The Old School Otaku Lounge

I've been home the last couple of weeks helping my wife with the new baby and have been able to get some anime watching done (in addition to a really deep Netflix queue), which is a great perk!

I've given up on convincing my wife to try out Marmalade Boy; I figured she'd go for the melodrama but she thinks the whole Koishikawa-Matsuura arrangement too weird to get past, so she only got two episodes in and doesn't want to finish it. I got hooked on MB during the fansub days but missed the boat on getting the first DVD releases but I got the re-release of the series during a Discotek sale some time ago. Still working on episodes I watched a ton on my old tapes trying to refresh myself on the story and characters.

I've also just started Cat's Eye on Crunchyroll. Digging the premise and I love the adaptation of Hojo's art style.

But the one thing I've been really devouring lately is the Diskotek re-release of Great Teacher Onizuka: The Animation. I picked up the set during the same sale a while ago. This is actually the first time I'm watching the anime - I've only read one or two chapters of the manga but most of my knowledge of GTO comes from the 1998 live action stuff. Most of the early TV episodes have similar plot points to the drama (like episode 1 ending with Onizuka breaking down a wall in a student's home because her parents don't communicate anymore and him helping naive and bullied classmate Tomoko become an idol). I'm actually kinda surprised with how the TV drama tones down a lot of Onizuka's lechery and crudeness though - almost to the point that the anime adaptation becomes a turn off. At some point the anime evens out and tones some of that down; probably right around the point they introduce Kanzaki, which is a divergence from the TV drama (Kanzaki wasn't featured, as I remember). Also fun to see a Porno Graffiti song used in an anime before Fullmetal Alchemist. The discs themselves are probably the worst Discotek product I have: I feel like these are literally re-packaged TokyoPop discs (have TP credits and stuff in them and there are some interesting subtitle choices). Otherwise watchable though. I'm a little over half way through and gonna just get through the rest of the series.

I've noticed, as I've been using MyAnimeList again to keep track of where I am in certain shows that I have a really bad habit of starting stuff and never finishing it, so I am setting a goal for myself to do better about that.

Finally watching Space Dandy. Great animation and design...but I must say some episodes my focus tends to drift. It's largely a comedy, so if the joke and setups are good, it rocks. When it doesn't, the episodes just sort of slip from your mind.

llj wrote: ↑Fri Nov 30, 2018 9:59 am Finally watching Space Dandy. Great animation and design...but I must say some episodes my focus tends to drift. It's largely a comedy, so if the joke and setups are good, it rocks. When it doesn't, the episodes just sort of slip from your mind.

Yeah, I agree. Since the episodes are done by different people almost every time, you get a mixed bag. But when they're good, they're REALLY good.

Drew_Sutton wrote:But the one thing I've been really devouring lately is the Diskotek re-release of Great Teacher Onizuka: The Animation. I picked up the set during the same sale a while ago. This is actually the first time I'm watching the anime - I've only read one or two chapters of the manga but most of my knowledge of GTO comes from the 1998 live action stuff. Most of the early TV episodes have similar plot points to the drama (like episode 1 ending with Onizuka breaking down a wall in a student's home because her parents don't communicate anymore and him helping naive and bullied classmate Tomoko become an idol). I'm actually kinda surprised with how the TV drama tones down a lot of Onizuka's lechery and crudeness though - almost to the point that the anime adaptation becomes a turn off.

Finished GTO today - strong ending but the immediately preceding Okinawa story arc is a bit longer than it needs to be. In fact, I think that can be said pretty much for the series in general. 43 episodes of the anime did not give me proportionally more than the 12/13 episodes + movie of the TV drama did. Still a strong series and a high-ish score from me. Will probably want to talk about it on a podcast in the near future. Speaking of, I also watched some stuff for upcoming podcast reviews, but gonna keep those *~secret~* until the episodes drop.

Now to do maths on my MAL listings and figure out what I should start back up.

Finished Voltes V last night. Darn good tootin Robot Show. It was interesting to see how they humanized the Bozanian prince Zardos (thats what they called him in the filipino dub) which lead to a really emotional ending on his backstory. If you guys get the chance to get it from Discotek, i'd highly advise it.

Finished Psycho Pass s1. Liked it. A nice post-cyberpunk fix for those who miss GITS: SAC.

llj wrote: ↑Sat Dec 22, 2018 4:44 pm Finished Psycho Pass s1. Liked it. A nice post-cyberpunk fix for those who miss GITS: SAC.

I liked this show a lot, though I heard it goes downhill in season 2 cuz the original show runner left? So I've never seen the rest lol.

usamimi wrote: ↑Sun Dec 23, 2018 3:43 am I liked this show a lot, though I heard it goes downhill in season 2 cuz the original show runner left? So I've never seen the rest lol.

Yeah, that is the gist of it. The second season of Psycho Pass basically reharshed the first season, but it lacked that gravitas to make things more interesting.

Anyway, because of an ANN article, I have the urge to dig into Kare Kano. But what should I start with, the manga or the anime, because I've heard that they diverged in the plot.

usamimi wrote: ↑Sun Dec 23, 2018 3:43 am

llj wrote: ↑Sat Dec 22, 2018 4:44 pm Finished Psycho Pass s1. Liked it. A nice post-cyberpunk fix for those who miss GITS: SAC.

I liked this show a lot, though I heard it goes downhill in season 2 cuz the original show runner left? So I've never seen the rest lol.

I'll be moving on to the movie and S2 next so I guess I'll have to see for myself.

Fireminer wrote: ↑Sun Dec 23, 2018 6:13 am

usamimi wrote: ↑Sun Dec 23, 2018 3:43 am I liked this show a lot, though I heard it goes downhill in season 2 cuz the original show runner left? So I've never seen the rest lol.

Yeah, that is the gist of it. The second season of Psycho Pass basically reharshed the first season, but it lacked that gravitas to make things more interesting.

Anyway, because of an ANN article, I have the urge to dig into Kare Kano. But what should I start with, the manga or the anime, because I've heard that they diverged in the plot.

If you like shoujo manga, the manga is pretty good though it drags at times. The anime has its own charms & I remember really liking it but admittedly it's been YEARS since I last watched it lol. I'd say you could always try the anime & if you enjoy it maybe try the manga?