The Anime/manga thread (+ recommendations!)

Started by: Raptor | Replies: 6,742 | Views: 682,036

Hewitt

Posts: 14,256
Joined: Jul 2012
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 13, 2017 3:59 AM #1473237
Quote from Raptor
So Hewitt, Kamisama no Iutoori ended. Thoughts?


Whoa whoa whoa ive been waiting since last christmas. Don't spoil until I finish it later

Although I gotta be honest, when I saw previous that the manga was ending "in 3 chapters", I got the whole Gantz/Gamaran vibe. But I guess its fine since it's just gonna be like Liar Game where it was the games that were the meat of the manga and not how it ends.
Hewitt

Posts: 14,256
Joined: Jul 2012
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 14, 2017 3:42 AM #1473292
Okay lolz I finished it.

I hate the ending. But you know what, so did I hate Liar Game's ending. And then I reread the series many days later, when my mind was fresh again. See, I was so on the edge of my seat with the final game that I hadn't had the time to breath and really think about this. You know, Liar Game's ending was perfect. It really solidified the whole hopelessness of the situation in a somewhat positive light. Or bittersweet. Plus, it was really about the games. It was obvious that they were running out of ideas for interesting games when Bid Poker came along but it was still good. Even the final game was good. It was elegant and not completely luck-based like ahem Gamble Fish.

I bet, I'm gonna feel the same thing if I reread Kamisama from the top. I just wished they did something like a big epilogue for all the fallen. I don't even care that the rest of the plotholes were unresolved; specifically where the gods came from and what happened etc. It was the games that made it exciting and it was all done rather intelligently, I mean as intelligently as kid shounens go.

Yeah, I suppose this series is like a kid-version of Liar Game.
Raptor
Moderator
2

Posts: 5,891
Joined: Aug 2010
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 14, 2017 4:10 AM #1473294
I didn't mind the ending for Kamisama. I think it kind of encapsulates the ridiculous neverending theme of the manga and how pretty much everyone is insane.

Liar Game I still don't like the ending for. It was a bit too sudden, even for my liking.
Drizzle
2

Posts: 1,607
Joined: Jun 2013
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 14, 2017 5:00 AM #1473295
Quote from Hewitt
Okay lolz I finished it.

I hate the ending. But you know what, so did I hate Liar Game's ending. And then I reread the series many days later, when my mind was fresh again. See, I was so on the edge of my seat with the final game that I hadn't had the time to breath and really think about this. You know, Liar Game's ending was perfect. It really solidified the whole hopelessness of the situation in a somewhat positive light. Or bittersweet. Plus, it was really about the games. It was obvious that they were running out of ideas for interesting games when Bid Poker came along but it was still good. Even the final game was good. It was elegant and not completely luck-based like ahem Gamble Fish.

I bet, I'm gonna feel the same thing if I reread Kamisama from the top. I just wished they did something like a big epilogue for all the fallen. I don't even care that the rest of the plotholes were unresolved; specifically where the gods came from and what happened etc. It was the games that made it exciting and it was all done rather intelligently, I mean as intelligently as kid shounens go.

Yeah, I suppose this series is like a kid-version of Liar Game.


Haave you ever thought of doing a psycological game like Liar Game's based. Thought it would be interesting.

Also, what do you think about season 1 and 2? A lot of people said that season 2 got stretched out way more than it should be and it ended up with too many filler chapters. Oh and the hate for the mc(Akashi) as well.
Hewitt

Posts: 14,256
Joined: Jul 2012
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 16, 2017 3:48 AM #1473475
Ehh I just treated them as a single saga. Alot of fans hate Akashi because he acts all goody goody but honestly, he's way better than the 2 guys in the first season. Albeit, I wish the 1st season didnt end so abruptly; I think the love interest was about to get interesting. The decision to goto S2 was weird; it felt like the author wanted to rewrite his story as he came into it wrong.

And what are you talking about, I have run psychological games. The racing one, Get Bit, the one right now with DR. The problem is, if I host a game too complicated, people are reluctant to join. So I'm forced to keep things interesting by playing meager games, or inviting a small population for complex ones.
Drizzle
2

Posts: 1,607
Joined: Jun 2013
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 16, 2017 6:34 AM #1473495
Quote from Hewitt
And what are you talking about, I have run psychological games. The racing one, Get Bit, the one right now with DR. The problem is, if I host a game too complicated, people are reluctant to join. So I'm forced to keep things interesting by playing meager games, or inviting a small population for complex ones.


Yeah, I meant the more complex ones, but I guess it makes sense not to.

Have you imawa no kuni no alice? Or tomodachi game? Some pretty interestingly unpopular psychological mangas.
Hewitt

Posts: 14,256
Joined: Jul 2012
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 18, 2017 7:06 AM #1473830
I have read alot of psychologicals but have never heard of those. Will check it out.

I could make something complex, but you have to realize the reality is harder. Everytime I craft a game, I always proof it to prevent exploitation of the system. If its a game I didn't make like Rumble, all sorts of headaches become apparent and I am forced to go along with it.

Liar Game's games are too loose. You can see it when you read the manga themselves the various bs things the protags do to break your expectations. In addition, games like that invite alot of private conversing so usually the threads are dead from the lack of posts. I don't like quiet games, I wish I could control the way PMs are handled.


Also, if I legit made something complex, nobody would play it. I've tried. It is also why when someone tries to copy me and make their own game threads, they most likely fail because they don't get all the details right.
Drizzle
2

Posts: 1,607
Joined: Jun 2013
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 18, 2017 7:39 AM #1473833
Ohhh, you should give me some psychological ones then since I'm digging for some rn.

And it's quite a bummer isn't it? After reading whole bunch of mangas and you feel like trying out one of those thrills living through the mangas but realities makes it impossible to.
Hewitt

Posts: 14,256
Joined: Jul 2012
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 19, 2017 2:33 AM #1473894
Eh, I say "psychological" but I'm really just taking in a broad set of manga where the flow is more about thinking than action. And not all of them are good either Well obv there's Liar Game. Death Note is good until L dies. Then you have the incredibly cheesy but terrible Gamble Fish. And the moderately okay but dragging Usogui, which only updates once a month on volume 15 of...50+; I'll be dead by the time it finishes.

There's the REALLY terrible Spiral: the Bonds of Reasoning. It was good for like the first few volumes and then it just spiraled into walls of text. I did finish it for the sake of finishing it and I do get the plot as a whole. The mind game is immense, but nothing is really happening. I get what the manga was trying to do, but at least Death Note put actions in their words. Spiral is just ALL talk with minor plot twists that come from nowhere.

Then there's Kaiji. Fun. I first encountered it watching the live action movie and I thought to myself how could anyone be pumped for the Slot Machine arc but I was dead wrong it was so enjoyable. Kaiji is awesome because he's not a genius. He's just an everyman with flimsy morals in a world where corruption is rampant. He wins by the skin of his teeth because people keep underestimating him and he works well under pressure. My favorite arc is the Minefield Mahjhong arc. Kaiji is outnumbered in a game rigged against him, set-up by 2 ex-best friends whom he trusted, and he pwns them all. Ridiculous. I would skip the one arc though which was sad and impactful but Kaiji wasn't really the one playing so it just felt stupid. Currently waiting for the OnePoker arc to end before I get back to it.

Incidentally, if you haven't read that oneshot where Akagi saves the human race by beating aliens in mahjhong. Go read that shit right away.

Speaking of which, I really don't know why I love Akagi. I know little to nothing of mahjhong but I love the way it is presented here and I can understand little enough to see how awesome it is. Incidentally, I read Ten first and that was awesome too. More people should read Ten and know it exists.

Baccano's good too. Probably the only thing I've watched here. There's also that manhua with the psychologist...Frost? Yeah he's good too.

Anyone read Death-topia or Darwin's game yet? How are they.
Drizzle
2

Posts: 1,607
Joined: Jun 2013
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 19, 2017 6:32 AM #1473905
Deathtopia is horrible. Both plot story and character developments, sometimes I wonder if it's more ecchi than the action in the manga, which is such a shame, the ending is extremely rushed, not sure if it got axed or not but, too many plotholes altogether. Like I don't even know any good things about the managa aside from like probably the fanservice, which is probably what the manga's after afterall.

Darwin's game is eh. I dropped it after like 10 chapters. It was not even remotely interested enough for me to carry on. I might be wrong though or it might get interesting enough later on idk. If you ever plan on reading it, lmk what you think about it or that I should come back to it to keep up with it.

I've already read everything you mentioned aside from Spiral, which is I guess a good thing haha. Kaiji and Akagi, idk, I never get to understand the rule of mahjong, so I feel like I left out most of the stories behind already. Even other mangas dragging mahjong along as well but it was just a small portion of it which is totally acceptable. Gamble Fish is ok until the capture the hill arc, from there it was just dropping down the hole already. Usogui, which is totally similar to it and it seems that we'll never see the end of it. There's another one... Kakegurui? Which is also extremely similar to Gamble Fish, but doesn't drag out more than the schoolyard.

Is Baccano the same on manga and anime?
Hewitt

Posts: 14,256
Joined: Jul 2012
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 23, 2017 2:31 AM #1474327
The capture the flag arc was honestly not so bad. I would just have cut out that part with the snow monster but I didn't mind it much. The beginning was rather silly but necessary in order to stack the odds in favor of the enemy. But the final part, that was brilliant. And even though the rules were unorthodox and vague, the protagonist---a gambler---still used his guts and smarts to win the day. It's no different than that silly dice tournament which I honestly find more unbelievable.

If you had stuck on, you would have read a texas holdem arc, as well as a erm...Roullette arc. I think that was the best before it just got real ridiculous. Also Kisaragi finally gets revenge on the shyster who pretended to be his father. The last 5 games after that were nonsensical at best, although I would personally have you read the 3rd to the last game, if only because it has Obama in it. Obama and the Big Bad, riding on motorcycles with guns at each other. Like, the manga deliberately had a full page splash showing that when the actual game had nothing to do with motorcycles. That game was rather silly as well, but watching Obama act silly and over the top was hilarious.

No idea about Baccano. Wasn't it a novel not a manga?


I don't myself know the rules of Mahjong, but I do know a similar game that uses mechanics like that. So, while I don't know all the hands I do have a basic understanding of the psychology and the mechanics involved. I didn't think I would actually finish Ten but it was quite a ride, Akagi moreso (finishing it right now). The final Ten arc doesn't even have anything to do with mahjong, just Akagi himself. Its a must read at least for that arc, because Akagi is truly badass. The current Kaiji arc has him fighting in a poker match and he just lost all his money---which means the 2nd game might begin now where Kaiji actually stakes his life. If you're looking for a good time to read it now would be a good time.
Javelin
2

Posts: 1,529
Joined: Feb 2010
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 23, 2017 10:00 AM #1474336
What are your guys opinion on Another? Friend was saying that it was good. Thought I should consult the anime experts first though
Raptor
Moderator
2

Posts: 5,891
Joined: Aug 2010
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 23, 2017 4:09 PM #1474347
It has a decent atmosphere, but the plot overall is kind of silly due to how sporadic it is. Think of it as the anime version of Final Destination.

I'd watch it just because it's pretty well-known.
Vorpal
2

Posts: 11,944
Joined: Jul 2007
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 23, 2017 9:16 PM #1474357
Quote from Raptor


I'd watch it just because it's pretty well-known.

We've got conflicting anime viewer philosophies.
Raptor
Moderator
2

Posts: 5,891
Joined: Aug 2010
Rep: 10

View Profile
Jan 23, 2017 10:14 PM #1474360
Quote from Vorpal
We've got conflicting anime viewer philosophies.

Ultimately it depends on how much time you have and whether you want to risk wasting your time or not. Sometimes people might just want to watch stuff that people meme off of or experience a show and learn why it doesn't work. Or form an opinion for yourself so it's easier to join into conversations. Etcetera.

Same reason why I might tell people to watch The Room if they ask even though it's an objectively terrible movie.

If you elect to watch something else, I wouldn't complain lol