The Old School Otaku Lounge

Karasu Tengu Kabuto (39 episode TV series + an OVA)

500 years ago in the Tensho Era of Japan, a man was born who defied the will of a demon; a man who had gods of good on his side; a man destined to battle evil....his name was Kabuto. Somehow, Kuroyasya Douki, the vile Black Night Demon, escaped his prison in hell and returned to the earthly plane to wreak vengeance on the family-line of Kabuto. None can escape his deadly magic and masterful skills with the blade; however, the gods of the North, West, East, and South band together to help Kabuto stand for Justice. With the questionable help of a diabolical talking sword that his own father forged, Kabuto may live another day to see his own sons born....

myanimelist.net/anime/2243/Karasu_Tengu_Kabuto

Just finished episode 1. It seems to be very straight forward but has a unique world and some really interesting aesthetic/design choices. As I'm a sucker for really hyperviolent anime with a strong sense of machismo, I'm glad to have stumbled into this - although the quality in which this is available in is a sad state. Too obscure to ever get rescued for a high definition re-release.

The anime I'm planning to finally watch next is Dai-Guard. I'll save that for March, since March is going to be March-Monsterverse-Madness with both a Godzilla vs Kong movie, Godzilla Singular Point anime, and Pacific Rim Black anime all coming out a few weeks apart.

Ergo Proxy--the first 10 episodes or so are kind of a dreary slog (with dreary visuals), but the show really picks up after that with a series of truly unique episodes and a more varied tone to the series, while staying consistent to its overall atmosphere.

llj wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 11:07 am Ergo Proxy--the first 10 episodes or so are kind of a dreary slog (with dreary visuals), but the show really picks up after that with a series of truly unique episodes and a more varied tone to the series, while staying consistent to its overall atmosphere.

I enjoyed the drearier episodes over the whimsical ones but great series overall, lots substance and beautifully illustrated/designed.

Elytron Frass wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:44 pm
I enjoyed the drearier episodes over the whimsical ones but great series overall, lots substance and beautifully illustrated/designed.

It depended on how it was handled. I think the regular storyline of the proxy conspiracy stuff was sort of a pastiche of many, better sci-fi films and novels I've seen in the past (Gattaca, Blade Runner, I Robot, etc etc), not to mention countless video games, so the off kilter stuff stood out more to me. That being said, the best episode I've seen up to where I am now near th eend was the episode where they were stuck on the wind ship doing nothing but waiting and getting on each other's nerves.

Watched a couple hours of Marmalade Boy sacked out on the couch yesterday - watched the movie and went back to catching up on the TV series. The movie was really accessible for someone who is still in the first third of the TV series despite being released after the TV series. Yuu comes off a little creepy but that reaction might change as I progress through the series. Despite Toei's notoriety for cutting corners on TV animation, they sure can make a great looking film.

Watching Himuto! Umaru-Chan on a whim because im getting ideas AMV wise from the anime. I hope she changes or something. Dub wise I think its handled very well, the VA for the main girl is doing a pretty good job so far. That's kinda all I got.

Drew_Sutton wrote: ↑Thu Feb 04, 2021 6:51 am Watched a couple hours of Marmalade Boy sacked out on the couch yesterday - watched the movie and went back to catching up on the TV series. The movie was really accessible for someone who is still in the first third of the TV series despite being released after the TV series. Yuu comes off a little creepy but that reaction might change as I progress through the series. Despite Toei's notoriety for cutting corners on TV animation, they sure can make a great looking film.

is the Marmalade Boy movie an original story or just a recap film?

llj wrote: ↑Fri Feb 05, 2021 6:16 am is the Marmalade Boy movie an original story or just a recap film?

It's a little of both - it tells the story of the first couple episodes (parents swapping partners and the impact on their families) from the perspective of male protagonist Yuu, as opposed to female protagonist Miki. I'd dare say that you really only need the first TV episode to comprehend and appreciate the movie, but probably having seen the first four or five episodes you might have a better understanding of the characters. I'm still around episode 21 out of 76, so who knows, the TV series might explore this perspective already or take some wild turn that would make the movie wildly out of character.

I still have the first Marmalade Boy DVD set that was put out by Tokyopop...I never did complete it though. I guess the discotek release is an option, but I don't love the series enough (I do like the series, just not love it) to put it on the immediate buy list either.

It's streaming on Crunchyroll now, too! https://www.crunchyroll.com/marmalade-boy