Overall I liked it. If I had to give it a score, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Pros:

---The show takes time to breathe and just let the scenes linger and have the mood be set which is quite nice and fairly rare in anime.

---The idea itself is interesting

Neutral:

---The show is like a 50/50 split between being a mood-piece and plot driven, NOT character driven which is a nice change of pace...but does bring with it some flaws.

Cons:

---The biggest problem I have with the series is that it just plain and simple, doesn't do enough. There is SO MUCH potential here for a bigger story, the potential is in the shows hands and all it just has to do is take hold and grasp that potential...and it just doesn't do it...worldbuilding is ignored. Deep characters are not present. Character growth is vague. Details are just never explained etc.

I did get the impression that the anime wanted to tell a specific story with specific beats and that some details were simply deemed unnecessary / unimportant because they "didn't matter" to the overall story, my gripe is that I personally think those details could of have made the anime feel deeper, even if it was just a few throwaway lines.

I did like it overall and I think it could of have been better if it had more episodes or sacrificed some the mood building for world building just to make it feel more "alive" or "real" so to speak.

Examples:

---How did Hamdo come into power in the first place?

---What exactly is his relationship with Abelia and why is she so loyal to him despite him treating her like shit?

---What exactly is LalaRu? Alien? Magic? What is her pendant?

---They have time travel, why not make more use of that?

---Are we in the past? The future? A different world?

---Who were the other people fighting against Hamdo in that giant tank that he killed with a laser nuke?

etc.

---Characters are dead simple. I GET why they are simple since they are just like kids and are not particularly deep or interesting characters...but entertaining from an audience perspective it does not make. It would be nice if we learned some of Shu's inner thoughts or have LaLaRu show an expression or have any line other then complete silence for like 95% of the run time etc.

Side Note: How exactly did Lalu-Ru get to the past(?) in the first place? Did she sneak away and use the Bound System? If so, you think she would be doing more running and not sitting and watching the sunset.

This is a general discussion thread for whatever you've been watching this last week (or recently, we really aren't picky) that's not currently airing. For specifically discussing currently airing shows, go to This Week in Anime.

Make sure to talk more about your own thoughts on the show than just describing the plot, and use spoiler tags where appropriate. If you disagree with what someone is saying, make a comment saying why instead of just downvoting.

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

Archive: Previous, Week 116, Our Year in Anime 2013, 2014

Welcome to This Week In Anime for Spring 2024 Week 6 a general discussion for any currently airing series, focusing on what aired in the last week. For longer shows, keep the discussion here to whatever aired in the last few months. If there's an OVA or movie that got subbed for the first time in the last week or so that you want to discuss, that goes here as well. For everything else in anime that's not currently airing go discuss that in Your Week in Anime.

Untagged spoilers for all currently airing series. If you're discussing anything else make sure to add spoiler tags.

Airing shows can be found at: AniChart | LiveChart | MAL | Senpai Anime Charts

Archive:

2024: Prev | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2023: Fall Week 1 | Winter Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2022: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2021: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2020: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2019: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2018: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2017: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2016: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter week 1

2015: Fall Week 1 | Summer week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2014: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2013: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2012: Fall Week 1

^Table ^of ^contents ^courtesy ^of ^sohumb

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

It's be a neat subversion of expectations and say something meaningful about gaming by reminding people how the overmonetization of games takes away spaces and communities from people like her and everyone else who loves online games. Normally her character archetype is used to validate virtual worlds and people who give up IRL opportunities to be exploited in them.

I can have a fair fight against someone who has practiced Street Fighter 3 hours every day since it came out. Okay I will probably get wrecked over and over. It's not a fair fight in practice but it is on paper because I could make all the right choices in one match and win using the exact same character as the pro. Sure I might get wrecked a lot. But that is due to the skill gap, and the knowledge gap, not some arbitrary grinded number gap or wallet induced number based class gap. Each loss would teach me something besides "this is your fault for not getting in on this pyramid scheme full of imaginary numbers and NFTs first".

I don't need 39 friends each with 10k hours and 10k in cash spent to play arcade mode. I'll make friends if I want to when playing fighting games. I have never seen fighting game players treat me how my old guild used to treat each other. Fakers and backstabbers trying to win social games to get picked first for raids. Nobody has a financial incentive to mistreat me whether I bring out my main or sh*tpost and spam the dumbest funniest moves.

God I hate what World of Warcraft was when I quit. It got worse. I wish there was an anime about that. Anime always pretends MMOs are perfect. Unless there's some death game aspect to it. I want an anime that shows life getting better for people after they quit a bad game that makes them miserable. Maybe I'll make one if it doesn't already exist. Maybe it'd suck but at least I would have made something with my life besides a level 80 holy paladin. Plus I could give all the characters humongous honkers. Nobody could stop me. I don't work for a company. I have no boss around to tell me no.

This is a general discussion thread for whatever you've been watching this last week (or recently, we really aren't picky) that's not currently airing. For specifically discussing currently airing shows, go to This Week in Anime.

