General Anime Thread

I’d probably give the first episode of Oshi no Ko an 8.5 out of 10. The best way I can describe it is if the first four episodes of Madoka Magica was one long singular episode. It starts off slow, but by the end you’re probably going to be hooked.

I’ve seen some people already saying it’s the best episode of an anime ever created, and I think that’s really stretching it. The first half is very slow, and I’m not a fan of the whole “Grown man gets reincarnated as a child” trope that seems popular nowadays. I think I would’ve preferred if they had separated the two characters, though I get why they did it given the sister character. Like I said, the first 50 or so minutes is really slow but it gets really good once the Kana character gets introduced and Ai finds success as an idol. I’m glad having seen it they made it one long episode instead of 4 20 minute episodes, because after the second episode I probably would’ve dropped it. Now, I’m really interested to see what comes next.

The one thing that kinda annoys me is that based on the first episode, I can already tell Oshi no Ko is probably gonna be the anime of the season. And by that, I mean there’s going to be people saying “This is the best anime in 10 years!”

Eh.

I mean, don’t get me wrong. Oshi no Ko seems like it could be a great show. But when I compare it to the first episodes of Skip to Loafer or the Megumin anime or the first episode of Insomniacs After School, I had more fun watching those.

I’m sure Oshi no Ko is probably going to be good– amazing, even– but I just think it’s going to be like Evangelion for certain people where it gets so hyped to the point of being deemed overrated. The Seinfeld is unfunny trope, if you will.

So, I went to see Suzume yesterday. It was pretty good. It’s kinda like the anime movie Only Yesterday in how it’s about letting go of your past and only then can you move on and live your life.

Best part of Suzume in my opinion is the main guy’s best friend. He’s so sassy at times, he really helped add a lot of personality to the movie.

But yeah, Suzume was a lot better than I thought it was gonna be. I thought it was gonna be kind of generic, but I thought there was enough good things about it to keep it interesting. It was like a pseudo road trip movie with magical girl elements about it.

I’ve actually heard of this group. I distinctly remember it being full of people who yell about cancel culture and complain about censorship.

That happens a lot. You can’t say an anime is a classic until a good amount of time after it’s over, after all traces of recency bias have worn off.

I don’t keep up with the latest and only start a new one anime once every blue moon, but I’m quite enjoying Mob Psycho.

One Punch Bear

@Holofan4life
So like, just a regular bear?

@Lord WyrmSpawN
Nah, think more cartoonishy

Idea for a manga

“I see my best friend as a boy, but that only makes her hotter”

looking for an anime I cant recall the name of.
kid gets isekaied into a world with broze/iron age level tech, uses modern ideas to build a kingdom.
has a (solor?) smarthphone and can commune with one person back home at certain times using a mirror thingy.

Master of Ragnarok.

@Dustcan
thanks! all google was kicking back was ‘another world with smarthphone’ and ‘age of hero’

Tmw you realize Army of Darkness is Isekai.

Oshi no Ko is so well-written. I love how in the latest episode they compare being an idol to reality television and how compared to being an idol, reality television is less about being fake and putting on a persona and more you trying to be the best version of yourself. Just really smart writing.

Why does everything I love hate me.

The latest episode of Oshi no Ko reminded me of the stuff involving Hana Kimura. She was a wrestler who was on a reality show one time that ultimately committed suicide because of all the death threats she was getting. Thankfully, it didn’t end as bad for the character on Oshi no Ko, but it really goes to show the dark underbelly of social media and how oftentimes, the internet doesn’t have the full picture.

It feels amazing to see actual positive trans representation in a show like Skip to Loafer. You rarely see an anime have actual trans people, so to see it be portrayed so wholesomely just warms my heart.

I feel very conflicted on Hana Kimura’s mother being upset Oshi no Ko based an episode around her daughter. On the one hand, I totally get her being upset as what happened to her daughter was very tragic. On the other hand, I don’t think the creator of Oshi no Ko was trying to profit off of Hana’s suicide. He was basically telling a cautionary tale of the dangers of social media and how awful it can be. It was a what if scenario, showing what could’ve been had Hana survived. I don’t think he was trying to exploit off of her, but I don’t blame Hana’s mother for feeling like that was the intention.

The only person I really fault blame on is those clickbait YouTubers who post videos on the Hana Oshi no Ko thing like “Popular anime bases episode on wrestler suicide”. It’s just in extremely poor taste solely done to attract views. And now that Hana’s mother spoke out about her displeasure, I fear it’s going to lead to even more clickbait videos and Oshi no Ko fans attacking her, which I pray to God doesn’t happen.

What if, a manga about a boxer who can end a fight with a single punch?

Hajime no Ippo meets One Punch Man.

@Background Pony #869B
That will depend entirely on the characters. Good sports manga are 90% character development anyway.

Besides if you have a character like Saitama who can one punch anybody, in Boxing, said character will be the undisputed champ and you will not have the dramatic irony that One Punch Man has.

In OPM, only the readers and very few select ppl knows how ridiculously OP Saitama is. Why? Because somehow everyone is either not present or is under some sort of mass psychosis, believing that Saitama’s feats are an accident.

This dramatic irony is what drives the series.

If you have a boxer who can one punch anybody, consistently, for 15 consecutive fights…
Everybody WILL know.

@Background Pony #869B
How about no.

A Boxer who can consistently win is the problem too because usually you want to root for the underdog and this character would not be a good reason for a boxing anime at all. Plus it gets us to root for the underdog more than the actual protag.

@igotnopicks
I truly believe rooting for the actual protagonist or the underdog is no longer necessary in postmodern storytelling.

It’s completely alright to root for the bad guy just to see the hero lose for once, or root for the OP protagonist provided we are given a reason WHY the protagonist cannot lose.

Take Komugi from Hunter X Hunter. She’s an undefeated overpowered board game player. In most cases her victory means little, but considering she’s nice, cute, mild-mannered and takes a vow to take her own life if she ever loses, it makes me never want to see her lose.

It’s really all about conveying the steaks. The juicy, well seasoned steaks.