Comments on: Five shows you should be watching

By: For the love of Twenty Faces (pt 1 of 2) « Claiming Ground

For the love of Twenty Faces (pt 1 of 2) « Claiming Ground — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:59:03 +0000

[...] poor reception, didn’t bother. Anyway, over time I became aware that it had quite a few fans, so I gave it a chance, and was well rewarded. Having failed to write about Twenty Faces at the [...]

By: otou-san

otou-san — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:06:32 +0000

@issa that was my purpose, I see a lot of blogs covering the same stuff, and LeDouche is wearing on me.

@Fantod I've been so vehemently defending A&L that I now have a hard time going back for fear of looking like a wuss. The truth is, it's been weak for this whole arc.

@Riex right on, I'm guessing there won't be as much of that as she gets older, but hopefully she stays clever and fun.

@Baka-Raptor a-ha, the truth comes out. I never actually said that anime needs no plot; I really require one. I just question attacking Kure-nai's plot when Sunrise is out there driving Mack trucks through their really thin concoctions.

By: Baka-Raptor

Baka-Raptor — Sat, 31 May 2008 23:33:16 +0000

I picked up a lot of losers this season. Initially I was watching none of the shows you listed. I may have to clean off the shelf and start anew. Except for Kamen no Maid Guy. And Kure-nai.

By: Fantod

Fantod — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:22:33 +0000

I agree completely with this list, but have come to like A & L less and less. The fast plot arc pace is a nice change from a lot of anime, but unlike, say, Utawarerumono, where the local boss gets pwned almost immediately, then moves on to battle an king, A & L finds a major cultural treasure, ending centuries of war, and doesn’t actually get to the next level. Instead, they get lost in the snow. Then taxi a girl around.
I like your take on RD’s many otherwise inexplicable panty shots.

By: Riex

Riex — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:25:19 +0000

Chiko (I’m calling it that ’cause I’m lazy) has been incredibly entertaining so far. I can’t pin point what it is about the show that I enjoy so much. It could be the classic feel the show gives off, but I’m putting more money on Chiko herself. She appears to be an innocent kid tagging along with a group of ruffians, but at the drop of a hat she whips out that devious smile and a “you shouldn’t have written me off as harmless”.

By: issa-sa

issa-sa — Wed, 28 May 2008 08:26:19 +0000

Kaiba I told myself I’ll watch at least to the second episode, but never got to it thanks to the boatload of shows on my plate currently (same excuse for not touching RD, plus RD reeks of sci-fi-this-brain-is-unable-to-fathom-nor-enjoy). Still a loyal fan of A&L, Kure-nai, and even 20 Faces (despite my intention to not watch past the first episode, it’s hooked me ever since the 2nd :P) It’s always inevitable that attention is skewed towards and away from certain series at any time, so it’s great to have someone highlight those from the latter end.

By: Nagato

Nagato — Sat, 24 May 2008 02:15:44 +0000

I’ve heard nothing but good things about all these shows. (Exception of Allison to Lillia. I watch that one, I don’t need to hear good things.)
Kure-nai and Kaiba are on the to-do list. Real Drive was one that I wanted to watch but then somehow completely missed when it came out. Nijuu was dropped by my co-blogger because he was like ‘zomg where’s my supernatural, b’awww’
As usual, I’ll probably hit these good series once the season is over.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:36:23 +0000

Was that a subtle recommendation, then?

By: otou-san

otou-san — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:37:11 +0000

@blissmo Clearly, you are the target demographic for this post.

@newgeekphilosopher There is no word so far of Kaiba being licensed anywhere. Mid-season licenses are not incredibly common; I think last season only Shigofumi and True Tears got that treatment, and I have yet to hear about anything this season (Geass being a sequel, it’s almost guaranteed though).

As for where we get this stuff, it’s a magical world called the internet, a place where evil anime fans in the West take food out of poor anime companies’ families’ mouths by subtitling and downloading TV series that no on intends to sell over here anyway. We’re horrible people. I don’t really want to get into the fansub/piracy debate, it’s old as the hills, but here’s my brief take:

No one’s losing money if they don’t intend to make money. If I wait to see Kyouran Kazoku in an R1 DVD release, I will never see it.
I equate downloading a show that has yet to be (or may never be) licensed with downloading mp3 rips of long-out-of-print LPs, just temporally reversed, if you will.
If I read your bio right, fansubbing is a practice that’s older than you are, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. No, that doesn’t justify it, murder’s pretty old too ;). But I very much doubt the anime industry is going anywhere, either. It’s just going to have to modify itself like the music industry is slowly doing as well. I have faith: Gonzo’s efforts with Druaga and Rightstuf’s low-priced, fast-release sub-only DVDs like Aria seem to show that Japanese producers and western licensers are ready to address the changing times.

@lelangir A&L takes off a bit more after that, but it never really gets too flashy. They don’t spend an awful lot of time on Wil’s genius, although it seems like he must have a photographic memory or something.

@Jason It’s like I wrote that for you…

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 22 May 2008 11:48:43 +0000

“UPDATE: I just watched the newest episode, and enough people died to make even you degenerates happy.”

Where can I find this episode?!

(yes, I’m a degenerate. however, I am never happy.)