Make sure to talk more about your own thoughts on the show than just describing the plot, and use spoiler tags where appropriate. If you disagree with what someone is saying, make a comment saying why instead of just downvoting.

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

Archive: Previous, Week 116, Our Year in Anime 2013, 2014

Welcome to This Week In Anime for Spring 2024 Week 5 a general discussion for any currently airing series, focusing on what aired in the last week. For longer shows, keep the discussion here to whatever aired in the last few months. If there's an OVA or movie that got subbed for the first time in the last week or so that you want to discuss, that goes here as well. For everything else in anime that's not currently airing go discuss that in Your Week in Anime.

Untagged spoilers for all currently airing series. If you're discussing anything else make sure to add spoiler tags.

Airing shows can be found at: AniChart | LiveChart | MAL | Senpai Anime Charts

Archive:

2024: Prev | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2023: Fall Week 1 | Winter Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2022: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2021: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2020: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2019: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2018: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2017: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2016: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter week 1

2015: Fall Week 1 | Summer week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2014: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2013: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2012: Fall Week 1

^Table ^of ^contents ^courtesy ^of ^sohumb

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

###Here's a link to the video [08:47]

#Transcript:

After taking Japan by storm when it was released in theaters in 2001, Spirited Away (Sen To Chihiro no Kamikakushi) was finally making its way to DVD, in Japan, during the summer of 2002. It hit store shelves on July 19, and, just like its theatrical release, it was a major success. Millions of tapes and DVDs were being shipped to stores, and it sold 1.4 million DVDs during the first week of its release. But something wasn’t right.

Within the first few days of its release, Studio Ghibli had received over 200 phone calls and emails about the DVDs. And it seemed like most of those customers were complaining about the same thing: a strange red tint that was applied to the video. When customers exchanged these seemingly defective DVDs for new ones, the issue didn’t go away. And some retailers had already started offering free exchanges–treating the DVDs as if they were defective. The most striking example of the issue came packaged with the DVDs. As a part of the set, there was a bonus disc that contained theatrical trailers. And those trailers looked a lot more like what viewers remembered, with no red tint.

In their report on the issue, ZAKZAK reached out to Studio Ghibli for comment. According to the studio, most of the complaints were about the DVDs, but there were some about VHS tapes as well. They were looking into the issue, but they weren’t sure what was causing the problem, “The color designer and cinematographer added color effects to the film to make it look as identical as possible to the colors seen in the theater, so it is not an abnormality.” They treated My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke the same way, but didn’t hear any negative feedback from fans. They notified Buena Vista Home Entertainment (Buena Vista), Disney’s home video division that owned the film’s distribution rights, and asked them to investigate.

On July 22nd, Buena Vista explained the situation to Mainichi, “For the bonus disc, we used the footage from the trailers we had on hand as they were, but for the feature film, it was adjusted after being examined by the producer, Studio Ghibli. It is not defective.” When they spoke to Studio Ghibli, they recommended that you set your television to a movie/theater mode if you wanted to adjust the color of the picture. But they also stated that, “There are no plans to change the color tones and resell the film.”

Buena Vista repeated the same language in an official statement on the issue they released the next day. At the same time, they started reaching out to retailers. In a sales manual obtained by ZAKZAK, they stated that, “Studio Ghibli cannot guarantee the picture or sound quality when played on a personal computer…” and recommended that customers watch it using a DVD player. When ZAKZAK reached out to Studio Ghibli about this, they decided not to comment.

The red tint issue–which some fans started calling “Terminator Vision”–elicited a variety of reactions from fans. Obviously, there were a lot of people who were upset with the change. But there were a fair number of people who either thought it wasn’t that big of a deal, since you could adjust the settings of your monitor, as well as those who welcomed the change. Seeing it as a deliberate creative decision by Studio Ghibli.

Despite continuing to receive complaints and negative reviews from customers online, Spirited Away DVDs continued to sell well. But these complaints did spark discussion on an issue that people didn’t really think about: how do Japan’s consumer rights laws apply to software? According to an article by Mainichi on the topic, as the laws were currently written, they didn’t. Despite the initial reaction by retailers, they may not have been legally obligated to accept the returns of the DVDs because of the red tint. According to a representative from the Japan Consumers Association, in order to request a return based on the Product Liability Law, there needs to be visible damage. And for it to fall under the Consumer Contract Law, “a ‘monetary contract’ for the purchase of DVD software is invalid if there is intent, negligence, or tort on the part of the manufacturer or seller, but there must be proof of ‘responsibility’ for the color tone, which is a matter of taste. Studio Ghibli has not changed its claim that the color tones in question are ‘colors decided by Ghibli,’ making it difficult for a third party to make a judgment.”

