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Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday! :)

happy birthday, cheers

"Peak TV."

There ain't no way.

Happy Birthday!!!

hey it's been a while! happy birthday, have a great one.

Heyo! It’s fantastic to hear that you’re really loving the Berserk experience!! Oh I didn't notice that you’d seen the 1997 adaptation - probably the only good one we’ll ever get :( - before, iirc that series had quite an abrupt ending right at the conclusion of the eclipse lol. That was quite a harsh decision by the makers of the series haha.

Oh nice, from your words it looks like YYH is going to be a great watch once I pick it up (ahh when will I do that lmao). Btw have you Togashi’s other, more popular and acclaimed work HxH? If not, are you planning to start it after the completion of YYH?

Okay okay, I’ll surely give DB a chance. I never grew up watching it or anything of that sort so I don't have any nostalgic attachment to the series so I would love to see how it holds up even without that factor; one that most of its hardened fans have.

Yah I’ve been reading [comparatively] a lot more manga these days and have been having a nice time. Hmm regarding A Girl on the Shore and Emanon -

AGotS as you can see from my score, I didn't quite enjoy it. It was my 3rd Inio Asano work - after DeDeDeDe and Downfall - and going into it I had heard it was quite a polarizing series and looks like I ended up on its negative end. It's a short teenage coming-of-age story about a boy and a girl (mainly the latter) who live in a small town. I think Inio wanted to have a more “realistic” and less romanticized approach to teenage romance, showcasing all the angst and awkwardness of it and while I think some of it succeeded a lot of it didn't due him taking this approach too far at times. He mixes in a ton of rather unnecessary sex scenes & vulgarity that I personally didnt find being useful to the overall story & narrative much (other than maybe one). The story also had a very unsatisfying and anticlimactic ending that didn't really conclude the characters’ (who did not leave any sort of impact) arcs well.

Emanon, although I only gave it a 5/10, was actually pretty decent. The one I read is only its one-short version I believe, there seems to be a sequel too which I haven't checked out yet. And for such a minute story it was good. Had a unique concept which was very much efficiently used to tell most of what the author intended to. Its well written and presented dialogues and themes are its everything as for a one-shot this short, story and characters don't have much scope.

Both these mangas have great art tho. AGotS has a more detailed and heavy style while Emanon’s is a much more free and simple one.

Anyway that's all my subjective thoughts on both of those stories. You don't have to take them very seriously or anything lol. You could end absolutely loving either of these. If I had to choose - out of these 2 - I would recommend reading emanon first due to both its length and quality.

Same to you man, it’s great to have these talks about the things we love and enjoy, every now and then. Hope you are doing great!! Have a nice day/night :D

Hey tenchou, no need for apologies lol, we both seem to be on the same plate. Hope you are able to manage between your work and getting that degree, wishing you all well.

Great to hear that you still hold Big O in such high regards!. Ayy, GITS in your favs, now that’s what I’m talking about :D , and I get you man, that show definitely deserves a rewatch to really comprehend and wrap your head around all things. I think for s1, the laughing man case actually has a separate movie made that encompasses stuff just about the case and I’ve heard it's pretty good, so you may want to check it for an easy rewatch; but for 2nd Gig/Individual 11, I don’t think such a recap movie has been made, so you may have to watch the TV Show itself.

Speaking of YYH, I really really need to get back into it lol, things got busy right when I was in the middle of watching it, never got time to get back, and yah I watch it in the dub which is really solid like you mentioned. Never watched DB, but I know quite a lot of things just from memes and pop culture lol, not going to check it out anytime soon due to how long it is, but maybe in the future.

Well my agenda’s actually been filled with reading mangas lol, apart from the lack of free time, I also kinda feel an anime burnout so I decided to switch things up a bit to the medium of manga and it has really been a refresher. Never thought I would love the medium this much, but here I’m lol. Still watching some seasonal anime though, nothing else. Btw, I noticed that you’ve started reading ‘Berserk’, which is amazing - it’s probably the best manga I’ve experienced, as much as a popular take that is lol - how has it been so far, especially with how dark, gory and violent the story is (the ‘eclipse’ omg)? Hope you’re enjoying it :)

