this. I've got a feeling that there will be way too much moe crap in it for me to survive. [quote]Death Note[/quote] I doubt it's must-watch material. I've read half the manga. It's pretty good, but PAINFULLY slow at times. I think I'll pick it up again some time. [quote]Great Teacher Onizuka Mononoke Natsume Yuujinchou[/quote] Never heard of them. [quote]Baccano![/quote] Never heard of it, but it looks really interesting. The art style in the "stills" (the pics not a part of the animation) look great, the use of color, shading and lines is superb. [quote]Durarara!! Code Geass[/quote] I've heard of these. I doubt they are must-watch material. [quote]Ghost in The Shell[/quote] I've seen one and a half movies. They were decent. I doubt they're must-watch material. [quote]Stein's Gate[/quote] This is not a must-watch; flat out no. It was borderline must-watch until the end, where a HUGE plot hole reared its ugly ass and destroyed the ending completely for me. Not saying it's bad, cuz it's not, but it is NOT a must-watch. [quote]Ano Hana[/quote] Yeeeaaa.. no. It's good at best and good=/=must-watch. [quote]Fate/Zero[/quote] I don't think I know enough to make much of a statement, but seems like it's possibly borderline must-watch. [quote]Samurai Champloo[/quote] Looks pretty decent, but I've yet to see any good reason to call it great aside from the action scenes. [quote]Legend of The Galactic Heroes[/quote] Never heard of it, art looks like crap and the synopsis doesn't interest me. [quote]Hellsing Ultimate[/quote] Seen one episode. Artstyle looks like shit, tho animation looks pretty decent. The story doesn't sound very interesting at all tho, so it's a no-go for me and I seriously doubt it's worth proclaiming as a must-watch. [quote]Katanagatari[/quote] Never heard of it, but the drawing style looks pretty cool. [quote]Bakuman[/quote] No. The manga was good (read: NOT a must-read) and I'm 99% sure the anime isn't any better. [quote]Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood[/quote] This is probably the only one I'd actually agree with you on. Although I've just read the manga, but the story is the same and the art seems decent, so I doubt it's any less great.[/quote]

[quote=lifebaka][quote=Searz] It didn't interest me much at first seeing as K-ON was nothing more than decent, but I'd be willing to consider it if somebody else that has some proper critical reasoning thinks it's good. [/quote] I expected basically the same from it, at the start; I'm perfectly willing to watch decent, and sometimes even bad, anime. It, frankly, blew away my expectations. I'm not sure that you'd enjoy it as much as I am, but I would recommend giving it a try. [quote=Searz] What is romcom bullshit? *oblivious* [/quote] Romcom is short for romantic comedy. A lot of the series I watch are romantic comedies, which is to say that they are romance stories that generally use at least some comedic elements to spice things up every now and again. The trouble is that most of these series set up the main conflict (the main love interest) of the story in the first episode or two, and then the characters involved spend the rest of the series dancing around each other without resolving anything until the final episode, which often doesn't resolve the conflict very well either. (Yeah, they admit they like each other. Relationships, and interesting stories about relationships, don't end there.) One of Tamako Market's strong suits (IMO) is that it has so far managed to avoid this. This is partially because it seems to be more story-driven than most romantic comedy anime, in that it has a plot outside of the its romantic comedy elements, but it's also due to some excellent pacing in the anime. Each episode gets things done and is conscious of what the episodes around it are about, so it avoids driving the same point into the ground repeatedly, week after week. It's hard to explain very well, but I get the feeling that the anime knows that it hasn't done something or visited some element of itself in a while, and the anime works with that knowledge. -- -- -- I now talk about something different -- -- -- To address Evangelion and Madoka briefly, part of why people are so attached to them is that they're both (at least partially) deconstructions of anime tropes. Evangelion deconstructs 1980's and early 1990's mecha anime, and Madoka deconstructs more recent maho shojo anime. Of the two, I'd honestly say that Madoka is by far the better, simply due to its rather obvious Faustian themes (which are extremely deliberate) and it having the single most fulfilling anime ending I have ever seen (which I can't blame Evangelion for too much; the Human Instrumentality Project stuff happened because the studio was out of money -- they never expected the anime to actually be successful). So Searz, you should seriously watch Madoka. It's fantastic, it's literary in a way that few other anime I've ever watched actually are, and it has the only anime ending I've ever seen that's still really damn good when compared to [i]non-anime[/i] endings. It picks up by the end of episode three, I promise, and by that point it'll be clear that it isn't just a throw-away moe anime. [quote=MrCuddowls] Baccano! [/quote] Baccano! is interesting. I'd highly suggest anyone here who wants to watch people do awesome stuff give it a try, because people do really awesome stuff in the anime. It is, however, highly non-linear (with plot elements happening in three different years, not even presented in order within any given year), and you won't have any real idea what's going on until episode 7. If the non-linearity is starting to bother you, you can always skip ahead and watch episode 7 for a bit of an explanation (which won't spoil anything, really), but I recommend watching it in broadcast order if at all possible. [quote=MrCuddowls] Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood [/quote] While this was fantastic and pretty much must-watch material on its own, it has a slight problem. It was designed to flesh out the events of the manga after the original Fullmetal Alchemist diverged, so the overlapping material is truncated. It only takes a handful of episodes to cover events that took nearly half of the first series, so people who aren't as familiar with Fullmetal Alchemist are going to miss some things. And the first series isn't as good, either, so I'm skeptical about putting either on a must-watch list.[/quote]

