Mirai Nikki is considered important? I was unaware. I t has a really good opening theme at least. And Yuno Gasai is always fun to watch. Unfortunately, everything around her is really stupid or fairly boring. There is one really good plot twist towards the end though.
mjack did a review of the show.

I wholeheartedly recommend Evangelion. And I less wholeheartedly recommend TTGL.

I will wholeheartedly recommend Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and less than wholeheartedly recommend Neon Genesis Evangelion.

That said, I imagine Tevish would prefer Evangelion. From the outside looking in, though, the mecha genre seems to be dominated by shows that just focus on the mechas (a la Gundam), but of the ones I have been exposed to, a majority of them (or at the very least the more memorable/notable ones) have all been, essentially, metaphorical. Big O, Eva, etc.. Gurren Lagann I wouldn't consider about the mechas as much as one of the Gundam series, but it is considerably more about the mechas and the fighting than Eva/Big O/etc.. Personally, I'd more readily recommend Gurren Lagann because it has a much broader appeal than the mindbending psychoanalysis that Eva is, and because its character arcs and development are effing brilliant.

I am going to leave my thoughts on Haruhi short, because I didn't like the show (disclaimer: I've only seen the first season so far). However, I wouldn't be surprised if the people who call Haruhi cliché are the same people that say Queen stole from Vanilla Ice. As I understand it, a metric **** of anime that resembled Haruhi cropped up in the few years following its initial broadcast.

I have also never heard anything about Mirai Nikki being "important", but I like in a largely pre-2010s anime world, so anything I've heard probably isn't helpful. The very last anime I watched was the Cowboy Bebop movie (which I have seen before), and before that was Gunbuster 2 (2004) and Golden Boy (1995), and my plans for next anime to watch are either Galaxy Express 999 (1979) or Angel's Egg (1985).

Of course, I could undermine that by admitting I started watching RWBY. I just got to the end of the third season, so only a single "big" thing has happened IMO, at the third season finale. I'm willing to forgive it a lot, but there are some things I just can't take. It's got good writing, marvelous fight scene choreography, and absolutely fantastic character design on the level of fighting games or MOBAs, but oof do some animations look really sketchy, and some moments so shonen anime cliché, and eurgh some of those references. Don't get me wrong, I loved the subtlety of "detach the caboose! It will kill us all!", but I was out when they actually said "you activated my trap card". I'm also finding that I do not like most of the theme music. Some of the background and/or ending music has caught my attention, but the only song with lyrics that I've moderately enjoyed thus far has been the first season's opening.

I feel like TTGL betrays its own themes and basic logic at several points. Eva gets weird, and some parts near the end seem pretty arbitrary if you're not versed in ancient Hebrew Kabbalism (so pretty darn arbitrary) but I never feel like it goes against itself.

I'm solidly a fan of RWBY, as I may have mentioned. The art gets better every season (1 is hillariously bad, but the shadow-figures for crowds never reappear after that since their budget presumably improved from "Enough to get a ham sandwich") but 3 to 4 is the biggest jump because they actually switched out things under the hood, using a different engine to render the show. Of course, the 3/4 split also shakes up the pacing and writing in a way that's... debatable. I still enjoy it but I know some don't. For music, we might just have different tastes, but its worth noting that the soundtracks have significantly more songs (and extended ones; pretty much only the season-end-credits songs play in full in the show).

As for the importance of Mirai Nikki, I guess I've just heard it brought up as a) a major source of popularity for the "Death game" genre/arc and b) Yuno Gasai as the ultimate archetype of the Yandere the way that Tohsaka Rin or Evangelion's Asuka get brought up for the Tsundere character type.

While I don't think the opposite is true, I do not agree with you at all. Gurren Lagann never "betrays" its themes, it's just that the tone changes significantly after [plot point]. It's always in service of the characters growing up, most notably Simon.





I honestly enjoyed the shadow-figures for background characters, because it solidly directs your eyes to the characters who are important in the scene. And to be fair, I can't help but be subtly impressed by how much they make CG work for them -- not that some animations and such couldn't be done in a more traditionally animated show, but I notice things like using the same "wolf cut in half" animation from different angles at different speeds with different protagonists and think "wow, that's really good use of the CG format". But I'm talking about how some animations are just clunky-looking, due to clipping, or improper timing, or other weirdness that comes from the low-budget CG they're making. As for the writing, I would imagine that Monty Oum's passing would have something to do with the shift.


Oh, I absolutely think it's my tastes. Most of the songs have a teenage punk-rock garageband feel that makes me think about Scott Pilgrim, and all the lyrics are very much directly related to what's happening in the scene or season. Both of these are matters of personal taste, but for the former, I don't really care for the genre, and for the latter, the lyrics end up being laid on a bit too thickly to the point it makes me think of fan-music rather than its own thing.


I can see that, especially in regards to b). But again, I haven't really, well, ever been plugged in to the anime community (such as it is), so whatever I may have heard is likely out-of-date to say the least.

