What are you currently watching/reading?

Wahmphi wrote:
Just finished my rewatch of Second Season actually, let me know what you thought once you're finished

Dub or sub for Azumanga?

We just started Hanamono, so I think we've technically finished second series already.
In a phrase- it was stellar. I'll send a DM with more thoughts later.

We're watching Azumanga subbed. Not that it makes a huge difference to me.
If anything, the sub has an edge with its "I wish I were a bird" Engrish moments.

dorothyoka wrote:For anime, I've been rewatching Sword Art Online with my boyfriend recently, and been having fun re-experiencing a guilty pleasure of mine. I technically began watching Takagi-san season two but I really only watched a few episodes like a month ago and haven't gotten the time to watch more.

For manga, I've been slowly acquiring the Japanese volumes of Yumekui Merry and rereading that as my favourite manga series that I super wish would get localised.

For light novels, I've been reading the Monogatari series as it's once of my favourite anime and I've really been enjoying it! A friend also let me know about a Monogatari manga adaptation that apparently exists when I mentioned it to him so I might read that at some point too.

Super relate to the pandemic cancelling everything else I've been interested in; I was really looking forward to Re:Zero 2 before it was announced to be delayed. orz

sky_and_sea wrote:Currently been watching through monogatari second series and azumanga daioh with my younger bro, which has been pretty nice.
I'm not much of a manga reader, but I last left off on a volume of Beastars sometime in February.

Wahmphi wrote:

sky_and_sea wrote:Currently been watching through monogatari second series and azumanga daioh with my younger bro, which has been pretty nice.
I'm not much of a manga reader, but I last left off on a volume of Beastars sometime in February.

Just finished my rewatch of Second Season actually, let me know what you thought once you're finished

Dub or sub for Azumanga?

A lot of Monogatari love on this forum I see. I know Buggy isn't a fan so I think it's quite funny that it's one of the first things discussed here. I'm currently on my second rewatch. Nekomonogatari Kuro is next. I still haven't seen the latest season. Recently I saw a Tweet going around about how no-one likes Monogatari discussion. Should we test that?

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I recently watched Honey & Clover. It's a bittersweet story about art students in between adolescence and adulthood. I already consider it one of my favourites, but I do have a soft spot for college stories (Run With the Wind and Tatami Galaxy are another couple of my favourites).

Currently watching Konohana Kitan. I think it was pretty popular when it aired? It's cute and calming, which is really all I need right now.

Pear wrote:
A lot of Monogatari love on this forum I see. I know Buggy isn't a fan so I think it's quite funny that it's one of the first things discussed here. I'm currently on my second rewatch. Nekomonogatari Kuro is next. I still haven't seen the latest season. Recently I saw a Tweet going around about how no-one likes Monogatari discussion. Should we test that?

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I recently watched Honey & Clover. It's a bittersweet story about art students in between adolescence and adulthood. I already consider it one of my favourites, but I do have a soft spot for college stories (Run With the Wind and Tatami Galaxy are another couple of my favourites).

Currently watching Konohana Kitan. I think it was pretty popular when it aired? It's cute and calming, which is really all I need right now.

Really like Monogatari. Can't say I have my finger on the pulse of the Discourse but I can see why it could go awry quickly. Its a trashy, esoteric series that has wildly different themes and ideas for each of its arcs and so the reactions to it are going to be just as varied.

Honey & Clover seemed really nice when I first tried it, but its been years and I never made the time to get back to it. Soon maybe.

Wahmphi wrote:

Pear wrote:
A lot of Monogatari love on this forum I see. I know Buggy isn't a fan so I think it's quite funny that it's one of the first things discussed here. I'm currently on my second rewatch. Nekomonogatari Kuro is next. I still haven't seen the latest season. Recently I saw a Tweet going around about how no-one likes Monogatari discussion. Should we test that?

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I recently watched Honey & Clover. It's a bittersweet story about art students in between adolescence and adulthood. I already consider it one of my favourites, but I do have a soft spot for college stories (Run With the Wind and Tatami Galaxy are another couple of my favourites).

Currently watching Konohana Kitan. I think it was pretty popular when it aired? It's cute and calming, which is really all I need right now.

Really like Monogatari. Can't say I have my finger on the pulse of the Discourse but I can see why it could go awry quickly. Its a trashy, esoteric series that has wildly different themes and ideas for each of its arcs and so the reactions to it are going to be just as varied.

Honey & Clover seemed really nice when I first tried it, but its been years and I never made the time to get back to it. Soon maybe.

Monogatari covers a lot of ground and people like it for different reasons. It makes it difficult to see eye to eye on the show as a whole. However, I think discussion can be fruitful when focussing on a narrow topic. Elements of Japanese folklore within the series, for example. Or perhaps the contrast between Western and Japanese folklore, and how this reflects Nisio Isin's worldview. Not that I've ever tried to tackle any of these topics myself, but I'm sure it'd be interesting.

I actually dropped Honey & Clover twice. The first time was when I'd only seen about a dozen or so anime, and I decided that I didn't vibe with the art style (even though I now think that it looks amazing). Back then a lot of anime tropes still scared me. The second time I made it to episode 12 and just decided that I'd gotten bored, for some reason. It's not the only time that I've needed a couple of tries to get into something that would end up meaning a lot to me. I listened to Twin Fantasy countless times before I finally started to appreciate it. I wonder why that is. Maybe it's cause I needed some personal growth before I could realise what its messages are. Anyways, the characters in Honey & Clover start of at the same crossroad in life I'm currently at. I strongly relate to Takemoto and Hanemoto's confusion about what they want their future to look like. Aside from that, I think the anime does a great job at showing how you should treat those you care about, and how they should treat you. I'm a sucker for wholesome shit like that. Let me know if you pick it up again, I'd love to chat about it.

This talk about Honey & Clover reminds me that I should get back to March Comes in Like a Lion, which is by the same author. I really liked the episodes of it that I have seen.

I really like Bakemonogatari back in the day, especially with how strong Arararararagai and Hitagi's relationship was in that show, but Nise being more...I dunno? Not as good? turned me off to the continuing.

And then multiple people doing live-tweet threads made me never want to go back because of how annoying it got seeing it dominate my feed at one point, as petty as that sounds.

Ohmygodiamonfire wrote:I really like Bakemonogatari back in the day, especially with how strong Arararararagai and Hitagi's relationship was in that show, but Nise being more...I dunno? Not as good? turned me off to the continuing.

And then multiple people doing live-tweet threads made me never want to go back because of how annoying it got seeing it dominate my feed at one point, as petty as that sounds.

Overexposure is honestly a perfectly valid reason to be turned off from something imo.
I have to agree that Nise is probably one of the weaker parts of the series, but my brother getting me to watch
Kizumonogatari fully reeled me back in.

Also since I don't wanna spam the thread, I'll add this here: I like what Pear said about relating to the characters in Honey & Clover.
I feel similarly about the Monogatari series. Less in the sense that the characters are relatable as individuals, but rather some of the experiences are.
The overall conversational quality of the series and emphasis on dialogue is probably why I started liking it so much: it partially filled this void I have
where I want to have really deep and meaningful discussions with other people, but have only been able to do so at very rare instances in my life.
In spite of all the trashiness surrounding the series, I also really enjoy some of the very human moments that get worked in from time to time. Two cents over.

jaehaerys48 wrote:This talk about Honey & Clover reminds me that I should get back to March Comes in Like a Lion, which is by the same author. I really liked the episodes of it that I have seen.

is that the one that's ostensibly about shogi but actually isn't at all?

sky_and_sea wrote:

Ohmygodiamonfire wrote:I really like Bakemonogatari back in the day, especially with how strong Arararararagai and Hitagi's relationship was in that show, but Nise being more...I dunno? Not as good? turned me off to the continuing.

And then multiple people doing live-tweet threads made me never want to go back because of how annoying it got seeing it dominate my feed at one point, as petty as that sounds.

Overexposure is honestly a perfectly valid reason to be turned off from something imo.
I have to agree that Nise is probably one of the weaker parts of the series, but my brother getting me to watch
Kizumonogatari fully reeled me back in.

Oh, it's totally a legit reason to be turned off of something, but my mind goblins start to act up and say that I shouldn't be turned off of somehting just cause of overexposure, if that makes sense.

Wahmphi wrote:Really like Monogatari. Can't say I have my finger on the pulse of the Discourse but I can see why it could go awry quickly. Its a trashy, esoteric series that has wildly different themes and ideas for each of its arcs and so the reactions to it are going to be just as varied.

This is one of my biggest gripes with the show: because the themes and ideas (and tone) vary so drastically, I just can't get into it as a whole. Arcs like Mayoi Snail I really like, but a lot of other arcs I just find dull and uninteresting, and because I don't have much of a through-line I can follow thematically, it doesn't click with me. And then when a lot of the people it does click with end up being pretty vocal, it just turns me off.

Non Non Biyori season 3 announcement means I need to get to that movie!

DaLadybugMan wrote:

Wahmphi wrote:Really like Monogatari. Can't say I have my finger on the pulse of the Discourse but I can see why it could go awry quickly. Its a trashy, esoteric series that has wildly different themes and ideas for each of its arcs and so the reactions to it are going to be just as varied.

This is one of my biggest gripes with the show: because the themes and ideas (and tone) vary so drastically, I just can't get into it as a whole. Arcs like Mayoi Snail I really like, but a lot of other arcs I just find dull and uninteresting, and because I don't have much of a through-line I can follow thematically, it doesn't click with me. And then when a lot of the people it does click with end up being pretty vocal, it just turns me off.

Understandable, I don't hold not enjoying it against anybody, but to be fair you've also been pretty vocal about your avid dislike of it. It goes both ways you know.

No, I get that.

Although, in my defense, a lot of my frustration is hard to separate from a certain prominent anime Twitter personality whose constant attempts to convince me Monogatari is good feel even more obnoxious now that we've completely fallen out.

DaLadybugMan wrote:No, I get that.

Although, in my defense, a lot of my frustration is hard to separate from a certain prominent anime Twitter personality whose constant attempts to convince me Monogatari is good feel even more obnoxious now that we've completely fallen out.

Ah yes, I know the exact douche you're referring to. I feel it. Its like the way I hate Code Geass because of a guy I knew in high school.

jaehaerys48 wrote:This talk about Honey & Clover reminds me that I should get back to March Comes in Like a Lion, which is by the same author. I really liked the episodes of it that I have seen.

Sangatsu is lovely and always gives me an urge to play chess haha. Another anime with really warm family dynamics. I love those. Maid Dragon is up there as well because of that.

sky_and_sea wrote:
Also since I don't wanna spam the thread, I'll add this here: I like what Pear said about relating to the characters in Honey & Clover.
I feel similarly about the Monogatari series. Less in the sense that the characters are relatable as individuals, but rather some of the experiences are.
The overall conversational quality of the series and emphasis on dialogue is probably why I started liking it so much: it partially filled this void I have
where I want to have really deep and meaningful discussions with other people, but have only been able to do so at very rare instances in my life.
In spite of all the trashiness surrounding the series, I also really enjoy some of the very human moments that get worked in from time to time. Two cents over.

Ah yeah I know this void pretty well. It nails what I love about H&C too. Both shows feature conversations where the characters feel so comfortable around each other that they can just say whatever comes to mind. A complicated statement is met with further inquiry instead of criticism or ridicule. Having people who you can have those conversations with is a real blessing.

Seri wrote:Non Non Biyori season 3 announcement means I need to get to that movie!

I hadn't seen this announcement yet. Very exciting stuff. The movie is great too, but it only really centres around one member of the cast. Looking forward to seeing more character development, NNB's writing is great.

DaLadybugMan wrote:No, I get that.

Although, in my defense, a lot of my frustration is hard to separate from a certain prominent anime Twitter personality whose constant attempts to convince me Monogatari is good feel even more obnoxious now that we've completely fallen out.

Ah that's a real shame. Overexposure is definitely a big issue. It's why I tend to not watch anime while they air, cause the TL is just filled with them. It reminds me of this other Twitter personality who is very contrarian in their taste, and very vocal about it. Everything that's trashy is good and all masterpieces are bad according to them. I guess they probably share a similar sentiment of being tired of seeing people praise and deride the same stuff over and over again.

Wahmphi wrote:

DaLadybugMan wrote:No, I get that.

Although, in my defense, a lot of my frustration is hard to separate from a certain prominent anime Twitter personality whose constant attempts to convince me Monogatari is good feel even more obnoxious now that we've completely fallen out.

Ah yes, I know the exact douche you're referring to. I feel it. Its like the way I hate Code Geass because of a guy I knew in high school.

There are multiple shows I'm just never going to watch because I associate them too strongly with someone I hate to my very core, and not even for dumb petty reasons. But I don't want to get into that.

Finally getting back to Yu Yu Hakusho. Damn solid battle shonen, I recommend it to any of you that enjoy the punchmans.

Wahmphi wrote:Finally getting back to Yu Yu Hakusho. Damn solid battle shonen, I recommend it to any of you that enjoy the punchmans.

If I ever get unlimited freetime, I should go back and watch that. Absolutely loved it as a kid, especially it's dub voice cast.

Ohmygodiamonfire wrote:

Wahmphi wrote:Finally getting back to Yu Yu Hakusho. Damn solid battle shonen, I recommend it to any of you that enjoy the punchmans.

If I ever get unlimited freetime, I should go back and watch that. Absolutely loved it as a kid, especially it's dub voice cast.

Its good! I've been watching sub but the little I caught of the dub was solid too.

It has its parts where it meanders a bit but generally it does a good job of setting up characters with clear motivations that emotionally resonate and creating battles that feel like they have meaningful stakes and unique gimmicks.

Just finished up Wise Man's Grandchild for an isekai binge me and my gf are going on now reading the LN, started How Not to Summon a Demon Lord (Yikes), and about halfway through Princess Tutu. Currently watching Tutu as I write this and damn I should've watched this sooner.

Way too much, and about half of it rewatches . . . but as far as notable non-rewatches go, I've got BNA and My Next Life As A Villainess from this season, DanMachi, and Kekkai Sensen & Beyond.

Jadelynn wrote:Way too much, and about half of it rewatches . . . but as far as notable non-rewatches go, I've got BNA and My Next Life As A Villainess from this season, DanMachi, and Kekkai Sensen & Beyond.

BNA is dope, still haven't seen Promare but I've been concerned about the future of Trigger since Franxx. Glad to see they haven't lost their talent, think the director is gonna be someone to keep watching

I still gotta get around to watching Promare myself, FranXX as well since as someone who otherwise enjoys Trigger shows I really should have a fully formed opinion on the thing.

The director of BNA is Yoh Yoshinari, who also directed everything Little Witch Academia, so I've been interested in his career for over half a decade now. The original LWA movie holds a very special place in my heart due to how it affected me back when it came out. The whole thing is a love letter to animation and that was something I needed at that time.

Jadelynn wrote:The director of BNA is Yoh Yoshinari, who also directed everything Little Witch Academia, so I've been interested in his career for over half a decade now. The original LWA movie holds a very special place in my heart due to how it affected me back when it came out. The whole thing is a love letter to animation and that was something I needed at that time.

I'm a big fan of LWA too, don't have as strong of a connection with it. Started with the show on Netflix, then went on to watch the movies. Have you seen The Making of Little Witch Academia Documentary? looks like I can't post external links for 7 days, it's on Youtube if you haven't I love learning about that kinda stuff, how good media is made

I haven't gotten around to it yet, hope to do so one of these days.

. . . I have a large backlog of programs I say that about though.