Complaints continued to pile up throughout the summer, but the first sign that things may be starting to change happened at the end of September. Japan’s National Consumer Affairs Center issued a warning to Buena Vista. They decided to test the DVDs themselves, and, “no extreme color anomalies were found." However, because of how quickly the complaints rolled in, they decided to ask the distributor two questions: what was their opinion on the reddish tint and how the product differed from the theatrical version, and how they were going to address the issue. Buena Vista responded by saying that any issues were probably caused when the film was converted to its digital format, and planned to address the issue by setting up a call center to receive customer complaints and printing the number on all packaging released after October. With that being said, they were going to continue to sell the product as it was, and didn’t have any plans to change it.

Things appeared to die down until November 28, when three people filed a lawsuit in the Kyoto District Court. It was a civil suit filed against Walt Disney Japan, and it claimed that, “the color tone is reddish and completely different from the movie theater.” And was not only trying to obtain color corrected DVD replacements, but 10,000 yen in compensation for each plaintiff. One of the plaintiffs was Tetsuo Otani, a lawyer who was also serving as the prosecuting attorney, who purchased the DVD in August. He was disappointed by the reddish tint and contained Buena Vista, but didn’t get anywhere. In order to see if he actually had a case, he decided to analyze the colors of the film using a histogram.

According to their analysis, the trailer on the bonus disc had an even color distribution between values 0 - 255 for red, blue, and green. And while the red values remained consistent in the actual movie, the values for green and blue were compressed to values between 0 - 180. This led the plaintiffs to the conclusion that, “the compression occurred equally throughout the entire film and was not intentional, but rather due to some accident or mistake in the production process.”

In an interview with Mainichi, Tetsuo Otani explained why they decided to seek 10,000 yen in compensation: “Since we were not injured, we decided not to seek a higher amount. This is not a trial for money, but rather a trial to question the defendant's attitude and response as a company. When I first sent the email, if Buena Vista had said, ‘It was our mistake, we apologize,’ it would not have become an issue and there would not have been a lawsuit. We believe, based on subsequent news reports and other information, that there is a problem with the company's response.” As for why they decided to sue Disney instead of Studio Ghibli, “Since we, the customers, do not know the relationship between Buena Vista and Studio Ghibli, we took the case against the distributor. However, in the course of the trial, Buena Vista may claim that they sold what Studio Ghibli told them to sell. We would like to talk to Director Hayao Miyazaki (in court) to find out what he thinks about this as the producer.”

In Buena Vista’s initial comment on the lawsuit, they said that they would discuss it with Studio Ghibli before releasing a response. But they did note that they saw the argument that the DVD looks different from what people saw in theaters as a difference in the way it was perceived. The trial didn’t pick up steam until the following February, when Disney tried to get the case transferred to the Tokyo District Court, but this motion was contested by the plaintiffs. On May 26, the court denied the motion to transfer and Disney would have to respond to the complaint by July 24th. On the 24th, Disney filed their response and stated that, “The defendant (Disney) merely duplicates and presses the DVD masters produced by Studio Ghibli (the producer). We are not involved in the selection of colors and tones, and we assume no responsibility whatsoever … the color tones were adjusted in consideration of the color temperature of Japanese television sets, and the pertinence of the color tones cannot be discussed in a court of law and should not be the subject of legal evaluation.” In order to demonstrate that the DVDs weren’t defective, the defense cited Studio Ghibli’s reasoning behind the color changes: “The color tone of the feature film is the color tone that has been adjusted and determined for the viewing of the film on DVD. The trailer is simply a bonus video." They decided to adjust the tone of the film because the temperature of Japanese televisions is whiter than movie theater screens. The master files were made on a monitor that was calibrated to match theater screens, and the footage was adjusted so that it would look the same on Japanese televisions. Studio Ghibli also noted that, “Since the main character is a 10-year-old girl who has entered the 'mysterious town' where humans are not allowed to enter, the overall color tone should not be clear and distinct to match the emotional tone of the main character. For this reason, we adjusted the image to warm and soft tones.”

But the plaintiffs disagreed with this argument. Tetsuo Otani responded by saying that, “Disney says that they are not responsible for the product because they only press and sell the masters, but it is natural that Disney is responsible for the product to the consumers who purchased it. The DVDs released in the U.S. do not have a strong red tint, and we would like an explanation for this difference. One of the reasons given for adjusting the color tone is the emotional state of the main character, but the conditions in this regard are the same in both theaters and DVDs, so the explanation is confusing."

The two sides traded reports and statements for the rest of the year, and well into 2004. Then, on May 14, the court asked both sides if a settlement was possible. And, on August 20th, the court formally recommended that the two parties settle and decided to draft settlement terms. Then, on September 10, 2004, the two parties agreed to settle. Here were the terms of the agreement:

1. Defendant acknowledges and regrets any misunderstanding or confusion that may have arisen among some purchasers regarding the tint of the DVDs in question.
2. In the future, when selling DVD versions of films distributed in Japan, if the producer made any adjustments to the master data in order to create the DVD version, the defendant will clearly state this fact and make other efforts to inform consumers that the images on the DVD version have been adjusted from the master data, so as not to cause any confusion.
3. Plaintiffs waive their claims in this case.
4. Plaintiffs and defendants mutually agree that they have no claims or obligations other than those set forth in this Settlement Agreement.
5. The costs of the lawsuit shall be borne by each party.

