Television The Caf' Anime Thread

[Twigg]

Yeah. Having dropped it, I'm just finding it difficult to restart this.

Currently progressing through Gin Tama now. Lovely series!

From memory I don't think it jumped up a level for me until a bit after the Alabasta arc. I think the Skypia arc was where I started to really enjoy it? And it got better from there. Also, I don't think there is a major worldbuilding episode until 150+ and those episodes are simply amazing in my opinion, they really draw you in to the happenings of the one piece world. Actually, they're probably what first bumped the series up a level for me, but then I'm a sucker for worldbuilding.

Doesn't sound like you're too keen on continuing One Piece anyhow so I'll just leave it here.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Doesn't sound like you're too keen on continuing One Piece anyhow so I'll just leave it here.

I go through it in phases. Spend a couple of months binge watching and the go into withdrawal and just watch random reruns for couple of months Currently in withdrawal phase. Will pick it up sooner or later.

 

[R.N7]

I can understand thinking that the first 50 episodes are slow but around episode 80 it's perfectly paced. How bizarre.

For all of OP's wacther, do you watch Sub version or Dub version? Maybe because i'm an Asian i much prefer Sub version because stay true to original version of it makes it more fun to watch. I cant get passed one episode when watch dub version tbh.

Always subbed, dubbing just sounds so cheesy and formulaic with a lot of Japanese nuances getting lost in the process.

 

[Rasendori]

Attack on Titan Season 3 starts 22nd July

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Attack on Titan Season 3 starts 22nd July

How was Season 2?

 

[Rasendori]

How was Season 2?

Season 2 wasn't vociferously promoted by thousands to the extent of Season 1. That is partially down to the exuberant length of time it took for Season 2 to be released, the conspicuous reaction of S1 invariably led to a portion of detractors to arbitrarily voice their critique. The OST really encapsulates the mood, so there's continuity in that regard. Conversely, the season is considerably shorter than Season 1, and there was a paucity of action from the MVP (D.L). That was somewhat disappointing considering the way he went about his business with consummate ease in S1, although it left room for other characters to grow into prominence. This was certainly apparent in the first half of the season, as the protagonist was a peripheral figure. The plot had substantially more dialogue,filled with a plethora of plot twists creating a sense of ambiguity. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but preferred S1.

 

[Twigg]

feck me, One Piece...

On another note, I should stop reading the pre-release spoilers because I'm ruining it for myself if only a little bit every fecking week.

 

[vangagal]

feck me, One Piece...

On another note, I should stop reading the pre-release spoilers because I'm ruining it for myself if only a little bit every fecking week.

Hold your breath. This year is gonna be on another level story by Oda.

 

[R.N7]

The end game is truly upon us.

 

[vangagal]

Shanks. I cant fecking wait but we must wait another 10 years more or less. Classic Oda

 

[Twigg]

The end game is truly upon us.

Come on, don't be saying that.

 

[Invictus]

Whew, just read 907 — what a time to be alive...Reverie is shaping up as my favorite arc since Zou. Don't even know where we are headed with all the foreshadowing and cliffhangers!

Spoiler

Akainu being a tad bit wary of Wano's samurai, Garp and “Rocks” — which sounds mega-threatening if Linlin and Kaido form an alliance vs. Luffy, Lucci the disappointing lapdog, and Shanks being Shanks with all the mysteriousness?

#twat

Is Oda the best mangaka storyteller of this era? Close to 2 decades...and he just keeps throwing all these curveballs.

 

[Rasendori]

@Invictus @The Taurean @GifLord Have you read the latest chapter of Tower of God?

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Any place that can download the previous OP manga?

 

[Invictus]

@Invictus @The Taurean @GifLord Have you read the latest chapter of Tower of God?

Unfortunately not — having drastically cut down on my manga/manhwa intake, I haven't followed Tower of God since S2 Ep. 280-ish.

 

[Invictus]

Any place that can download the previous OP manga?

Check your PM inbox!

 

[vangagal]

This new one got even better. We forgot Gorosei is still here and not just a sidekick. Unfeckingbelievable. OP is truly the best manga ever out there.

 

[Twigg]

This new one got even better. We forgot Gorosei is still here and not just a sidekick. Unfeckingbelievable. OP is truly the best manga ever out there.

Mindblowing stuff, like what the feck.

 

[Invictus]

 

[Twigg]

Spoiler: one piece chapter 908

Is anyone else getting Fullmetal Alchemist Father-like vibes from this Im character? If they are the endgame character, I'm so glad that Oda has waited until now to introduce them. Can't decide if they're a he or a she either.

