My faith in Anime is.....restored! Here's why.

[Manji187]

Restored by a one-two combo of Shingeki no Kyojin and Suisei no Gargantia. The first is a medieval fantasy, somewhat in the style of Berserk (IMO) about humanity trying to survive in a harsh world. The other is a variation on the "Avatar style" clash of civilizations; a sci-fi story.

Spoiler: Shingeki no Kyojin Opening

Spoiler: Suisei no Gargantia Opening

Both are, as of this moment, only 4 eps long (ongoing)...but the pacing is great, the characters are interesting, the settings immersive.

I'm really glad they exist...as I was getting really tired of the ubiquitous "school life" and "look at my ultra mega awesome asspull of a secret power/ technique" bull crap that gets made nowadays.

Soooo....to make this into a discussion. What, if anything, has restored YOUR faith in Anime/ Manga? Or, if your faith hasn't been restored, what would be able to restore it?

Oh yeah, also, Magi: the Labyrinth of Magic (although the first 15 eps or so are a real downer in terms of atmosphere and character interactions).

 

[Dansen]

Okay, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Attack on Titan becomes stupid after a bit. This is all I am going to say without spoiling it too much but the protagonist has supper powers, and there are others like him. There isn't much separating it from most other Anime.

 

[Queen Michael]

Attack on Titan isn't medieval. It takes place in a dystopic future.

 

[Manji187]

Okay, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Attack on Titan becomes stupid after a bit. This is all I am going to say without spoiling it too much but the protagonist has supper powers, and there are others like him. There isn't much separating it from most other Anime.

Aww...too bad. I just hope it does not resemble Bleach/ Naruto levels of BS with regard to powers. I'm still interested in the mystery of the Titans though...where do they originate from and why are they the way they are. I hope the anime does not drop the ball on this front, that would be a shame.

 

[Pandalisk]

My faith in Anime will be fully restored when someone somewhere makes a serious, gritty showing the travels of a Russian, or Allied or German group of soldiers during world war two.

Only First Squad and Gurlz und Panzer has tried to fill this gap for me. First Squad's design was amazing and i loved it but they focused on the supernatural and not the actual war. Girlz und Panzer filled my need to see world war two era tanks in an Anime but was far too...childish?, if they had taken a more serious apporach, (Hunger games with tanks or such) i would've absolutely adored it.

 

[Marik2]

lol the theme song for attack on titan can basically go with anything


and i mostly stick with manga these days

 

[ZehMadScientist]

Aww...too bad. I just hope it does not resemble Bleach/ Naruto levels of BS with regard to powers. I'm still interested in the mystery of the Titans though...where do they originate from and why are they the way they are. I hope the anime does not drop the ball on this front, that would be a shame.

I haven't read the manga so I'd like some confirmation on this, but I've heard that the manga hasn't addressed the origin of the titans yet. So for that matter, don't get you hopes up too much. That, or they'll go with an anime original ending where they do explain. I don't know. Either way, I'm very much enjoying Eotena Onslaught (lol).

My favorite of the season is Gargantia though. It's charming as hell, with the whole clashing of cultures and whatnot. I'd liken it to Fullmetal Panic, but instead of goofy shenenigans they play it completely straight. And do a phenomenal job at it.

Also, aside from the occasional pirate raid, life on the Gargantia looks so fun. Windsurfing and paragliding are part of the lifestyle there. Really, really enjoying this one.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Little Witch Academia has been the only non-feature length anime in years to restore some faith in the "genre". However, I'm afraid that's going to be just a one time thing.

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

I can't say I ever lost my faith in anime, but I did fall out of watching it. Last year's Sword Art Online brought me back though. Great concept (similar to .Hack but so much better IMO), and interesting characters and world. I enjoyed it more than any other anime I've seen in a while. And now I'm back trying to watch more anime again.

 

[DeltaEdge]

I never really lost faith in anime as a whole, but I feel like Hunter x Hunter revitalized my interest in action shounen. It feels vastly different from other shonen titles like "The Big 3", although I like One Piece a lot, I feel like Hunter x Hunter is pretty much the best shounen there is at the moment, on going at least.

Unfortunately, the author goes on huge hiatuses, so even though it started in 1998, it only has 340 chapters out at the moment, and the latest hiatus has been going for over a year, due to health reasons if I remember correctly. The plus side to this though, is that since the original anime adaptation was cut short in around 2003-4, they started it over completely in 2011, but with higher quality, and a severe lack of filler like the first series had. There have only been 2 filler episodes so far if I recall correctly.

But yeah, I felt like I had found a real gem when I discovered Hunter x Hunter, and greatly recommend it to people who think the shounen genre has nothing to offer anymore to at least give it a try, althought it really picks up later, not at the beginning, not that the beginning is bad, but you don't really quite see the awesomeness of the series until later.

Spoiler: Some clips from the show

Oh, and I guess Sword Art Online brought me back to anime after what I felt was like 2 seasons of bland school life/ecchi anime, and dug up my .hack// nostalgia.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

Well, I'll first have to lose my faith before it can be restored.

Though I do really like that anime.

