Anime & Cartoon Megathread V: I, Gacha

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Welcome, duders and lurkers alike! We decided to ring in 2016 2017 with a new continuing thread as part of our effort to quietly turn Giant Bomb into an anime site a one-stop shop for talking about all the wonderful and/or horrible things about Japanese anime, manga, and the industry that makes them. Also we've decided to allow non-Japanese animated cartoons and comics for those who really want to talk about them outside of sister site Comic Vine.

[insert something here later]

I know what you're saying: "Anime is for jerks." But occasionally it can be really cool and fucking awesome, spanning several different genres from sci-fi, to comedy, to action. Whether this is your first time dipping your toe in the pool or you're a seasoned vet wanting to chat about the latest shows, you've got a home here.

Important Links/Questions:

There are so many shows to keep track of! Help me out here!

MAL: The classic site that contains a list of pretty much every anime and manga out there. Check out our GBAD Club! It's mostly dead, but if you want to know what shows we've watched and our completely subjective ratings on them, click through the profiles there. @cloudenvy and yellowdays are the admins there, so if you want to make it active again, ask one of them.

Kitsu.io (formerly Hummingbird) is a newer, more classy and detailed anime list site, and has some people who really care on the back-end. It does have a little more of a "social media" aspect than MAL, for better or worse.

I'm new to anime, what should I watch?

I'm tired of answering this question, so here are my general picks for first-timers in no particular order:

• Cowboy Bebop
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
• Samurai Champloo
• Fullmetal Alchemist
• Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
• Baccano!
• My Hero Academia
  
• One-Punch Man
• Anything by Satoshi Kon or Hayao Miyazaki

If you have a more specific request, then post it in the thread and we'll have some more specific recommendations for you.

What's cool that's airing this season?

For Fall '19, check out:

• No Guns Life: wot if ur head, was also a gun?
• Beastars: Japanese highschool drama with furries
• [TBD]

Where do I watch them? All of the aforementioned shows can be found legally on sites like Crunchyroll, Funimation, Amazon, or Netflix depending on who snapped up the license in your territory. Otherwise, Google it or wait for the official DVD/Bluray release to drop in your neighborhood.

Also, check out because.moe to search for which anime is streaming on which site. Please note it may not be accurate outside of the US in some cases.

So, you guys meet up outside of this thread?

We do have our GBAD Steam Group. Like many Steam Groups, this one is also mostly dead except for the occasional post. Apparently I am a mod of that group now, so talk to me about doing something with it. Maybe we'll stream some anime, games, or animegames. I'll keep everyone posted if I find the time to do so.

On a semi-related note, former shadow-Anime Editor @austin_walker got people interested in Gunpla! If you ever watched a Gundam show and wanted to make your own cool robot out of plastic or metal parts, this thread should get you started!

I've heard about those anime fightan games!

You're better off not watching the anime adaptations. Trust me, they are bad.

Having said that, me and several others here are up for some BlazBlue/Guilty Gear/other anime fightan action, as long as you have a PS3/4 (soon to all be on PC!) and a decent internet connection. Also check out the Fighting Game Thread if you want to take your game to the next level! We play them for the story here.

What rules do you have?

NO DISCUSSION OF OR ANY LINKS TO ILLEGAL STREAMING/DOWNLOADING SITES. They are not allowed and the mods may put you down Old Yeller-style if you post them. Also, please put spoilers in spoiler tags when necessary for the newer stuff. It shouldn't have to be said, but respect the standard GB Forum rules and don't be a jerk.

The floor is open! God help us all.

It is so new and shiny.

Active Raid ep 2: A bit better than the last episodes since it going to the level of silliness I want to watch from the director.

I expected a full version: MAN WITH A MISSION - Raise Your Flag. Because a Japanese band wearing wolf masks is cool.

The 2nd episode of Dagashi Kashi got weirder? Ramune Whistle tried to follow the Saitama training program but it obviously didn't work.

Now it's time to filthy it up with some anime.

Watched episode 14 of GATE. My review for that episode. GET FUCKING REKT!