So, at the end of this long, winding affair, the red tint still remains.

This is a general discussion thread for whatever you've been watching this last week (or recently, we really aren't picky) that's not currently airing. For specifically discussing currently airing shows, go to This Week in Anime.

Make sure to talk more about your own thoughts on the show than just describing the plot, and use spoiler tags where appropriate. If you disagree with what someone is saying, make a comment saying why instead of just downvoting.

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

Archive: Previous, Week 116, Our Year in Anime 2013, 2014

Welcome to This Week In Anime for Spring 2024 Week 4 a general discussion for any currently airing series, focusing on what aired in the last week. For longer shows, keep the discussion here to whatever aired in the last few months. If there's an OVA or movie that got subbed for the first time in the last week or so that you want to discuss, that goes here as well. For everything else in anime that's not currently airing go discuss that in Your Week in Anime.

Untagged spoilers for all currently airing series. If you're discussing anything else make sure to add spoiler tags.

Airing shows can be found at: AniChart | LiveChart | MAL | Senpai Anime Charts

Archive:

2024: Prev | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2023: Fall Week 1 | Winter Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2022: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2021: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2020: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2019: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2018: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2017: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2016: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter week 1

2015: Fall Week 1 | Summer week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2014: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2013: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2012: Fall Week 1

^Table ^of ^contents ^courtesy ^of ^sohumb

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

This is a general discussion thread for whatever you've been watching this last week (or recently, we really aren't picky) that's not currently airing. For specifically discussing currently airing shows, go to This Week in Anime.

Make sure to talk more about your own thoughts on the show than just describing the plot, and use spoiler tags where appropriate. If you disagree with what someone is saying, make a comment saying why instead of just downvoting.

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

Archive: Previous, Week 116, Our Year in Anime 2013, 2014

Welcome to This Week In Anime for Spring 2024 Week 3 a general discussion for any currently airing series, focusing on what aired in the last week. For longer shows, keep the discussion here to whatever aired in the last few months. If there's an OVA or movie that got subbed for the first time in the last week or so that you want to discuss, that goes here as well. For everything else in anime that's not currently airing go discuss that in Your Week in Anime.

Untagged spoilers for all currently airing series. If you're discussing anything else make sure to add spoiler tags.

Airing shows can be found at: AniChart | LiveChart | MAL | Senpai Anime Charts

Archive:

2024: Prev | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2023: Fall Week 1 | Winter Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2022: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2021: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2020: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2019: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2018: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2017: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2016: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter week 1

2015: Fall Week 1 | Summer week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2014: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2013: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2012: Fall Week 1

^Table ^of ^contents ^courtesy ^of ^sohumb

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

I remember this guy loses his mom and at least one limb in a car crash, he lives in a cabin, and his dad bought an either 17 year old or a 13 year old to be his wife. I first saw it on one of those anime recap channels on YouTube if that helps. I don't know if it's on Crunchyroll, but it's on an app called Venabox. I had it in my watchlist, but I had to reset my account, so I don't remember the name.

https://cmdcph.substack.com/p/weird-japan-on-western-critiques

Not sure if it's appropriate here, but the article in question (a re-edited post from May 2023 with an addendum) discusses how amidst the chorus of praise and sustained popularity, some Western critics continue to smear anime and manga, depicting Japanese culture as strange and sinister.

For a TLDR:

We shouldn’t make the mistake of viewing artistic freedom of expression as a threat in itself—no matter how emotively moralistic the appeals of activists may be. We must always take cultural preferences and creative liberties into consideration and not be blindly led by self-righteous indignation to demonize an art form with which they have never been linked, despite perennial attempts to find such a connection. Neither should we slander the Japanese as child abusers because of their taste in comics. Perhaps it’s better, at least, to try to give a fair shake than to peddle fear and disgust for personal gain.

​

This is a general discussion thread for whatever you've been watching this last week (or recently, we really aren't picky) that's not currently airing. For specifically discussing currently airing shows, go to This Week in Anime.

Make sure to talk more about your own thoughts on the show than just describing the plot, and use spoiler tags where appropriate. If you disagree with what someone is saying, make a comment saying why instead of just downvoting.

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

Archive: Previous, Week 116, Our Year in Anime 2013, 2014

Welcome to This Week In Anime for Spring 2024 Week 2 a general discussion for any currently airing series, focusing on what aired in the last week. For longer shows, keep the discussion here to whatever aired in the last few months. If there's an OVA or movie that got subbed for the first time in the last week or so that you want to discuss, that goes here as well. For everything else in anime that's not currently airing go discuss that in Your Week in Anime.

Untagged spoilers for all currently airing series. If you're discussing anything else make sure to add spoiler tags.