 

[Manji187]

Aww...too bad. I just hope it does not resemble Bleach/ Naruto levels of BS with regard to powers. I'm still interested in the mystery of the Titans though...where do they originate from and why are they the way they are. I hope the anime does not drop the ball on this front, that would be a shame.

I haven't read the manga so I'd like some confirmation on this, but I've heard that the manga hasn't addressed the origin of the titans yet. So for that matter, don't get you hopes up too much. That, or they'll go with an anime original ending where they do explain. I don't know. Either way, I'm very much enjoying Eotena Onslaught (lol).

My favorite of the season is Gargantia though. It's charming as hell, with the whole clashing of cultures and whatnot. I'd liken it to Fullmetal Panic, but instead of goofy shenenigans they play it completely straight. And do a phenomenal job at it.

Also, aside from the occasional pirate raid, life on the Gargantia looks so fun. Windsurfing and paragliding are part of the lifestyle there. Really, really enjoying this one.

In the case of Shingeki no Kyojin, I feel like sticking with the anime. Potato girl Sasha Braus is awesome whahaha.

With regard to Gargantia, it's amazing how psychological it is. The last episode is mostly talk (no real action), but it's the most gripping episode so far (IMO), because the character of Ledo is developed and you actually start to care. Which is really rare. And you are right, the society of Gargantia looks very appealing....so laidback . Sure, there is work...but it's for the benefit of all.

On a different note...alvast een fijne Koninginnedag, landgenoot XD.

 

[Angie7F]

Although many people hate it, Aku no Hana made me a bit excited.
It is good to see people be experimental once in a while.
Too much Kyoani is boring.

 

[Yeager942]

I keep watching animes looking for that one series that really represents the medium. Nearly everyone anime I watch is either terribly paced or poorly written. Time to add these shows to my list.

OT: My friend showed me Darker Than Black and asides from its rather mediocre S1 finale, I'm enjoying myself.

 

[SwimmingRock]

I might give that Suisei no Gargantia a shot. Couldn't make it through a single epsidoe of Titan without hating the main character and losing interest in the plot, though, so gonna pass on the rest of that show.

As for the series that made me care again after years of watching no anime? JoJos Bizarre Adventure, ofcourse. It's the best thing ever made.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Never was a big fan of anime, so can't really say I've ever lost my faith much. But I could say that my faith in fantasy fiction has been greatly restored over the past year through Studio Ghibli films, The Vision of Escaflowne, The Witcher, A Son of Ice and Fire and Berserk.

I keep watching animes looking for that one series that really represents the medium. Nearly everyone anime I watch is either terribly paced or poorly written. Time to add these shows to my list.

OT: My friend showed me Darker Than Black and asides from its rather mediocre S1 finale, I'm enjoying myself.

A rather odd phrasing. Are you looking for the series that is the "face" of anime or a series that truly shows its potential? Because from what I've heard, Bleach, Naruto and One Piece are pretty much the public face of anime.

And if pacing in anime is an issue to you, I'd gladly recommend The Vision of Escaflowne (hell, I'd recommend it for any reason). It really doesn't slog at all except for maybe one episode out of 26.

 

[Vhite]

I agree with you OP, Shingeki no Kyojin is the next best thing in anime. Also Rozen Maiden, my first anime is getting third season with IMO nicer art style and apparently story closer to manga.

 

[Hochmeister]

Both are good shows so far, but since I've never really "lost faith" in anime they can't revive it. I'd caution you against getting too invested in Shingeki no Kyojin. I was so enthralled by the first few episodes I went and read then manga, which unfortunately kinda killed my optimism for its future. Can't say much without spoiling it, but IMO the plot gets needlessly complex and disjointed without even beginning to resolve anything. Additionally, it diverged very heavily from what I was expecting at the beginning into directions I really didn't care for. Eventually I got frustrated with how BS-ish and tedious the plot became and stopped reading. Hopefully the anime does better.

Majestic Prince is another show that's pretty good so far (despite the... odd character designs) and seems to be set up for a look at child soldier/heroes and space colonialism. It kinda reminds me of Gundam 00, but with a much better main cast.

While I enjoy some of the whacky romcom's that are the staple of anime (Haiyore! Nyarlko-san and Hataraku Maou are examples from this season), I would like a serious geopolitical/philosophy/war show that doesn't constantly introduce BS superpowers for plot reasons. Something like the original Gundam series, or Code Geass without the Geass would be nice.

 

[The White Hunter]

Aww...too bad. I just hope it does not resemble Bleach/ Naruto levels of BS with regard to powers

I wouldn't say Naruto has BS power levels, more incredibly inconsistent power levels (e.g Jiraiyas death was stupid, he's pretty much the strongest thing in that universe, Itachi together with Kisame said to run or they'd likely die, it's dumb) and over reliance on captain macguffin's DNA to bring people back when they should be dead.

My faith in anime was restored by One Piece, because whilst it may be slow it develops everything excellently, has great action, good characters, even minor characters are incredibly creative, the story is sprawling and vast but manages to maintain consistency (except for Moria) and keep itself understandable.