[quote=Searz][quote=lifebaka] Romcom is short for romantic comedy. A lot of the series I watch are romantic comedies, which is to say that they are romance stories that generally use at least some comedic elements to spice things up every now and again. The trouble is that most of these series set up the main conflict (the main love interest) of the story in the first episode or two, and then the characters involved spend the rest of the series dancing around each other without resolving anything until the final episode, which often doesn't resolve the conflict very well either. (Yeah, they admit they like each other. Relationships, and interesting stories about relationships, don't end there.)[/quote] Oh god, that shit can get so freaking annoying at times. If it's a bad romcom I just laugh at it, but if it's one that I actually like I get seriously annoyed with such things. Although I now expect romcom series to be bad by default, I've read too many shitty ones (I read much more manga than I watch anime). [quote]I get the feeling that the anime knows that it hasn't done something or visited some element of itself in a while, and the anime works with that knowledge.[/quote] Animes are getting self-conscious? Humanity is fucked. [quote]To address Evangelion and Madoka briefly, part of why people are so attached to them is that they're both (at least partially) deconstructions of anime tropes. Evangelion deconstructs 1980's and early 1990's mecha anime, and Madoka deconstructs more recent maho shojo anime. Of the two, I'd honestly say that Madoka is by far the better, simply due to its rather obvious Faustian themes (which are extremely deliberate) and it having the single most fulfilling anime ending I have ever seen (which I can't blame Evangelion for too much; the Human Instrumentality Project stuff happened because the studio was out of money -- they never expected the anime to actually be successful). So Searz, you should seriously watch Madoka. It's fantastic, it's literary in a way that few other anime I've ever watched actually are, and it has the only anime ending I've ever seen that's still really damn good when compared to [i]non-anime[/i] endings. It picks up by the end of episode three, I promise, and by that point it'll be clear that it isn't just a throw-away moe anime.[/quote] Hmm.. okay. I think I'm gonna give it a try. I might even give Evangelion a try too, just so that I can tell the people who rate it as 'godly' to shut the fuck up and grow a brain :3 [quote]Baccano! is interesting. I'd highly suggest anyone here who wants to watch people do awesome stuff give it a try, because people do really awesome stuff in the anime. It is, however, highly non-linear (with plot elements happening in three different years, not even presented in order within any given year), and you won't have any real idea what's going on until episode 7. If the non-linearity is starting to bother you, you can always skip ahead and watch episode 7 for a bit of an explanation (which won't spoil anything, really), but I recommend watching it in broadcast order if at all possible.[/quote] Is the animation even remotely close to as good as the art? (I really liked it ^_^ ) [quote]While [[[FMA:Brotherhood]]] was fantastic and pretty much must-watch material on its own, it has a slight problem. It was designed to flesh out the events of the manga after the original Fullmetal Alchemist diverged, so the overlapping material is truncated. It only takes a handful of episodes to cover events that took nearly half of the first series, so people who aren't as familiar with Fullmetal Alchemist are going to miss some things. And the first series isn't as good, either, so I'm skeptical about putting either on a must-watch list.[/quote] So then it's not really a "proper" retelling of the manga story in the end after all? :/[/quote]

[quote=MrCuddowls]LOL This reaction out of you is very strange If you don't think Fate/Zero, Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion as must watches Than I am eager to see your must watch list and hopefully I won't be disappointed And if I am disappointed, than trust me searz you will never be able to redeem your self ESPECIALLY because you said Cowboy Bebop was borderline must watch Also Searz, about watching Neon Genesis Evangelion [color=#ff0000][b]YOU DONT KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU ARE GETTING INTO[/b][/color] [url=http://images.wikia.com/recommendations/images/3/39/How_to_Watch_Evangelion.png]Refer to this[/url][/quote]