Watch JoJo and Hunter x Hunter, read Dorohedoro (and JoJo).

And always remember what is truly important.

@golguin: GATE is so amazing. That was quite an episode, shit really popped off.

@rubberluffy: From those images I have stumbled upon this Tumblr, and it's great:

http://outofcontextjojo.tumblr.com/

...

PSO2 did not improve at all this week and actually got worse. The only redeeming qualities are still the President and the ED. I was hoping it'd be at least something mediocre but it's the worst. Sekko Boys, a show about idols that are statues of gods, is 100x better. Like wtf? Don't watch PSO2, it'll just make you sad.

@daveyo520: Kuribayashi went OFF. Holy crap, that was satisfying to watch.

I'm here to bring you another shitty shitty manga report

• Kekkon Yubiwa Monogatari - Still like the art. Still a dumpster fire though. I'm not sure why this is classified as "seinen." This is like the most basic of basic teenage boy fantasies. "A bunch of impossibly phat, stacked bitches wanna sleep with me and I'm awesome at everything because fuck writing!"
• Maou no Hajimekata - Pretty much full on hentai at this point. Such a shame that such an interesting premise was wasted on such bullshit.
• Delusional Love - The least shitty of this shitty bunch, but still kinda shitty. The faces that some of these characters make are hi-fucking-larious. They are exaggerated to such a stupid, unintentionally comical degree. Any time anyone says almost anything to the MC, he looks like he just caught in the middle of a murder.
• Dead Tube - I'm not sure what I'm supposed to feel while reading this. The shit that goes on is so over the top that I can't imagine the author was expecting anyone to take it seriously. But it's Japan so I can totally imagine the author was expecting everyone to take it seriously.

So, in summary, anime sucks, but so does manga.

Dagashi Kashi is still pretty okay though.

@babychoochoo: you are just a party pooper, admit it. Jk

@edgaras1103: I'm like the Grinch that stole Christmas

...except I'm coming for everyday of the year lol

Dumb question, but has there been any more news on Galactic Heroes since Sentai licensed it last year?

@hamst3r: I'm really looking forward to more JoJo anime. Has there been any news on when?

Another thread for @austin_walker not to post in :(

@jiggajoe14: he's a lurker

I finally pulled myself away from Sentai and various tokusatsu shows to actually watch some anime from this season. Phantom World is pretty good mostly because of how great the animation is. I also like boobs so that's a plus. Dagashi Kashi is okay I guess. I like coffee and Japanese candy. Coffee girl is best. I might pick something else up, but this plus Gundam sounds like enough to watch in between watching a giant dino robo fight Satan.

April 2016!

@hamst3r: Ah yeah! I've read a lot of the manga, but it's been so long I don't remember much. They've done some great style choices with this adaptation.

All of this love in this thread...

@instantryan: Ya she kicked some major ass and is a baddass.

I'm pretty late to the party here but I finally got around to seeing a handful of shows from the new season. I don't usually watch a whole lot of anime as it comes out but, as for the series that started this season, I think I'll definitely be watching ERASED week to week, it is an interesting and mature mystery show that has me hooked after seeing the first two episodes. The only other show I'll be watching is Dimension W, it wasn't the best thing ever but I enjoy me some cyberpunk and I like how it feels like an anime for the the early-2000s, only it actually looks good instead of being an early digital animation thing.

There are probably other good shows but I'll wait until they play out before I jump into any of them.

BTW you should all watch Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju. It is actually really good. Check it out. Probably top 3 this season.

@jesushammer said:

Watching Zyuranger I take it? I just finished Dairanger, but have sadly not kept up with the current Toku stuff since Kamen Rider Gaim.

Edit: I guess to post about what I have actually been watching...

This season seems kind of not great (for me), but at least Assassination Classroom is still great. It also gives me time to catch up on a bunch of older stuff I got on Blu-Ray for Christmas. Currently going through:

Gatchman (original, dubbed): This show is amazing and it's really hard to say how much of it is intentional. I've laughed harder at this than probably any other anime in a while. Some good old superhero shenanigans, with some fantastic villain design and a pretty special dub. Joe the Condor has to shoot "Bird Missiles" at EVERYTHING.