Have a great day/night :D

Hey Tenchou, looong time no talk, remember me? Lol

I’m sorry that I’ve taken around 3 months to reply - really sorry. Just been really busy and involved in a ton of irl stuff and looks like I’m not going to be free enough to give essay length replies anytime soon.
But I really wanted to reply to you since I didn't want you to think I ghosted you or something lol. Anyway about our Big O discussion, as you said in the first few lines of your response itself - “theorizing about The Big O is just as fun as watching it” - that’s what I like about shows like these. It really keeps fans engaged in the story, characters and world even after completing. And yeah the theory of the entire show being a TV Show is something I acknowledge too - it’s arguably the most popular theory, due to a lot of clues explicitly being there in the show itself. But I guess we’ll never know what it ACTUALLY was lol. Although that is the beauty of it :))

So, have you been watching or reading anything interesting lately? Do you keep up with seasonals? If yes any recent favorites?

That's all from me :) Have a great day :D

I have settled for a 7 now - which is great in my book as mentioned in my previous reply- but it could jump to an 8 if I am able to get satisfying answers to the questions I have.

Great to hear that your outlook on the show is almost the same. The first half, carrying with it tons of charm and vibe, with those episodic and (somewhat) formulaic narrative. The turn to focusing more on the plot in the second half, while appreciated, wasn’t executed in the best way. It got meandering as they never fixed on if it was going to continue serious or go back to the simple and fun nature of the first cour - until the final 2-4 episodes.

Now coming to the elephant megadeus in the room - the ending.
What I’m going to tell you isn’t completely my own ideas, rather its a mixture of both mine and some fan theories online, that I found compelling:

Theory 1:
One thing certain for anyone who’s seen it (I hope so lol) is that - the world of ‘The Big O’, or rather ‘Paradigm City’ was all fabricated by someone, and maybe even for someone. This world could also possibly be stuck in a loop, resetting every 40 years, after erasing all the memories of its residents; or that 40 years ago there was literally nothing, hence no one has memories of before it and think of it to be some ‘big’ event. The final 2 episodes reveal it - the person who’s created all this, or in the show's words the ‘director' - to be Angel, with the ‘Metropolis’ book acting like some sort of script/guide. The reason for the loop/resetting could be that Angel is/has been trying to get to/achieve some sort of finale or ending to the world and the characters, but each time, some uncertain event - in our ‘version’ of the story, it’s Alex’s god complex and corruption - changes the intended outcome. Also, it's never explicitly said/revealed to us what kind of fabrication Paradigm City was, as in: whether it was a TV Show [Truman Theory], a video game, a hologram, or just a simulation. Most likely a simulation, given all those space-time-grid-erasing scenes; but then again there was that poster in that control room scene in Act 26 so…

Roger, Dorothy and Rosewater are probably the only “real” people in the story. Or that they are based on people who Angel knew in real life.

Theory 2:
“The Event” [actually taking place 80 years ago, i.e, one reset before the one the characters mention. I also found online that the event our characters mentioned occurred in 2018, so in my theory, it occurred first in 1978] was a cataclysm/war that involved the usage of megadeuses - created by Timothy Waynright. The war led to humongous casualties to the point that only a few hundred/thousand people were left alive, they all came to become the residents of ‘Paradigm City’. Gordon Rosewater, one of the survivors, wanted to restore humanity back and decided to do this by artificially creating them (the Roger that Gordon knew then was the real one, the one we see, could be a clone). The humans he created weren’t perfect and within 40 years - by 2018 - everything collapsed and had to be resetted. For this they used another Megadeus that Timothy had made, which had the power to do the said. The reset happens and this is when our version starts. The original Roger might’ve died, but Gordon was close to him and wanted him to remain in the world, and decided to clone him with the original’s memories. Unfortunately, in this reset too, the world couldn't prosper properly. Mainly due to Alex’s god complex and corruption. And as the world was collapsing, Big Venus had to be called in again to restart once again, destroying everything. And ‘Angel’ was the (only) person able to control Big Venus and also execute the reset. Maybe she was the only one left after the world ended in 2018, along with the Megadeuses. All the others could be clones and fabrications.
But in this instance, our Roger somewhat convinces Angel to not destroy everything, instead, do some sort of ‘soft’ reset.

Anyway, that's the 2 theories I have. I prefer the second one over the 1st in certain aspects, it’s the one that answers most questions I had, the one that satisfied me most.