I guess the three major events between now and the end will be:

1. The war at Wano in which, if the recent chapters are anything to go by, Big Mom and Kaido will both probably be involved, with one of the emperors being taken down at Wano and perhaps the other at Elbaf.
2. Luffy versus Blackbeard for the One Piece, not really sure what to speculate about this.
   
3. The Final War - Rayleigh said something along the lines of Roger and his crew deciding not to go to war with the world government after finding out the true history, but that Luffy and co., might arrive at a different conclusion. I think whatever action Im performs during the Reverie will be the deciding factor that will prompt Luffy to go to war with the world government once he is Pirate King, taking the opposite path to Roger. This is going to be the war which will engulf the world as Whitebeard put it, and where Luffy's ability to make allies, which Mihawk said to be the most dangerous ability on the seas, will really come to light, when he will lead a pirate army as their king. Perhaps all the allies he'll have made on the way, from Crocodile to Katakuri, will aid them in this world war.

Any thoughts or further speculations @Invictus @R.N7 & people I'm forgetting?

 

[Art]

Im a bit behind but I'm really enjoying Dressrosa Arc. 'Mingo's a great villain. Do the subsequent arcs get better or worse ?

EDIT : Also do any of you collect One Piece Figurines ?

 

[Twigg]

Im a bit behind but I'm really enjoying Dressrosa Arc. 'Mingo's a great villain. Do the subsequent arcs get better or worse ?

EDIT : Also do any of you collect One Piece Figurines ?

A lot of people complained about Dressrosa arc with it being so long, but I really liked it too. I thought the arcs following it were better though.

 

[R.N7]

Spoiler: one piece chapter 908

Is anyone else getting Fullmetal Alchemist Father-like vibes from this Im character? If they are the endgame character, I'm so glad that Oda has waited until now to introduce them. Can't decide if they're a he or a she either.

I guess the three major events between now and the end will be:

1. The war at Wano in which, if the recent chapters are anything to go by, Big Mom and Kaido will both probably be involved, with one of the emperors being taken down at Wano and perhaps the other at Elbaf.
2. Luffy versus Blackbeard for the One Piece, not really sure what to speculate about this.
   
3. The Final War - Rayleigh said something along the lines of Roger and his crew deciding not to go to war with the world government after finding out the true history, but that Luffy and co., might arrive at a different conclusion. I think whatever action Im performs during the Reverie will be the deciding factor that will prompt Luffy to go to war with the world government once he is Pirate King, taking the opposite path to Roger. This is going to be the war which will engulf the world as Whitebeard put it, and where Luffy's ability to make allies, which Mihawk said to be the most dangerous ability on the seas, will really come to light, when he will lead a pirate army as their king. Perhaps all the allies he'll have made on the way, from Crocodile to Katakuri, will aid them in this world war.

Any thoughts or further speculations @Invictus @R.N7 & people I'm forgetting?

Spoiler

I instantly got a Father/Black Zetsu/Kagura vibe from it, not really sure what I feel about it tbh. I'm hoping that One Piece doesn't end with a big apocalyptic space event finale like every other anime.

Never felt like Blackbeard would end up being the final villain, can see him and Luffy teaming up after fighting each other.

The fact that Im's eye looks just like Mihawk's might be an important detail.

 

[Invictus]

Spoiler: one piece chapter 908

Is anyone else getting Fullmetal Alchemist Father-like vibes from this Im character? If they are the endgame character, I'm so glad that Oda has waited until now to introduce them. Can't decide if they're a he or a she either.

I guess the three major events between now and the end will be:

1. The war at Wano in which, if the recent chapters are anything to go by, Big Mom and Kaido will both probably be involved, with one of the emperors being taken down at Wano and perhaps the other at Elbaf.
2. Luffy versus Blackbeard for the One Piece, not really sure what to speculate about this.
   
3. The Final War - Rayleigh said something along the lines of Roger and his crew deciding not to go to war with the world government after finding out the true history, but that Luffy and co., might arrive at a different conclusion. I think whatever action Im performs during the Reverie will be the deciding factor that will prompt Luffy to go to war with the world government once he is Pirate King, taking the opposite path to Roger. This is going to be the war which will engulf the world as Whitebeard put it, and where Luffy's ability to make allies, which Mihawk said to be the most dangerous ability on the seas, will really come to light, when he will lead a pirate army as their king. Perhaps all the allies he'll have made on the way, from Crocodile to Katakuri, will aid them in this world war.