Sailor Moon (original, new Viz dub): It was good to be reminded that the original Sailor Moon anime was good, after how much I didn't like Crystal/the manga. It's weird how much filler adds to this show, as opposed to detracts, it lets all the characters do more and is just generally more fun. Also, the new dub is a blast, with the "Four Kings of Heaven" (Todd Haberkorn, Liam O'Brien, Lucien Dodge, and Patrick Seitz) being a standout. I could listen to evil, seductive Liam O'Brien all day...

I'm also reading through Getter Robo (finally) which has been an utter delight and I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you're someone who enjoyed Gurren Lagaan. It's a old super robot manga that pulls zero punches. In one of the first chapters a protagonist is introduced by ripping a mans face off with his bare hands. It's insane and beautiful. (I also watched "New Getter Robo", which was OK.)

Wanna get the time to go through some old stuff Crunchyroll has added (like the Lupin the 3rd), and I'll probably start watching Iron-Blooded Orphans again once the dub (which I believe they're going to stream) starts up. I dropped it after 3 episodes as I liked basically zero of the characters and felt like it was trying too hard to be DARK and EDGY, but maybe the dulcet tones of Johnny Yong Bosch can change that.

@recspec said:

All of this love in this thread...

Anime is love. Anime is life.

...except for all the bad shows. Those still suck.

Hi, I don't really watch anime that much (though Ojisan and Marshmallow is pretty good) but I just wanted to say I'm glad that someone else watched Megas XLR

@ajayraz: Hi Ajay! Should I watch that?

@daveyo520: Hi Dave! I'm not sure which one you're pointing to, but yes. You should watch Ojisan and Marshmallow. It's cute, pretty funny and the episodes are only like, three minutes long. I remember Megas XLR being pretty cool and funny? But I haven't seen it in 10+ years.

Yeah I've been really enjoying Zyuranger despite the kid in trouble of the week formula. If you get around to checking out current toku stuff Ressha Sentai ToQger is pretty fun, Kamen Rider Drive has a great cast and is terrific, and Kamen Rider Ghost is okay so far.

I feel like the ''I'm new to anime, what should I watch?'' section of the OP is pretty bad. It's like if anyone asks you ''I'm new to video games, what should I play?'' would you answer the legend of zelda, super mario brothers, Doom II and day of tentacle? Those are great, ground breaking games but they're a bad choice for a random person trying to get into the medium in 2016.

Aside from that most of the shows on that list are episodic which doesn't go well at all with our current binge watching culture.

Shows like Psycho pass season 1, Gurren Lagann, Attack on titan and more recent shows in the slice of life or sport anime genres (depending on personal taste) would be much better suited to introduce someone to the medium so they can later revisit and appreciate the classics.

@pyrodactyl: I dunno, I feel like your analogy would work better if it said to go watch like, Astro Boy or something. That list is mostly 90s/2000s stuff that are either long stories, or episodic MIXED with an overarching plot. The only exception to this I'd say is Legend of Galactic Heroes, which I find to be an odd choice because a) it's super long b) it's not available legally anywhere and c) it's pretty obscure unless you're DEEP in on anime.

My brother keeps up with them, so I hear a fair bit. I tend to just swing in and out of interest with Toku, regardless of whether the current shows are good or not. When you finish Zyu, you should totally check out Dai though. It's similar (naturally), but is arguably a bit better of a "show", with more characterization of it's team and stuff. I'm also a sucker for martial arts themed stuff. There's a drunken boxer!