Airing shows can be found at: AniChart | LiveChart | MAL | Senpai Anime Charts

Archive:

2024: Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2023: Fall Week 1 | Winter Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2022: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2021: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2020: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2019: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2018: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2017: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2016: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter week 1

2015: Fall Week 1 | Summer week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2014: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2013: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2012: Fall Week 1

^Table ^of ^contents ^courtesy ^of ^sohumb

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

For those who have watched the anime School Days, I was just wondering why there was never a School Days Live Action compared to other animes that came later? Do you think that a Live Action School Days could work like a series or a movie? You may hate the anime School Days but it could work as a drama right?

###Here's a link to the video [06:56]

#Transcript:

Anime’s popularity was growing rapidly in the United States in the late 1990s. And this increase in popularity also came with an increase in scrutiny. Columnists from various mainstream outlets were covering its rising popularity. And even if the articles themselves weren’t explicitly negative, there seemed to be a common observation: that these Japanese cartoons appeared to be a lot more violent, and sexually suggestive, than their western counterparts–even after localization. However, at the time, it looks like most people either didn’t know or didn’t care. Even in the now infamous Wall Street Journal article, they note that Cartoon Network hadn’t received any complaints–from either parents or advertisers.

But this wouldn’t be the end of it. Just over a year later, the issue of adult content in anime would be brought back into the news cycle in a new way. One that was not only critical of the content itself, but the places where fans purchased it.

On January 28, 2001, if you looked on the front page of The New York Times, you’d find what appears to have been the catalyst of what was to come. An article by Times columnist Jim Rutenberg entitled, “Violence Finds a Niche in Children's Cartoons.” It starts with three descriptions of violent scenes from anime that aired on Warner Brothers (WB), Cartoon Network, and Fox during children’s programming blocks. After touching on anime’s increasing popularity and a muted response from parents and media watchdogs, he compares it to classics like Roadrunner and Tom & Jerry–noting an increase in the level of violence.

After turning to page 19, you’ll find descriptions of two more violent scenes–one from both Dragon Ball Z and Digimon. The next section focuses on how anime is influencing a new, more violent, wave of western animation. Citing the WB’s Batman Beyond. An interesting note is that the article also has comments from executives at three large networks. The executives at Fox and WB both said that anime was more than senseless violence. However, Nickelodeon didn’t want anything to do with it. With the network’s executive vice president and general manager, saying, “It's more violence for violence's sake than I've ever seen.”

The article closes with a section on how views about violence on television are changing, and another wondering whether anime would be able to sustain this level of popularity. But the thing that seemed to stick in people’s minds was the notion that children were viewing things that they really shouldn’t be. In their response to the article, ICv2’s final statement would turn out to be prescient. “...with grittier, harder-edged anime like Outlaw Star making a splash on the Cartoon Network … anime is going to get more visibility at a time when the entertainment industry is an easy target of ‘bipartisan’ political opportunity. Evidently there are plenty of otherwise rational people who want to ‘pablumize’ children's television. This front page article in the New York Times may just be the overture in a symphony of bloviation to come. Stay tuned…”

Our saga begins in early February at the famous Golden Apple comic shop in Los Angeles, California. Reporters from the local television station KCOP-TV sent three boys into the shop to buy adult comics–after wiring them up with cameras and microphones. The kids were able to walk out of the store with some adult books without much trouble. The report appears to have ended shortly after they tried to interview the store’s owner, Bill Liebowitz, and were quickly shown the door. This incident only aired on local television so most people, even within the state, probably had no idea that it happened.

But a similar event would take place less than a week later. This time, it took place in Cleveland, Ohio, and the local news station was WEWS-TV. This story was inspired by one of the network’s producers. She was surprised by the adult content in the cartoons that her 16 year old son was watching. In order to show everyone just how easy it was to obtain, they wired him up with a camera and sent him into a couple of video store chains. And, at least one location, he didn’t have too much trouble. While the report didn’t name the stores, ICv2 found out that one of them was Suncoast. In their recap, ICv2 notes the apparent difference in objectives between the two hidden camera stories: “Unlike the TV undercover operation in LA that targeted Golden Apple, the Channel 5 story appeared to be more about enlightening the general public that adult cartoons are out there, rather than about skewering any individual retailer. The key message of the Channel 5 report was that 'a lot of what's available in the video stores is a long way from what you see on television.’” While the report did include comments from the Citizens for the Protection of Children in Medina, a county in the greater Cleveland area, it also spoke with the owner of an anime video store. Now if one story is a coincidence, and two make a pattern, then three…

Another report was released on February 13 by WTAE-TV, out of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Like the previous story, this one focused on how easy it was for children to obtain anime with adult content. The reporter sent in a 12 year old with instructions to buy something explicit, and he returned with a tape that, “Contains violence, strong language and nudity.” However, at the end of the report, she noted that the tape didn’t contain hard-core pornography and that it wasn’t against the law for the store to rent, or sell, it minors. There wasn’t a whole lot more to the report, other than quotes from the director of the Pittsburgh Coalition Against Pornography and an “anime watcher.”

