The General Anime Thread!

[Skipper]

I noticed that, except for a couple of threads dedicated to specific works, there isn't a thread dedicated to anime! I wasn't sure what sub-forum to put this in, but since the vast majority of anime discussed in the West are Sci-fi/fantasy in nature, I thought this would be the right place!

I wanted to start talking about (and suggest watching!) what for me is the best anime of this season

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth

The manga is set in 15th century "P Kingdom". People who suggest ideas in opposition to the teachings of the "C religion", such as that the Earth revolves around the Sun, are considered heretics, and are tortured or burned at the stake. Rafal, a child prodigy with an interest in astronomy, is forced by Hubert, a scholar and heretic, to assist him in his research for the "about the movement of the Earth" theory. When Nowak, an inquisitor, finds a diagram drawn by Rafal showing a heliocentric model, Hubert claims responsibility and is executed, leaving Rafal a spherical pendant.

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If before this series they had told me that I would be passionate about an anime that tells the story of a secret movement of heliocentrists that tries to bring the truth despite the persecution of the church I would have asked if they were okay!

Instead, not only is it interesting and well done, but it is incredibly relevant in this period where anti-science movements are increasingly present. Has anyone seen it? And does anyone want to recommend other anime?

 

[JD]

I've never heard of that before, it does sound interesting.

 

[Skipper]

I've never heard of that before, it does sound interesting.

Absolutely, I think Netflix presents it as content worldwide.

 

[Forbin]

General Anime sounds like a good character name.

 

[Firebird]

General Anime sounds like a good character name.

Sounds like a character they’d have had in Excel Saga.

 

[Firebird]

Looks like the two recap movies for Bocchi the Rock dropped on Crunchyroll this weekend, just in time for the long-awaited announcement for season 2.

The first season did a very good job with adapting the original manga, and the songs were really fucking good, too. Can't wait to see how season 2 goes!

 

[Forbin]

Watching Cowboy Bebop again during breakfast. God I love that show. I'll probably follow up with all of GitS.

I'm always looking for new anime to watch, but I want good science fiction, like Bebop, GitS, Planetes et al. Seems like it's all silly fantasy these days. I also love a good rousing samurai anime like Champloo or Kenshin. Gotta be historical Samurai, tho, not fantasy.

 

[Skipper]

I'm always looking for new anime to watch, but I want good science fiction, like Bebop, GitS, Planetes et al. Seems like it's all silly fantasy these days. I also love a good rousing samurai anime like Champloo or Kenshin. Gotta be historical Samurai, tho, not fantasy.

Try taking a look at Psycho-pass!

 

[Steve Roby]

The only anime series I've seen pretty much all of are Cowboy Bebop, Serial Experiments: Lain, Ghost in the Shell (all the various versions), Texhnolyze, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Big O, and Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040. I'm about halfway through Patlabor and coming up soon (or at least eventually) will be Ergo Proxy, Planetes, Knights of Sidonia, and Psycho-Pass.

I find myself being surprised by the tonal shifts in some anime. The Big O is about a city where, forty years ago, everyone lost their memory. There's a lot of mystery about what happened and why, and no one seems to know much about the rest of the world, and there's other things going on -- but the last ten minutes of pretty much every episode is a giant mecha battle starring the main character's mecha, Big O. Then there's Patlabor, which mixes serious ongoing plot threads and character development with silly comedy.

 

[Firebird]

Watching Cowboy Bebop again during breakfast. God I love that show. I'll probably follow up with all of GitS.

I'm always looking for new anime to watch, but I want good science fiction, like Bebop, GitS, Planetes et al. Seems like it's all silly fantasy these days. I also love a good rousing samurai anime like Champloo or Kenshin. Gotta be historical Samurai, tho, not fantasy.

Outlaw Star might be to your liking. It's not quite as grounded as Bebop, but it scratches that same western/sci-fi coded itch.

There's also a belief among certain fans that Outlaw Star may have more than a little inspired Firefly.

Trigun is also very much in this vein, both the original 1998 adaption and the more recent Trigun: Stampede adaption.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Outlaw Star might be to your liking. It's not quite as grounded as Bebop, but it scratches that same western/sci-fi coded itch.

There's also a belief among certain fans that Outlaw Star may have more than a little inspired Firefly.

If you're going to watch "Outlaw Star", then you might as well watch "Angel Links" since that is a spin-off show as well based in the same universe.