So I literally just watched Galaxy Express 999 -- it was recommended by... I think it was either Mother's Basement or Anime Everyday, I can't remember now. Anyway, it was a well-done adventure story with a sci-fi aesthetic. I liked it, but it didn't blow me away.

Basically I decided to watch it this week so I could keep my word, then stay up late on Saturday to watch FLCL Progressive.

So, as I may have mentioned before, I tend to be watching two shows, an episode of each per day. I try to pick ones that are quite different. Right now that's Haruhi/Mirai Nikki but Haruhi is going to run out soon. For what I'm considering, opposite Mirai Nikki, one of Full Metal Panic, Flying Witch, or Clannad. Does anyone have experience with or opinions on any of those three?

Flying Witch is super comfy.

Having now finished season 5, I retract this statement. As with any big youtube show, it seems a majority of its fanbase is children or otherwise people who can't properly assess media properly and think that analyzing an epic before it's done is a great idea.

Finished Haruhi. It didn't exactly end strong (Note: I watched in chronological, not broadcast order) but I liked it throughout. Not loved it, or thought it was a masterpiece, but with the exception of one episode Haruhi herself nicely danced on the line between "Adorable" and "Brat" (And the point where she went over is acknowledged in-show as her crossing a pretty dark line). I even enjoyed the Endless Eight -- I don't feel like it drained too much sanity from me and while I do also understand why some people suggested to only watch the first and the last episodes of the arc, I'm kind of glad I went through the whole thing and experienced the time loop. I'm going to be tracking down the sequel movie all the same.

So, I finished Mirai Nikki. I'd say I enjoyed it? Yuno really made the show, and I liked her (as weird as it is to be rooting for the psychotic, axe-murdering stalker to achieve some form of happy ending) so I guess the show came together alright. The last few episodes were kind of hard, though.

I watched Redial as well -- I was informed that it was necessary to resolve the story and should have just been episode 27. I don't necessarily agree (I think the end and post-credits scene of 26 fill in what you NEED to know) but it was gratifying to see it and have a more accurate sense of how than "Something something murmur ate the core and turned into a phone charm". Also, to see all the assorted characters again. While everything hinged on Yuno, I did enjoy the brief glimpses of the other diary holders (and the friends) we got, so seeing them all again was... unnecessary, but appreciated.

Except maybe Akise. For some reason I really didn't care for him. Probably because of how damn smug he came off as in most of his interactions.

Minene, on the other hand, stole every scene she was in all the way to the end and beyond.


Current Lineup: Flying Witch & Full Metal Panic

So I finished Flying Witch. Like Mown said it was super comfy.

I also watched the Haruhi movie. I really liked it and feel like I should review it in more detail because it was, for me, something of a unique experience.

Current lineup: Full Metal Panic (for three more episodes) + Brynhildr in the Darkness

@Tevish Szat
Regarding Clannad, the first season pretty entertaining, with a decent amount of comedy and sweet moments. It ends digging deeper into drama, and I dropped it early season 2. My main complaint is that it is adapted from a game with routes for each girl, and the show sort of explores each one, and then abruptly chooses one of them as the canon route. I would recommend watching the first season or slightly less. A better show by the same creators is Kanon, which has a lot of similar elements, but put together more solidly.


Some shows I've been watching:
Hisone to Masotan
A socially awkward woman in the Japanese airforce ends up being compatible with a dragon kept in a remote hangar. It's pretty cute and sweet, and has a lot of.likeable.characters.

Hinamatsuri
A psychic preteen appears in a corporate Yakuza's apartment. They slowly get used to each other, and help each other out with their respective problems. There are a decent amount of Terminator references. Of special note, two side characters show up that begin with pretty standard characterization, but develop into arguably the best characters of the show. All in all, pretty funny with some genuinely touching moments.

Darlings in the Franxx succeeded to disappoint. Two terrible episodes (the picture book flashback and the Werner flashback) revealed the great mystery. The solution to the mystery was that they put 0 effort into worldbuilding. We are given laziest possible answers to any question you might have about the world of Franxx. Not only are they boring and cliche but they make no sense either. Watching the previous episode I was a little disappointed to realize there was still one more episode to go. Hopefully they at least deliver on some spectacle for the finale.

I watched some stuff over the past several months:

Kill la Kill: Amazing, would recommend. The OVA at the end was clumsily executed, but I don't think the show could really be "complete" without it.

Girls' last tour: I love the atmosphere of this. It's like moe dark souls.

BNHA: It's shounen alright. Not the most compelling plot, but by shounen standards, it's ahead of the curve even. Some of the characters have reasonably developed motivations, although the villains really don't, and there's not as much character development as I'd like. The superpowers are pretty inventive at least.

Nichijou: I love the character designs.