The last report takes us back to California. On March 1, in San Diego, KGTV released their investigation. The report begins by describing anime’s increasing popularity, using the East Lake High School anime club as an example. They then speak to a concerned mother who’s never heard of anime before. They show her clips that, according to the reporter, are, “...so sexually explicit we can't even show you parts we showed her.” She called the footage “X-rated” and didn’t appear to leave with a good impression of anime as a whole. “It has no benefit. There's no redeeming value to it whatsoever. I mean, it's just shocking, shocking to me.” They then sent her 13 year old son into two video stores: Suncoast and Tower Records. At Suncoast, he was able to purchase the hentai OVA Dragon Knight with any resistance–and this seems to be the anime that they showed to his mother. At Tower Records, they tried to purchase two tapes: one marked ages 13 and up, and the other marked ages 18 and up. After being asked to verify his age, he was only able to pick up the tape marked 13 and up. But an employee noted that things do slip past them when they’re busy.

However, even though he was old enough to buy it, they were still critical of the content–citing violence and nudity. They spoke to a police officer about laws that restrict the selling of harmful things to minors, but he said that there was no definitive legislation on the issue and that they’d be looking into it. They also spoke with a representative from the Citizens for Community Values of San Diego who called for retailers who sold these materials to kids to be prosecuted.

As for the East Lake High School anime club mentioned at the beginning, it ended up getting suspended. While the school didn’t believe that they had shown any explicit content, they suspended the club pending investigation. ICv2 reached out to the school after the report, and found out that the investigation didn’t uncover anything. However, a policy required students to obtain written permission from their parents to view videos on school grounds. So, at the time of their report, the club’s future was still uncertain.

This report seems to have received a lot more push back from anime fans. In addition to discussion on news sites, fan groups, and blogs, there was a much more positive anime-focused article released by a parent in Cleveland, as well as a petition going around asking KGTV to release another report to clarify that not all anime is violent and pornographic.

While the petition doesn’t seem to have gone anywhere, the KGTV report would mark the end of this short trend. But was this really just a coincidence? In their coverage of the Pittsburgh investigation, ICv2 gave two reasons why this trend could continue. The first was that a lot of local television stations are owned by the same company, and can share stories with one another. But, at the time, each station was owned by a different company.

• KCOP (News Corp.)
• WEWS (The E. W. Scripps Company)
• WTAE (Hearst)
• KGTV (McGraw Hill)

The second was that news directors will look at other stations in order to get ideas for new stories, which is definitely a possibility.

Regardless of the reasons behind it, this episode gives us an interesting look into how anime was viewed in the early 2000s. And while fans may not have appreciated the way anime was portrayed in these stories, it doesn’t look like they did anything to slow its growing popularity.

This is a general discussion thread for whatever you've been watching this last week (or recently, we really aren't picky) that's not currently airing. For specifically discussing currently airing shows, go to This Week in Anime.

Make sure to talk more about your own thoughts on the show than just describing the plot, and use spoiler tags where appropriate. If you disagree with what someone is saying, make a comment saying why instead of just downvoting.

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

Archive: Previous, Week 116, Our Year in Anime 2013, 2014

It's that time again! Welcome to the end of this season (in anime)! Did you think it was good? Or did you think it was unremarkable? Tell the rest of us what you think!

• Please wait as I post threads for every show. Feel free to post one for something I missed. :)

• Here's last season's in case you feel like reminiscing about last season. :P

Welcome to This Week In Anime for Spring 2024 Week 1 a general discussion for any currently airing series, focusing on what aired in the last week. For longer shows, keep the discussion here to whatever aired in the last few months. If there's an OVA or movie that got subbed for the first time in the last week or so that you want to discuss, that goes here as well. For everything else in anime that's not currently airing go discuss that in Your Week in Anime.

Untagged spoilers for all currently airing series. If you're discussing anything else make sure to add spoiler tags.

Airing shows can be found at: AniChart | LiveChart | MAL | Senpai Anime Charts

Archive:

2024: Prev | Winter Week 1

2023: Fall Week 1 | Winter Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2022: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2021: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2020: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2019: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2018: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2017: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2016: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter week 1

2015: Fall Week 1 | Summer week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2014: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2013: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2012: Fall Week 1

^Table ^of ^contents ^courtesy ^of ^sohumb

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

Its been a couple years now that Chinese Anime has begun taking off and getting more traction.

But i am really failing to understand WHY it is gaining any traction at all.

Every time i go to my favorite anime sites now, i have to dig through pages of anime that all sounds like the names were AI generated in order to find anything that catches my eye now.

I don't understand the appeal of the majority of this kind of anime. Like almost ALL of them are copy-pasted anime that has the exact same plotline.