Questions that still remain:
-What are angel’s reasons for doing all this? What is her motive? (2nd theory
somewhat answers it)
-As mentioned above, what kind of fabrication is all this?
-Who all were actually real in the story?
-What did rosewater mean by referring to Angel as a ‘memory’?
-Who/What were Roger and Dorothy in the control room with Angel?


In the end, we might most likely never know the true answer to all this. But we can keep speculating and theorizing ig..

[...]my god I love 3-Gatsu and SAC is certainly quickly rising through the ranks as well. March Comes In Like a Lion is certainly a favorite and yes I do need more people to talk about it with [...]

That’s lovely to hear mate. Yah, while it is praised for its accomplishments, it’s kinda been forgotten when it comes to discussions. But ig its manga community might be quite lively since it is still ongoing (though I haven't read it).
And yeah, SAC is very dense in almost everything it does. And the sequel just bests it even more. There’s a separate movie that compiles all the events of the Laughing Man case, so if that's what you wanna rewatch, I hear the movie is solid.

[...] I've heard the first chunk of episodes are "decent" but nothing crazy interesting, and are basically just basic shounen beginnings. Which I mostly agree with, aside from some earlier episodes being pretty great. I'm basically waiting for the series to delve into more interesting storylines and character arcs, which I hope I'll be getting very soon.

Its cast is by far its best aspect. And yes, the story’s beginnings are fairly simple and basic, does not try to do anything different or unique, but that itself makes it fun. The foundations for their character interactions and dynamics are very well laid down in those eps, at least for me. I had assumed that the power system was going to be just another ‘life-energy’ using system, but in the Dark Tournament, Togashi manages to showcase how it can have many varied and creative uses depending on its user and their items. Looking forward to much more.

Also also! You my friend are part way through one of my absolute favourites! The Big O! How is it so far?

Right when I saw ‘The Big O’ in your favs, I knew I had to get back to you on it.
This show man, this show, it was something else. I enjoyed it throughout, though, there are some flaws in between that bug me a bit. The first cour was great, it effectively helped in setting up the world of Big O and creating that noir/moody/ ambience overall. Roger goes about his day, negotiating with people, while tiny infos about the world are sprinkled in. But then the second half rolls in, and there’s a clear shift to a more plot focused narrative (what was the deal with ep 14 though?). But even then, some episodes in the second cour shifted back to that somewhat comical nature of the first half, especially ones involving Beck, which kinda threw me off. Other than that, this half was solid.
Then we get into the last 2 eps..oh man… that was a lot. While the mystery of the world was what hooked me throughout, and was what I needed the answers most for, this much revelations and information was a bit too overwhelming. I feel that they should’ve maybe padded it out a bit more. And the ending as itself, while I am satisfied with the whole Truman Show-like reality, those final scenes were too ambiguous and vague, I don't think I have the full grasp of it. Might need to look into some forum theories.
The overall narrative was a bit meandering, but managed to still keep me wanting to watch more.

Can’t fully decide on a score yet, could be a 7-7.5 (which is really positive in my book), closing in towards an 8.

Would love to hear your thoughts on the show!!

Noticed that you've been seeing Yu Yu Hakusho. How's it been so far? I'm also currently watching the show - around 40eps in.

I had started it long back, but at ep 12/13 I halted and put it on hold for a long time. I'm quite enjoying the show, with the main 4 characters being my favorite part of it (Kurama best boy). Animation is a bit outdated, but I find it kinda 'aesthetic'. Fights are well animated though.
My place in the story rn is the beginning of the Black Tournament, which is supposedly one of the best tournament arcs out there, rn very early to say.

Great to hear that you are enjoying SAC. And yeah, whatever you've heard 'bout 2nd GIG is true, it is godly. From shows I've seen, 2nd GIG is cyberpunk perfected. Its more gritty, thrilling and engaging than S1. Going to be a great ride.

I think 3-Gatsu gets the praise it deserves on MAL, at least in regard to its overall score here. But if you mean discussions, then yeah, the show needs to be talked about much more. It has some of the finest portrayals of drama and pure human emotions I've witnessed in anime. Hit really hard when I first experienced it. Glad to hear that you are an avid lover of the series.

Hope we can talk more, every now and then. Have a great day!!

Thanks for accepting my FR :D
Nice to have a new friend with some similar taste.
I see that you are watch SAC, which I completed just recently, how's it been so far (just a short preliminary review is okay)?