 

[Firebird]

If you're going to watch "Outlaw Star", then you might as well watch "Angel Links" since that is a spin-off show as well based in the same universe.

I've never gotten around to watching Angel Links - it was never a part of Toonami's programming back in the early 00's when I first got into anime through shows like Outlaw Star.

 

[Forbin]

Outlaw Star might be to your liking. It's not quite as grounded as Bebop, but it scratches that same western/sci-fi coded itch.

There's also a belief among certain fans that Outlaw Star may have more than a little inspired Firefly.

Trigun is also very much in this vein, both the original 1998 adaption and the more recent Trigun: Stampede adaption.

I tried both of those many years ago! Outlaw Star, I couldn't get into, but OH yes, Whedon definitely borrow some stuff from that. The whole girl-in-a-freezer schtick for one thing. I know I watched Trigun, but now I can't remember much about it. I'll see if it's still on my shelf somewhere.

 

[Skipper]

I tried both of those many years ago! Outlaw Star, I couldn't get into, but OH yes, Whedon definitely borrow some stuff from that. The whole girl-in-a-freezer schtick for one thing. I know I watched Trigun, but now I can't remember much about it. I'll see if it's still on my shelf somewhere.

What about Sol Bianca?

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[Forbin]

What about Sol Bianca?

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Ooooh! I'll look for it! Thanks!

EDIT: Never mind. Amazon wants a LOT for it.
Unless I speak German, then it's cheap.

 

[Booji]

Castlevania: Nocturne was excellent. I definitely recommend giving it a whirl.

 

[Steve Roby]

Finished watching Planetes today. Like Patlabor, it can shift from a goofy comedy episode to a relationship/character development story to a serious political/terrorism story. Its two comic relief characters are annoying but rarely the centre of attention. Overall, a believable near future science fiction series well worth the cost of the blu ray.

 

[Firebird]

There's been a couple of surprising shows during this current spring 2025 anime season I've been keeping up with, both good and bad:

Good surprise: Catch Me at the Ballpark
I went in on this show blind when it started. I'm not usually one for sports-related anime, but it ended up being really good. This is more of a slice-of-life show that focuses on the lives of the people who work at a baseball stadium. It's a fun and chill watch every week, and I like the lead characters of Ruriko and Murata who have a burgeoning attraction between them. The animation is rather limited and nothing to write home about, but that's not the point of the show at all. It's the characters and the vibes that bring you back each week. I give this one a high recommendation.

Bad surprise: Lazarus
From Shinichiro Watanabe, the director behind Cowboy Bebop, and Chad Stahelski, director of John Wick, this action series was big on the hype train before the season started. The ticking-clock aspect to the oncoming world apocalypse was promising, and it seemed like there was a clear Bebop sort of vibe. But then, it's become increasingly clear over the course of the season so far that this just ain't it, Chief. The pacing is lackadaisical for a 12-episode show, especially one with a constrained time-frame in-universe. Multiple episodes have used the same format to the point where it feels cookie-cutter. None of the characters are compelling in the least; even now, I couldn't name more than one of the main cast. The English dub is so boring and uninspired, with lackluster performances from a seasoned vet like Luci Christian being the most puzzling. Overall, just a big mess that feels undercooked and boring. An utter disappointment that doesn't feel like it's going to get any better.

 

[Steve Roby]

I've heard mixed reviews about Lazarus. Mixed in the sense of early good reviews gradually followed by negative.

As far as other new anime shows go, I'm waiting for Your Forma and Kowloon Generic Romance to conclude so I can binge them. Your Forma is based on an ongoing light novel series that doesn't feel too original -- the old human cop, android partner story with some Ghost in the Shell cyberpunk elements. But it's not without its moments.

Kowloon Generic Romance does not seem to be in any way a generic romance. I've got a google news alert set up for Ghost in the Shell news, and it brought up a "10 best anime to watch if you like Kowloon Generic Romance" list that included Ergo Proxy, The Big O, Serial Experiments Lain, Texhnolyze, Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex, and Paprika, along with a few unfamiliar titles, so I bought the first manga and yes, there's definitely something interesting going on there. So I'm buying episodes through itunes.

I watched about half of the first episode of Moonrise before being interrupted. I may get back to it.

 

[Skipper]

Kowloon is great!

But guys, check Apocalypse Hotel!