(no subject)
What I've Been Up To:
Gaming: I finished Tales of Eternia. I was satisfied with the ending and overall enjoyed it a lot. Given a choice between the two, I think I liked Destiny's story and characters better, but I liked the graphics and gameplay of Eternia better. I was glad to see the cooking system back, because it was fun and made so much more sense than the food bag function in Destiny. Also glad to see summons back. Still, Eternia's story wasn't bad at all, and I grew to like the four core characters quite a bit. Keele was my favorite, and I loved the relationship he formed with Meredy. Reid is probably my least favorite protagonist so far, but I'm not too far into the series and I liked Cress and Stan a lot, so that's not saying much.
I started Symphonia. I'm not far enough into it to have formed strong opinions yet, but so far everyone is cute and the story is interesting. It's actually amazing how the battle system feels the same even though it's 3D now. Only thing is, I haven't played a whole lot of Gamecube games so I'm not as comfortable with the GC controller as I am with Playstation-type controls. Even though I've had a Gamecube since right after they came out, I can literally count the number of games I've played on it on one hand (Mario Kart, Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil Remake, Resident Evil 4, and Skies of Arcadia).
Anime: Mostly the same as before except I dropped Maoyu completely (it just got worse and if I go into detail, I'll just get angry again so I'll leave it at that) and picked up a new title: Problem Children are Coming From Another World, Aren't They? (from here on called "Problem Children" because that title is too damn long). I initially passed on the series after looking at some screencaps because it looked like it would be a typical cutesy harem series with too much fanservice and not enough of anything else. After two different friends recommended it (one of whom I usually agree with on anime), I decided to give it a try, mainly because I had passed on Shin Sekai Yori at first, only to end up loving it when I did finally give it a shot after having it recommended to me several times. I've learned my lesson and from now on, I'll at least watch one episode before judging a show.
Anywho, Problem Children does feature one male lead and three cutesy female leads and it does have some fanservice but 1.) So far there is nothing even resembling romance and the three ladies have no apparent interest in the male lead beyond seeing him as a potential team mate or using his power to advance their goals, 2.) The male lead is awesome and, refreshingly, displays mild sexual interest in the girls without coming across as a total creep (I'm a little tired of the stoic male leads who are just way too cool to lower themselves by being attracted to someone or the wimpy ones who blush, get embarrassed, and then aggressively push girls away), 3.) The ladies are all awesome in their own ways and are not at all defined by their relationships to the guy, and 4.) The fanservice is pretty tame and is usually just funny or silly, never seeming gross or exploitative. Overall, the series is a lot of fun and is gradually climbing toward the top of my watch list.
I mentioned Shin Sekai Yori and I think it's worth saying that it has become so freakishly awesome that it's now my favorite current (or even recent) anime. It's stomped out Sword Art Online, BTOOOM!, and Psycho-Pass with its past few episodes, which have been utterly terrifying, moving, and downright harrowing. If you haven't tried this anime, you need to do so. Like, now. I've never seen any anime quite like this. The first couple of episodes feel a little slow, but they're vital. The series takes its time introducing a quaint, idyllic community and then slowly reveals how completely messed up this society is. There's a feeling of dread hanging over the whole series, so even when things seem happy and peaceful, you always feel like tragedy and horror are waiting right around the corner. Watch this show. You owe it to yourself to experience it. It's streaming on Crunchyroll, new episodes appearing on Tuesdays.
Gaming: I finished Tales of Eternia. I was satisfied with the ending and overall enjoyed it a lot. Given a choice between the two, I think I liked Destiny's story and characters better, but I liked the graphics and gameplay of Eternia better. I was glad to see the cooking system back, because it was fun and made so much more sense than the food bag function in Destiny. Also glad to see summons back. Still, Eternia's story wasn't bad at all, and I grew to like the four core characters quite a bit. Keele was my favorite, and I loved the relationship he formed with Meredy. Reid is probably my least favorite protagonist so far, but I'm not too far into the series and I liked Cress and Stan a lot, so that's not saying much.
I started Symphonia. I'm not far enough into it to have formed strong opinions yet, but so far everyone is cute and the story is interesting. It's actually amazing how the battle system feels the same even though it's 3D now. Only thing is, I haven't played a whole lot of Gamecube games so I'm not as comfortable with the GC controller as I am with Playstation-type controls. Even though I've had a Gamecube since right after they came out, I can literally count the number of games I've played on it on one hand (Mario Kart, Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil Remake, Resident Evil 4, and Skies of Arcadia).
Anime: Mostly the same as before except I dropped Maoyu completely (it just got worse and if I go into detail, I'll just get angry again so I'll leave it at that) and picked up a new title: Problem Children are Coming From Another World, Aren't They? (from here on called "Problem Children" because that title is too damn long). I initially passed on the series after looking at some screencaps because it looked like it would be a typical cutesy harem series with too much fanservice and not enough of anything else. After two different friends recommended it (one of whom I usually agree with on anime), I decided to give it a try, mainly because I had passed on Shin Sekai Yori at first, only to end up loving it when I did finally give it a shot after having it recommended to me several times. I've learned my lesson and from now on, I'll at least watch one episode before judging a show.
Anywho, Problem Children does feature one male lead and three cutesy female leads and it does have some fanservice but 1.) So far there is nothing even resembling romance and the three ladies have no apparent interest in the male lead beyond seeing him as a potential team mate or using his power to advance their goals, 2.) The male lead is awesome and, refreshingly, displays mild sexual interest in the girls without coming across as a total creep (I'm a little tired of the stoic male leads who are just way too cool to lower themselves by being attracted to someone or the wimpy ones who blush, get embarrassed, and then aggressively push girls away), 3.) The ladies are all awesome in their own ways and are not at all defined by their relationships to the guy, and 4.) The fanservice is pretty tame and is usually just funny or silly, never seeming gross or exploitative. Overall, the series is a lot of fun and is gradually climbing toward the top of my watch list.
I mentioned Shin Sekai Yori and I think it's worth saying that it has become so freakishly awesome that it's now my favorite current (or even recent) anime. It's stomped out Sword Art Online, BTOOOM!, and Psycho-Pass with its past few episodes, which have been utterly terrifying, moving, and downright harrowing. If you haven't tried this anime, you need to do so. Like, now. I've never seen any anime quite like this. The first couple of episodes feel a little slow, but they're vital. The series takes its time introducing a quaint, idyllic community and then slowly reveals how completely messed up this society is. There's a feeling of dread hanging over the whole series, so even when things seem happy and peaceful, you always feel like tragedy and horror are waiting right around the corner. Watch this show. You owe it to yourself to experience it. It's streaming on Crunchyroll, new episodes appearing on Tuesdays.