[quote=lifebaka]I don't recall much about the Baccano! animation. It's been several years since I watched it. It won't be bad, because I'd remember that, but I don't think it'll be excellent either. If I recall correctly, it's pretty good, but nothing spectacular. [quote=MrCuddowls] [color=#ff0000][b]YOU DONT KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU ARE GETTING INTO[/b][/color] [url=http://images.wikia.com/recommendations/images/3/39/How_to_Watch_Evangelion.png]Refer to this[/url] [/quote] Eh. Eva's not really worth worrying about that much, and certainly not [color=#ff0000][b]swearing[/b][/color] about. You can just dive into it without too much difficulty. Anyone who hasn't seen it should just be aware that the last two episodes of the anime don't really make much sense in context, so be prepared for them to confuse you and be a real let down. End of Eva is more like how the author/creator wanted the series to end, although people also need to be aware that End of Eva is [i]considerably[/i] more adult and graphic than the rest of the series. Do watch out for the gore and Shinji being a freakin' creep. Also, Fate/Zero is really not a must watch. It was kinda' boring, actually. It was pretty, but there was surprisingly little going on for an action-bases series.[/quote]

[quote=Searz][quote=MrCuddowls] If you don't think Fate/Zero, Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion as must watches Than I am eager to see your must watch list and hopefully I won't be disappointed And if I am disappointed, than trust me searz you will never be able to redeem your self ESPECIALLY because you said Cowboy Bebop was borderline must watch[/quote] Stop with the fanboy behavior. Just because they were the best of their time Bebop and Evangelion don't have the right to be treated any differently than any other anime now. By today's standards Bebop is not worth any praise for the animation. The art style is also bland enough to not warrant any praise. I was mostly annoyed though by the complete lack of any kind of goal or plot-line in Cowboy Bebop and from what I've read I'm not the only one thinking that. To call it bad would of course be silly; that's certainly not what I'm doing. It is good, I just don't think I'd personally rate it as something I'd recommend anybody to watch. Now for must-watch anime, I don't think I have anything I'm like 100% "THIS HAS TO BE WATCHED" over. The closest to a must-watch I have seen is probably Nichijou, but even then I'm kind of on the fence about it. I'd have a much easier time recommending must-reads since I read more manga than I watch anime. Just off the top of my head I can name 2 mangas that I truly consider to be MUST-reads. One of which I think most of you here haven't heard of :) [quote]Also Searz, about watching Neon Genesis Evangelion [color=#ff0000][b]YOU DONT KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU ARE GETTING INTO[/b][/color][/quote] I doubt I'll be impressed. Unlike most other people I don't forgive major plot holes like the one in Stein's;Gate.[/quote]

[quote=YayaFTW]Let me just remember you guys that people's taste tend to differ, and I'm starting to get really confused about what's a must watch and what's not :/ Why don't you give 1 favourite, the one standing above all the rest, the one anime that is DEFINITELY AND WITHOUT SECOND THOUGHTS the best of the very best of your collection ? Try to rate it aswell :P Mine is Katanagatari. Art: 10/10 Animation Effects 9999/10 Colors 10/10, Plot 9/10, Romance 9/10, Fight scenes: Godlike, and Style: Unique as in no other anime dares to approach it's style.[/quote]

[quote=Searz][quote=YayaFTW] Let me just remember you guys that people's taste tend to differ, and I'm starting to get really confused about what's a must watch and what's not :/[/quote] And let me "remember" (lol) you that regardless of taste, the ability to think critically about things is often lacking amongst people who review content on the internet. In essence we've so far not found a single anime that we can agree is a must-watch :P [quote]Why don't you give 1 favourite, the one standing above all the rest, the one anime that is DEFINITELY AND WITHOUT SECOND THOUGHTS the best of the very best of your collection? Try to rate it aswell :P[/quote] I don't have one. The [b]closest[/b] to that I have seen is probably Nichijou, but I do have mangas I'd rate that highly. I'll mention them if people ask. [quote]Mine is Katanagatari. Art: 10/10 Animation Effects 9999/10 Colors 10/10, Plot 9/10, Romance 9/10, Fight scenes: Godlike, and Style: Unique as in no other anime dares to approach it's style.[/quote] I do like the style of it, but with the way you're describing it I don't think I can really trust you on anime at all.. [quote=lifebaka] I don't recall much about the Baccano! animation. It's been several years since I watched it. It won't be bad, because I'd remember that, but I don't think it'll be excellent either. If I recall correctly, it's pretty good, but nothing spectacular[/quote] Hmm, okay. I think I'll put that in the "maybe" pile :3 Btw, have you seen the artwork? Just google it and there's a good amount of pictures with that great artwork. That style is seriously impressive. [quote]Anyone who hasn't seen it should just be aware that the last two episodes of the anime don't really make much sense in context, so be prepared for them to confuse you and be a real let down. End of Eva is more like how the author/creator wanted the series to end, although people also need to be aware that End of Eva is [i]considerably[/i] more adult and graphic than the rest of the series. Do watch out for the gore and Shinji being a freakin' creep.[/quote] Hmm.. Is it an anime adaptation? If so then how does it compare to the manga? (I think I remember seeing a manga of it somewhere)[/quote]