Any thoughts or further speculations @Invictus @R.N7 & people I'm forgetting?

Spoiler

Truth be told, even though I'm looking forward to what Oda has in store with Im, I'm not super pleased about the development from the standpoint of him being some sort of overpowered endgame antagonist — mostly because One Piece is supposed to be more of a slow-burning adventure and world-building manga with deep roots than a generic shōnen with insane power-escalation and one climactic omnipotent entity who's been inserted into the story. Especially considering he's being introduced now — after 2 whole decades, and isn't part of the One Piece fabric. Even in say Naruto, I'd have preferred a long-standing character who's woven into the lore than Kaguya as the Big-Bad (Griffiths from Berserk is more along the lines of the former, and marvelously executed). A lot of interesting theories floating around regarding him, though...

e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/OnePiece/comments/8rc05o/chapter_908_theories_with_reference_to_japanese/

As for Blackbeard, I'd much rather he squared off vs. Hiken no Sabo. While I love the Strawhats and them getting extended panel-time, they shouldn't be fighting almost every single antagonistic Yonko — as well as the World Government. Plus, he never really struck me as a suitable final villain because while he's devious and has close to no moral code, and is in some ways the polar opposite of Luffy — who's still very naive, he really lacks the commanding aura of the likes of Roger and Whitebeard at their peak, or even Kaido — plus, it's hard to take him seriously when a looot of his power is externally derived from the Yami Yami no Mi and Gura Gura no Mi.

Wrt. the Final War, I really like the idea of folks rallying around Luffy against the World Government and whoever opposes him as the Pirate King — seems like a really organic course of acton. Though looking at things right now in terms of power-scaling...I can't quite see how the World Government is going to contain the Pirate King, his crew (including the two monsters) and Grand Fleet, the Red Hair Pirates — who'll definitely support the successor of Roger, Dragon and Sabo, etc. unless they collude with Blackbeard (maybe feed him more fruits), and monopolize the Ancient Weapons. Maybe that's why Oda has introduced Im — to tip the balance in favor of the World Government and create extra tension.

 

[Twigg]

Spoiler

Good points both and I'm actually with you on your scepticisms of this Im character. It does indeed feel like as a godlike character he would be tainting the essence of One Piece. Couldn't put it into better words than you have Invictus, I think a Reddit post from earlier today did well in highlighting how the power scaling in One Piece sets it apart from other shonen manga (https://www.reddit.com/r/OnePiece/comments/8rizu8/jump_force_really_high_lights_why_one_piece_has/), and I fear that if Oda were to take the Father route that it would stop feeling like the fun, unique adventure we know to be this series, and start feeling like a shounen.

Re., your last paragraph invictus, you've raised a good point about the government struggling to contain all of these pirate entities. Oda has always played the long game with the majority of the major antagonists so it feels odd and out of character that he would introduce this character so late on, so perhaps it is as you say, and maybe the result of a revelation when he realised he was making piratekind too powerful so had to find a way to shoehorn Im into the story to tip the balance.

 

[Invictus]

Anyone read the manga Kingdom? I'm at chapter 52 right now and it's freaking awesome

Necrobump! Planning on starting it over the weekend after stumbling across this video — I'm hoping it's as full of political and strategic intrigue as the reviews would have you believe.

 

[Twigg]

Necrobump! Planning on starting it over the weekend after stumbling across this video — I'm hoping it's as full of political and strategic intrigue as the reviews would have you believe.

I stopped around chapter 100 I think. It is indeed full of all that goodness, although being only 1/5 the way through I am unsure if I even scraped the surface in that regard. Let me know how you like it when you pass me.

 

[Rasendori]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

 

[Invictus]

Wano, finally!

Spoiler

Zoro's Mihawk-esque knife slash
Was Whitebeard also in Rocks?
Doctor Marco

 

[Twigg]

Wano, finally!

Spoiler

Zoro's Mihawk-esque knife slash
Was Whitebeard also in Rocks?
Doctor Marco

Oda has stepped up his art game for Wano, that Zoro panel, so elegantly orgasmic...

Spoiler

Also,

Spoiler

A red herring, or was Whitebeard in Rocks? Fitting name for the pirates if so. Imagine their captain, jeeze.

 

[Invictus]

Also,

Spoiler

A red herring, or was Whitebeard in Rocks? Fitting name for the pirates if so. Imagine their captain, jeeze.

Yep, that's exactly what I was thinking as well.