Konosuba is pretty amazing. It does the whole starting life over in an rpg world, but instead of being a power fantasy, it's a comedy based around the main cast's ineptness. Half their quests end with them becoming indebted and having to explain their way out of awkward situations. They cause a good deal of the problems they are tasked with solving.
The party:
Kazuma: A boy from our world reincarnated into what he hoped would be a grand adventure. The sanest and most intelligent member of the party. He can't seem to figure out how to quit when he's ahead. Employing dirty tricks to compensate for his lack of strength and exploiting any advantage he can find has earned him a bad reputation. Unceasingly bitter and lazy.
Aqua: When Kazuma was reincarnated he was allowed to ask for one boon to aid him on his quest. He pettily chose the capricious goddess who laughed at the stupid way in which he died. It was a bad choice. While theoretically the most powerful member of the party, she is unable to put her skills to good use. She once tried to bring Kazuma a crate to stand on so he could reach the window in jail. Unable to fit the crate through the bars she walked to the front of the jail and asked one of the guards to deliver it to him. Her stupidity has proven fatal at least once.
She demands to be treated as a goddess, but everyone just thinks she's a lunatic. She makes unreasonable demands of the party and turns into a sobbing wreck whenever things go the wrong way for her. Easily the dumbest party member, nearly the laziest, the foundest of drinking and the worst with money.
Megumin: A young wizard(ess) with an ego problem. She can only cast a single spell- explosion. While it's the most powerful weapon the party has, it's illegal in urban areas, suicidal in dungeons and a single casting depletes the entirety of her mana.If not for her enormous ego and refusal to learn more useful skills, she could easily be the most competent member.
Darkness: The party tank. An extreme masochist who's perversion is repeatedly mistaken for chivalrous dedication. Her overarching goal in life is to suffer the worst fate possible. This causes even more problems than you'd think it would. Other than that
She should be the party's only melee damage dealer, but she wasn't able to land a single blow on an enemy until the second season.
Like Megumin, she could easily be the most valuable member of the party if she were just a little more sane.

Oh, wow, that's a bitter turnaround from previous. You know, I normally don't watch things until they're done, but after earlier comments I watched the first six episodes of Darling in the Franxx. So, I'm kind of curious -- let's play a game. With only the first six episodes to go on I'll make some predictions that seem lazy to me. The game is "how close did I get to the actual thing?" and "Did I manage to be lazier?" They'll build on one another it seems so I'll bold the

1) This isn't Earth.
2) This isn't an alternate earth or paralell dimension or fantasy world either; humanity is spacefaring.
3) the "Magma energy" that the Plantations harvest is world Lifestream -- the humans are really invaders killing this planet for the sake of their empire.
4) The Klaxxosaurs look mechanical, so actually they are -- they're mechas piloted (at least for the most part, the really tiny ones could be drones) by the native life of this world to defend their planet against the invading humans.
5) Like seriously all those cores that need to get speared are pilot pods.
6) Zero Two is literally a human/native halfbreed. They are that human-like.
7) Dr. Franxx is her dad. He's also a reasonable/good human who wanted peace when it was learned this planet had intelligent life but for some reason he's forced to be part of the military/industrial complex.
8) The other adults are overcompensatingly evil and it's made clear they'd want to exterminate the natives even if there was no Magma energy at stake.
9) The last arc will pit the main characters mostly against their High Command. To keep the world from getting killed. Maybe they need to let humanity know what's here that the military has been keeping secret, or maybe they'll totally defect like bloody Avatar, either way works.
10) Feels a bit sad at nine predictions so here's a bonus: Ichigo neither gets over Hiro nor ever gets any closer to 'winning'.

Would it be spoiling anything to say that one or more of your predictions is wrong... but which one(s) is/are it?
SPOILERS You probably don't actually want to read.

If I really cared for proper spoilers I'm sure there's a tvtropes page or something, but...

Screw it, I liked the first six episodes, I'll pencil it in for future watching. I'll just be prepared for Steven King levels of letdown.

Finished Full Metal Panic (a bit ago, actually). I enjoyed it, and might look into the continuations of the story. Current lineup is Brynhildr in the Darkness + Toradora! Brynhildr (5 episodes in) is absolutely fascinating but the villains fail so much of the Evil Overlord List so dramatically hard that I can't help but feel that this story is going to lose it somewhere along the line. Toradora! (3 episodes in) has so far been really fun. I was kind of promised a Romantic Comedy that even people who don't normally like RomComs (me, most of the time) can enjoy and so far it's delivered. I like that even though the setup gives me metatext reasons to believe Taiga and Ryuji are ultimately going to get together, the show is actually working on developing and giving honest, likable personalities to the characters that those two have crushes on. It also helps that most of the comedy seems to be rooted in classic slapstick and the zanier end of character comedy rather than in cringe-worthy awkward moments that are somehow supposed to be funny. I feel some trepidation given the current pacing, though, at the fact it goes on for 25 episodes.

Did you guys watch Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann?