Not judging. And it was pleasant despite being muddled. If there are more, that could potentially alleviate the "fluffiness" of the first one by continuing to build out the world. I will go find them at some point. Also, I have discovered that there is more mushishi than mushishi. So good. ≡(^______^)≡
Ekuryua is a nice character. She rarely changes expression unless she is flying a ship. Found out today that one of my favorite manga, Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There, is getting an anime adaptation. I was initially overjoyed. Then I saw the promotional images for it and lost all hope for it to be any good.
If you are a fan of lean muscled girls beating the hell out of each other in MMA, try the manga Teppuu.
The three Banner of the Stars were a tremendous addition to Crest of the Stars. For some reason, the entire series reminds me a bit of the original Star Trek. The special effects look like they're from the 60s. Themes are muddled, alternating between silly-dumb and silly-romantic. Characters stop mid-battle for complex dialogues. Strong supporting characters aren't given the room to develop, but manage quite well despite being stifled. Diplomatic happenings are incredibly muddled and confusing. At times, I can't decide whether it transcends, critiques, or revels in stereotypes. It was endearing, though, in the same weird way as Shatner sometimes hits things perfectly, and the conclusions of parts II and III manage to achieve rather poetic flourishes. I was super-annoyed with Jinto for most of part II, but he's slowly improving and pathetic male leads are rare enough to provoke some interest simply by virtue of being pathetic. (Also, I think my subs had problems, as a couple of characters switched genders several times. There were also obvious references to previous quotes / people / events that didn't match. I also don't believe that Ekuryua was actually singing what the subs said during the battle in part III. >_<) Hmmm.... as a whole, Crest/Banner have definitely floated way up, but I'm not quite sure where. It still feels stunted and incomplete, but it did reach for and achieve fullness in a way that Crest alone does not. It's probably somewhere a little above Eve no Jikan, alongside Samurai Champloo, and tad below Haibane Remei at the moment. If the remainder is ever produced, I could see it fully maturing and floating all the way up next to Planetes. I shall also have to look into the original source material.
I have since completed Mushishi Zoku Shou, which was just as excellent as the first chapter. I also did Baccano!, which was very energetic, but rather unfortunately muddled and overflowing with underdeveloped characters. I'd have to rate it down near So Ra No Wo To. At present, I'm just beginning Natsume Yuujin-cho. It seems like a pleasant romp, akin to a slightly less-thoughtful and more-excitable Mushishi, perhaps with a little bit of Studio Ghibli's fantastical whimsy thrown in. It also has this guy, who has already earned a spot in the gallery of role-models memorable anime cats: Spoiler
I HATE PEPPA PIG! Not the character, but the inevitable snorting sounds that accompany and follow a viewing by my mini-me, who BTW is not quite 5 but has made it through a few SP adventures on his own (my build, his game play). I think the show has a few good traits but they have all been blocked out by the sound of snorting... But nothing is as bad as Caillou (even the spelling is annoying), it is not educational, it is not entertaining... okay sorry for my rant. I am a fan of Transformers Rescue Bots.
Personally I am very Western centric. I am a very long time fan of the Simpsons, Family Guy and South Park. While only South park is still at peak form (after a couple of periods of crap) I still enjoy all three for different reasons. The Simpsons are like old friends, Family Guy just has the reference humor that sucks me in and South Park is great at taking a meta look at things and pointing out some of the odd and ridiculous things about US culture and really does have an underlying message to a lot of it. I enjoyed the Clone Wars, not really feeling the new Star Wars animated series, but have only seen 2 or 3 episodes. My only Eastern influence (which since has been filtered through a Western lens) is Dragon Ball Z. I have watched enough of the original Dragon Ball to get Goku/Krillin/Bulma's early back story/relationship, but I am a still a big fan of the Z edition only. I think most people have had the chance to see for themselves... but what many haven't seen (or maybe they have and I am just lame) is Team Four Star's (TFS) DBZ parodys on YouTube. If you are a fan they are hilarious and a nice re-watching (the episodes cut out most of the "meanwhile" crap that no one cared about) of an old friend. They take episodes edit down to like 8-12 minute chunks and dub over the voices (with a few rare animated additions). Truly a "fan based parody" and the Krillin gets owned count is too perfect for words. If you like or are even familiar with DBZ check it out on YouTube should not be hard to find.
There are anime that are very western styled. The Big O is one of them since the team that animated it also animated Batman: The Animated series.
There are literally tons of western styled anime, in fact... there's one running right now: 'Kekkai Sensen' also known as Blood Blockade Battlefront published by Dark Horse Comics. The very same publisher of Sin City.
Finished up all four seasons of Natsume Yuujin-cho. It was quite pleasant. It felt mellow / incomplete, in the way that Mushishi isn't really trying to go anywhere / tell a complete story / develop a complex theme. I think I might have wanted slightly more exposition about certain characters / relationships, but it wasn't unpleasant to leave so much ground unturned. Overall, it just felt like a very nice place to remain for a little while each day. Nyanko-sensei also remains one of the bestest characters evar. ^_^
I care more about Hibike! Euphonium than I've cared about any anime in a very long time. Maybe since The Origination. Even Madoka kind of honestly pales in comparison, so long as Kyoto Animation does the right thing and refuses to adapt the source material faithfully. Specifically, one ship in particular must sail.
That can be a good thing sometimes. Take Outlaw Star for example. The anime differs from the manga a LOT. But the anime benefits from this. Might give Hibike! Euphonium a try. After I reread ReLife again. Its getting pretty good. Spoiler: A simple smile can make your day. I'm for equality. Both guys and girls love.