You could probably put every big international breakout anime in there, right? So something like the FMAs, Death Note, Attack on Titan and One-Punch Man. But I don't think Cowboy Bebop is anything like a bad suggestion.
(Persona 4 the animation is probably the best giant bomb recommended anime)

I watched the first episodes of two old new anime shows today, the first episode of that 2015 Lupin III show and the first two episodes of Osomatsu-san. I'm not familiar with either from before this, save for watching Castle of Cagliostro ages ago. I think that first episode of Lupin III 2015 is amazing and fun, pretty much like that old movie but condensed and with modern animation tricks instead of the great Ghibli(or was it pre-Ghibli?) animation. Osomatsu-san is a weird revival of some ancient show, and the entire first episode is them parodying modern anime to find a way for them to fit into a modern anime landscape. The second episode is them being a kinda unfunny slice of life-like thing? I didn't like Osomatsu-san at all.

I feel like if someone is just asking "What anime should I watch?" Then that list is fine, because that's an extremely vague question that doesn't say anything except "I probably like video games because I'm on Giant Bomb."

If someone came up and said "I'm new to video games, what should I play?" without any other context I'm directing them to Minecraft.

@dochaus: Is Tatami Galaxy really an entry-level show? It's one of my absolute favorite pieces of entertainment in the past 10 years, but I have to admit the frenetic pacing of dialog can be incredibly alienating to new watchers. An ex girlfriend and I watched when it was new, and she couldn't follow the subtitles. At all. I ended up watching the rest without her and wishing she had stuck with it... but yeah, I feel like it's challenging at least in that regard.

Even I'll admit there were bits I had to pause and re-watch.

Whenever someone asks "I'm new to anime what should I watch?" the answer should always include Attack on Titan. It has been proven time and again to be a show that can be enjoyed by new people coming into anime.

Gurren Lagann is NOT good show to recommend. Psycho Pass season 1 is fine. Parasyte would also work. It needs to be a series that does not have the tropes that are usually associated with anime. It also needs to be short so no long running series as a suggestion.

No matter what the GB crew says Cowboy Bebop will NEVER be a good show to introduce to new people. The show is slow as hell and a monster of the week (and its variations) type show wont work. It needs to be a short contained story with a plot that moves. If there is a western analogue that can be used (it's like Walking Dead or it's like Game of Thrones) then that's a bonus.

But Attack on Titan is both of these things...

@recspec: Minecraft 1.0 was released in 2011. It's 4 years old, not 20 like most shows on that list. That's my point, those shows are of time and place and really wouldn't appeal to someone getting into anime for the first time in 2016. In the age of serialised shows and Netflix binge watching, those old episodic shows just don't have the drive or the look to hook you in.

I'm not saying you won't like Cowboy Beebop if you watch it as your first anime right now but I'm sure it's much more likely you would enjoy the shows I listed in my previous post. Kinda like how it's more likely you would enjoy minecraft over super mario brothers as your first video game.

Attack on Titan's plot barely moves at all though. Also yeah I guess I would compare it to Walking Dead or Game of Thrones because all three are complete trash. What a horrible way to get someone into a medium. I'd sooner show someone K-ON! as their first anime than Attack on Titan.

@golguin: You're probably right regarding Gurren Lagann. It kinda gets too anime crazy at some point for someone new to the medium. It's hard coming up with great, recent shows that have a wide appeal and are not too anime crazy. As an exemple, I wouldn't include parasyte because it completely falls appart like 10 episodes in. Not a great ambasador for the medium if you start cursing at all the characters halfway through the series.

Maybe steins;gate would be a better pick? I was not sure if it had the reach to be included or if I liked it that much because of my personal interests

@jesushammer: I hear a lot of people like K-ON so that's not such a bad idea for people who would be into that sort of thing.

Saying Game of Thrones and the walking dead are trash really dampens your critisism of attack on titan though. When building a list of recommendations for newbies you look for things that might appeal to them. Not things that appeal to you. A lot of people like GoT and tWD so looking for similar stuff is a valid approach.

I think the OP is fine. People looking for recommendations are likely to ask for them in the thread in which case they'll get a bunch of personalised selections. I feel like that's kinda how it's been going anyways.

Forming a consensus of what series are required viewing for new people is going to be brutal. There's always going to be some reason to disqualify a great series from such a list so you'd probably end up with a lot of middle-of-the-road shows that are easy to follow but aren't really great representations of the genre.

OH GOD THE ANIME SALT IS REAL #loveit

Cowboy Bebop is one of the most successful "first show" recommendations I've found for the average American. It's only bad in the sense that it's fairly atypical for anime, making it not very representative of what the medium is today (sadly). I'd argue that almost ALL of Shinichiro Watanabe's work is both great to recommend to newcomers and terrible for introducing "anime" given that they're not always adherent to the ongoing trends in the industry. They work as recommendations because they're just solid as entertainment media, not because they're particularly "anime." Same deal with Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon, albeit their most iconic work is film format and not TV, so it's a different sort of recommendation.

Really, the only shows in the OP that feel odd to recommend to me are Trigun and Cromartie, just because they really show their age in light of more modern shows that do very similar things (debatable with Cromartie, but definitely true of Trigun). The rest of that list is pretty solid to me, and looks a lot better than the lists I tend to see elsewhere (which are saturated more with the recommender's random personal favorites instead of things that would be critically acclaimed or likely to have broad appeal to a more Western audience).

Also, please, people, never recommend K-On to a newbie to the genre, that trend in anime has needed to die for the past decade.

Didn't expect to come back and find the newbie list to spark Forum Drama, but after taking another look I decided to switch some of the more harder-to-find shows out for some more recent good stuff. To be clear, it is not intended to be an objective or exhaustive list, nor did I expect everyone to agree These Shows Are Good, but these are the shows that myself and many others found as out gateway drug into animu. If anyone wants to post a question more detailed than the one in the header, I'm sure the collective anime duders here can provide an answer for them.

In other news, forgot until recently that Pandora in the Crimson Shell had an anime when the manga has just recently hit bookshelves here in the US. As I may have mentioned before, it appears to be an unholy union of Excel Saga and Ghost in the Shell, and it seems Koushi yanked Masamune away from his, er...recent handiwork long enough to put together some kind of high-tech action-comedy deal. It is either going to be the best or worst thing ever. I'm not sure at this stage.

@peregrin38: It's actually good though, so who cares? If someone is into music and wants something chill I'd eaisly recommend K-ON! to a new person.

Seeing as how most people didn't even like the recent season of GoT and a large amount of people watching The Walking Dead know it's bad says a lot about them. Attack on Titan has bad characters, bad animation, bad pacing, and an almost non existent plot. It's bad on almost every level besides it might be "fun" for some, but there a lot of shows better at being fun and also aren't complete trash. There are much better shows that are easy to get into. Just like there are much better TV shows than TWD and GoT.

@jesushammer: maybe you could help us and name some of these shows?

Just checking the temperature of the room; Gurren Lagann, the best anime ever made or the greatest anime ever produced?

As others have said, I'd definitely include Psycho-Pass as a good entry-level anime. It's basically just great detective noir that happens to use the anime framing.

Citing shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, True Detective, House of Cards, Daredevil, and even Making a Murderer carries a certain weight. They may all be completely different genres, but they make for compelling TV for their respective audiences. It's about watching an episode and being so blown away by what's happening on the screen that you have a strong visceral reaction to what you just witnessed.

It's not about a series that's 100% strong in every episode or even every season (see True Detective Season 1 vs Season 2). It's about taking it as a whole and knowing that it was compelling TV to watch. People flip their shit while watching Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. The anime that's suggested for newcomers has to be compelling stuff that draws you into watching the next episode.

You can have your opinion about Attack on Titan and no one can convince you otherwise, but you should know that opinion is overshadowed by the vast majority of anime watchers that feel it's a quality show. It would be disingenuous to apply that sort of minority opinion to a general audience taking a first step into anime. Would you look at a movie on Rotten Tomatoes with a 95% critic and audience approval rating, but then point to the 5% as proof that it's not good? No, no you would not.

If someone is coming with a certain genre or theme in mind then that line of thinking is completely thrown out the window since it's no longer for a general audience. Does the person love music in school and they want to use that as a starting point? Then you would obviously throw K-On, Euphonium, Your Lie in April, and maybe some Love Live. You wouldn't suggest those for a general audience.

Yes. That seems to be the consensus around here.