Spoiler

The timelines kinda line up so it all fits together quite nicely. Then again, Oda has a propensity for sending the readers on a wild goose chase, so you never know. Whitebeard and Bakkin (and even Shakki) could've even been on a lesser rival crew — one that didn't quite match up with Rocks in terms of sheer power at the time. Wonder where Roger, Rayleigh, Shiki and co. fit into this.

Also, this frame might be of interest further down the line considering Oda drops a lot of random clues:

Spoiler

Who are those kids behind Whitebeard? The snarling, funky-browed, one to the left looks suspiciously like Kaido — but the hair color schemes don't match.

And far right is grovelling like Oda's template for young Blackbeard:

Maybe that's Teach's father/uncle/cousin?

It's early days but in terms of storytelling and world building, Wano is very likely to surpass Water 7 and Enies Lobby and Sabaody Archipelago — there's just sooooo much potential for Oda to aggressively resolve outstanding issues and weave his magic. Definitely agree with the art bit as well — some of it looks absolutely mesmerizing.

 

[Invictus]

On an unrelated note, I stumbled upon the dubbed version of Luffy's “Baka Song”, and it kinda reinforces a previous point about the original/sub being more quirky and nuanced and fun...

Spoiler

Too bad the third verse was cut short!

 

[Twigg]

Yep, that's exactly what I was thinking as well.

Spoiler

The timelines kinda line up so it all fits together quite nicely. Then again, Oda has a propensity for sending the readers on a wild goose chase, so you never know. Whitebeard and Bakkin (and even Shakki) could've even been on a lesser rival crew — one that didn't quite match up with Rocks in terms of sheer power at the time. Wonder where Roger, Rayleigh, Shiki and co. fit into this.

Also, this frame might be of interest further down the line considering Oda drops a lot of random clues:

Spoiler

Who are those kids behind Whitebeard? The snarling, funky-browed, one to the left looks suspiciously like Kaido — but the hair color schemes don't match.

And far right is grovelling like Oda's template for young Blackbeard:

Maybe that's Teach's father/uncle/cousin?

It's early days but in terms of storytelling and world building, Wano is very likely to surpass Water 7 and Enies Lobby and Sabaody Archipelago — there's just sooooo much potential for Oda to aggressively resolve outstanding issues and weave his magic. Definitely agree with the art bit as well — some of it looks absolutely mesmerizing.

Yeah. I mean in terms of buildup alone, it looks like Wano will definitely surpass all three of those. Was it Oda's editor who suggested Wano will be bigger and better than Marineford? Which might not happen, but we can at least expect it to be brutally epic. If the art is anything to go by, it seems like Oda is feeling uber passionate about Wano.

 

[vangagal]

On an unrelated note, I stumbled upon the dubbed version of Luffy's “Baka Song”, and it kinda reinforces a previous point about the original/sub being more quirky and nuanced and fun...

Spoiler

Too bad the third verse was cut short!

That Baka Song really take the cake in original version. No way you would enjoy the dub version whatsoever.

On storyline topic, i wouldnt be surprise if Kaido, Big Mom and Shirohige was in same ship back then.

 

[Yagami]

I think today's the day I return to some anime. Haven't watched any in probably over a year. Not because I lost interest, just life took over and there was other stuff to watch as well.

I think I'm going to return to One Piece and start Naruto. If I remember correctly, I was up to the part where Luffy and co were on their way to face Crocodile.

 

[Invictus]

I think today's the day I return to some anime. Haven't watched any in probably over a year. Not because I lost interest, just life took over and there was other stuff to watch as well.

I think I'm going to return to One Piece and start Naruto. If I remember correctly, I was up to the part where Luffy and co were on their way to face Crocodile.

Nice! Alabasta is probably the first genuinely good arc in One Piece as regards world building (as I keep telling EAP) — and Luffy vs. Crocodile is one of the real highlights of the show — though it does move on to significantly better things with ol' Croc being the tip of the iceberg (hope I didn't spoil anything there).

Ooh, and One Piece turned 21 today:

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

P.S. Naruto is quite good as well — though it does lose most of its steam after a certain point, as opposed to One Piece: which goes from strength to strength.

 

[celia]

There are lot of filler episodes in Naruto.

I still have to convince myself to finish reading Naruto but it is hard, especially knowing it doesn't really improve from the part I gave up and the final fate of a character considering his past was awful in my opinion.

I haven't watched any anime for a while though I know what past anime I want to see first. But I will watch the season 3 of Code Geass.

 

[Yagami]

Nice! Alabasta is probably the first genuinely good arc in One Piece as regards world building (as I keep telling EAP) — and Luffy vs. Crocodile is one of the real highlights of the show — though it does move on to significantly better things with ol' Croc being the tip of the iceberg (hope I didn't spoil anything there).

Ooh, and One Piece turned 21 today:

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

P.S. Naruto is quite good as well — though it does lose most of its steam after a certain point, as opposed to One Piece: which goes from strength to strength.

Damn, 21 and still going strong. Very impressive!

I'm still trying to figure out whether to watch the English dub or original Japanese for both Naruto and One Piece. I know the majority here will say original, but I've never really had a problem with any dub bar the original Hunter X Hunter. I'm 100 eps into One Piece with the dub so I'm thinking of sticking with that, but Naruto is the tricky one. I think I'll give both a shot for the first few eps and then carry on with whichever sounds better.

I never really fancied Naruto but I've had clips of it pop up in my suggested videos on YouTube and I did like the look of it. The horrors I've heard of Shippuden admittedly put me off, too.

One thing that puts me off One Piece is, after the time skip, Nami's design. Such an awful, fan-servicey, eyesore. Plus the animation seems to get worse, but I only hear good things about the story itself so that's why I'm sticking with it. Still, it is off-putting for me.

There are lot of filler episodes in Naruto.

I still have to convince myself to finish reading Naruto but it is hard, especially knowing it doesn't really improve from the part I gave up and the final fate of a character considering his past was awful in my opinion.

I haven't watched any anime for a while though I know what past anime I want to see first. But I will watch the season 3 of Code Geass.

Yeah, I've heard all about the filler when it comes to Naruto. One of the reasons I never really fancied it until now. I don't think all filler is bad, though - I liked pretty much all of Dragon Ball Z's filler.

 

[Invictus]

My biggest gripe with Naruto, aside from the anime fillers, was that it transitioned from a ninja adventure/espionage tale to a stereotypical combat shōnen (especially towards the second half of Shippuden). Haku/Zabuza arc, Shonen Exam etc. were so good precisely because Kishimito struck the perfect balance in terms of storytelling and power-scaling while evoking classic ninja iconography — and a significant portion of Part I was almost as good as Hunter x Hunter. But somewhere along the line, he chucked all of those principles out of the window, and apart from exceptions like Shikamaru vs. you know who, started creating generic plot-devices and characters that, in terms of lore, were grotesquely in-your-face — the antithesis of shinobi operating in shadows, steeped in mystery. Plus, Kishimoto's neverending boner for the Uchihas and random eye-powers is rather off-putting.

Damn, 21 and still going strong. Very impressive!

I'm still trying to figure out whether to watch the English dub or original Japanese for both Naruto and One Piece. I know the majority here will say original, but I've never really had a problem with any dub bar the original Hunter X Hunter. I'm 100 eps into One Piece with the dub so I'm thinking of sticking with that, but Naruto is the tricky one. I think I'll give both a shot for the first few eps and then carry on with whichever sounds better.

I never really fancied Naruto but I've had clips of it pop up in my suggested videos on YouTube and I did like the look of it. The horrors I've heard of Shippuden admittedly put me off, too.

One thing that puts me off One Piece is, after the time skip, Nami's design. Such an awful, fan-servicey, eyesore. Plus the animation seems to get worse, but I only hear good things about the story itself so that's why I'm sticking with it. Still, it is off-putting for me.

Yes! Nami had a fairly innocent and regular-girl look prior to Fishman Island saga — which is something I dug because One Piece is otherwise full of unrealistic bodies and perverted, gravity-defying, boobagery (is that a real word?) Dislike Tashigi's post-timeskip designs as well (for similar reasons), and also, Franky (no more “Ace Ventura”).

Wrt. the sub vs. dub bit, I really think you should switch over to the sub in One Piece — dub is quite good in its own right, but having tried both, I think the original voices are different gravy.

 

[Yagami]

Exactly, @Invictus ! Her design was fine as was. I'm sure I'll get used to her current one but it was just so unnecessary. Also, if "boobagery" isn't a word, it definitely should be.

There's three reasons I'm thinking of switching to sub. First being that, in the dub, whenever Usopp or Sanji talk, I just hear Trunks and Krillin in my head. Second being all the praise the original voice acting gets. And third being that obviously the dub isn't up to date so I'd have to eventually switch anyway. Still, I have enjoyed the dub so far so I really don't know.

After a couple of HxH mentions, I just had to get off my chest how disappointed I was that, after the exam, Kurapika and especially Leorio faded away into more supporting characters. It's one of the reasons I never finished it.