Just glancing at the list of recent anime that is out this year, i can pull out all of these names from the list:

Disciples Say I'm Invincible

Hundreds of Refined Gods

Hundreds of Millions of Apprentices are Returned: This Master Is Invincible in this World

I Can Change the Timeline of Everything

I Can Control All Opportunities

I Can Have Infinite Epiphanies

I Get Stronger By Doing Nothing

I Am Unbeatable

I Had to Die 10,000 Times to Become Immortal

Master of Ten Thousand Paths

Return of the Immortal

Rebirth of the Emperor

Rebirth of the Urban Immortal Cultivator

The Return of the Immortal King of the City

The Supreme Master

Supreme God System

Supreme Pupil Master

Supreme Gossip System

Supreme Warriors

Sword Immortal Martial Emperor

Ten Emperors Are My Disciples

The Eternal God King

The Strongest God King on Earth

And this is just a FEW out of the list, there are dozens and dozens more exactly like this. I got nothing against China, but what is this? I feel like this is basically the same 2 or 3 anime over and over and over again with slightly different names. Just to prove how the same they are, i didn't even need to check if these were actually Chinese anime or not: I know they all are just by the translated titles (feel free to check if you want). I also threw in a fake one that i made up, and i doubt you will be able to tell which one it is. Why is it so prolific? Who is watching this stuff? It can't be good, its basically just regurgitated copy-pasted stories about cultivation and being overpowered. It honestly looks like a joke or parody.... but its not.

For me, I see character set of 1Raoh 2Toki 3Kenshiro and 1Toguro younger 2Genkai 3Yusuke as analoguous. 1 and 2 are closest peers, while 3 is a bit younger. 1 and 2 made different choices earlier on, they each insist on their own choice of methods while disagreeing with each other's. 3 is closer to 2, and ends up confronting 1 after 2 loses. 1 insists on their choice because they believe it to be right method and will produce the best outcome for everyone. But they also aren't insecure to think about 3 defeating themselves, because though it would mean that their methods are wrong and the choices 3 made is right, it could only mean that they are defeated by a better person who will bring about a even better future for everyone. They have no regret in their losses, because they both have insisted all they can on their choices while only losing to a worthy opponent. Both 1s show some contradictory feelings about their insistence and are sometimes seen as both wanting themselves to win but also in moments of redemption, gave both 3s the chance for advantages. Their lack of regret in themselves are shown even more in this contrast of still insisting on their choices despite the contradictions they experience

I gotta post here because r/anime wont let me for some reasion

In no particular order, for me its gotta be:
Charlotte
Darling in the Franxx (fell off around the time they had that weird ass wedding arc)
Neon Genesis Evangelion (yes even with the movie included, still a classic series though)

Soul Eater
His and Her Circumstances
SAO season 1 after the the first arc
Promised Neverland
Food Wars
Honorable Mentions: Code Geass and Death Note
These endings weren't so bad, just of noticeably less quality as the rest of the series.

This is a general discussion thread for whatever you've been watching this last week (or recently, we really aren't picky) that's not currently airing. For specifically discussing currently airing shows, go to This Week in Anime.

Make sure to talk more about your own thoughts on the show than just describing the plot, and use spoiler tags where appropriate. If you disagree with what someone is saying, make a comment saying why instead of just downvoting.

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

Archive: Previous, Week 116, Our Year in Anime 2013, 2014

Welcome to This Week In Anime for Winter 2024 Week 13 a general discussion for any currently airing series, focusing on what aired in the last week. For longer shows, keep the discussion here to whatever aired in the last few months. If there's an OVA or movie that got subbed for the first time in the last week or so that you want to discuss, that goes here as well. For everything else in anime that's not currently airing go discuss that in Your Week in Anime.

Untagged spoilers for all currently airing series. If you're discussing anything else make sure to add spoiler tags.

Airing shows can be found at: AniChart | LiveChart | MAL | Senpai Anime Charts

Archive:

2024: Prev | Winter Week 1

2023: Fall Week 1 | Winter Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2022: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2021: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2020: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2019: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2018: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2017: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2016: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter week 1

2015: Fall Week 1 | Summer week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2014: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2013: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2012: Fall Week 1

^Table ^of ^contents ^courtesy ^of ^sohumb

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

Could anyone give me a recommendation of a feature animated movie similar to Wings of Honneamise, . I'd prefer if it featured flying vehicles or machines .

This is a general discussion thread for whatever you've been watching this last week (or recently, we really aren't picky) that's not currently airing. For specifically discussing currently airing shows, go to This Week in Anime.

Make sure to talk more about your own thoughts on the show than just describing the plot, and use spoiler tags where appropriate. If you disagree with what someone is saying, make a comment saying why instead of just downvoting.

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

Archive: Previous, Week 116, Our Year in Anime 2013, 2014

Welcome to This Week In Anime for Winter 2024 Week 12 a general discussion for any currently airing series, focusing on what aired in the last week. For longer shows, keep the discussion here to whatever aired in the last few months. If there's an OVA or movie that got subbed for the first time in the last week or so that you want to discuss, that goes here as well. For everything else in anime that's not currently airing go discuss that in Your Week in Anime.

Untagged spoilers for all currently airing series. If you're discussing anything else make sure to add spoiler tags.

Airing shows can be found at: AniChart | LiveChart | MAL | Senpai Anime Charts

Archive:

2024: Prev | Winter Week 1

2023: Fall Week 1 | Winter Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2022: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2021: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2020: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2019: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2018: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2017: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2016: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter week 1

2015: Fall Week 1 | Summer week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2014: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2013: Fall Week 1 | Summer Week 1 | Spring Week 1 | Winter Week 1

2012: Fall Week 1

^Table ^of ^contents ^courtesy ^of ^sohumb

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

###Here's a link to the video [03:48]

#Transcript:

On October 11, 2007, Shueisha's Jump Square (SQ) magazine announced that they would be publishing a manga adaptation of Fuyumi Ono’s 1998 horror novel Shiki. The adaptation would be handled by Ryū Fujisaki, the creator of the Hoshin Engi (Soul Hunter) series. As for why they decided to adapt a horror novel from the 1990s, Tomoyuki Shima–a Jump Square Editor–explained the story to MANTANWEB a few years later:

“When JUMP SQ was launched, our editorial department had the idea of having Mr. Ryu Fujisaki challenge himself in a new field. We proposed several original works, and the theme and genre of ‘Shiki’ by Ms. Fuyumi Ono inspired Mr. Fujisaki to write (his earlier work ‘WORLDS’ also had elements of horror). From there, we began negotiations with Ono-sensei to see if we could borrow her original novel, and she gave us permission with only one condition: that the manga not be a mere reproduction of the original story [Edited for clarity].”

The manga adaptation debuted in Jump Square issue number two on December 4, 2007. The series would also be released in individual volumes. With Shiki volume one and volume two hitting store shelves, in Japan, on July 4, 2008. Things continued like this for a while. Until, on December 18, 2009, a website for an anime adaptation of the manga was discovered. The series was going to air on the Fuji Television Network’s noitaminA programming block. In April of 2010, Funimation made a deal with Fuji TV to stream and simulcast titles from the block on their website. On July 2nd, at that year’s Anime Expo, Funimation announced that they would be simulcasting Shiki.

Shiki aired on noitaminA from July 9 to December 31, 2010, and ran for 22 episodes. But, on December 18, the series’ official website announced that two unaired episodes would be included in upcoming blu-ray releases. Volume 8 would contain episode 21 and the never before seen episode 20.5, and it would hit store shelves on May 25, 2011. Volume 9 would arrive on June 22, 2011, and contain episodes 22 and 21.5.

In 2011, at the end of March, Funimation announced that they would be releasing Shiki on Blu-ray and DVD in the Spring of 2012. And this release would include all 24 episodes. Funimation released Shiki part one and part two, in North America, on May 29, 2012–with part one being released as a limited edition set. The series would also be released in other regions before the end of the year. Siren Visual released the series on Blu-ray and DVD in Australia and New Zealand. Manga Entertainment released the series in the UK, but only on DVD.

The series appears to have been made available for sale digitally shortly after its release on sites like Amazon Prime Video and iTunes. However, if you wanted to purchase the series with Japanese audio, you’d be out of luck. The series’ final home video release in the west came in 2014, when Funimation re-released it as a part of their S.A.V.E. collection.

If you wanted to stream the series, you had a couple of options. Funimation had been streaming it since it aired in Japan. And the 22 original, subtitled, episodes were also available on Hulu through a partnership with Funimation, but it looks like they were removed some time in 2013. There wouldn’t be another official way to stream the series until 2017, when Crunchyroll added Shiki to its catalog. It also made its way back onto Hulu in 2018, but it doesn’t look like either service acquired rights to the dub or the unaired episodes.

Fans would receive some bad news on June 16, 2018, when Funimation announced that their rights to the series were set to expire on June 30. Funimation was the only service that had the rights to the English dub and the two special episodes. Shiki was available on Crunchyroll for a little bit longer, but it was removed before the end of the year. The series wasn’t completely gone, since you could still watch it subtitled on Hulu. But, if you wanted to watch the dub or the special episodes, you’d have to buy the series. And things would only get worse from here. The series survived on Hulu for a while, but it was eventually taken down in the spring of 2021–along with everything else. At around the same time that it disappeared from streaming services, the series was also removed from digital storefronts like Amazon Prime Video.

If you live in Japan, you can still watch the series through Fuji TV on Demand (FOD) or Hulu Japan–which is a completely separate company from its western counterpart. But, as of March 2024, there’s no official way to buy, or stream, the horror anime digitally in the west.

This is a general discussion thread for whatever you've been watching this last week (or recently, we really aren't picky) that's not currently airing. For specifically discussing currently airing shows, go to This Week in Anime.

Make sure to talk more about your own thoughts on the show than just describing the plot, and use spoiler tags where appropriate. If you disagree with what someone is saying, make a comment saying why instead of just downvoting.

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

Archive: Previous, Week 116, Our Year in Anime 2013, 2014