Akazora

(oh dear, I didn't except my post to have ripple effects like this...) I accidentally had sad music playing in the background while reading through all this and right now I'm just like: @Moho: It's sad to see you leave man. You arrived here before I did and I've always seen you as someone wiser and more experienced than me, both as far as DCW and real life go. I'm glad to have met you, and I wish you luck in your future endeavors! Though you'll never post here again, feel free to stop by and just lurk around if you want. You're always welcome here! And don't you worry; I don't think anyone on here could forget you. @MK: Aw damn, you too? Y'all are gonna make me cry... I'm just kidding, if you really feel that now is the time to leave, then so it is. We're all going to have to move on anyway, though lots of people in the "Wondering, pondering..." thread and the "10 Years Later" thread a while back thought they'd still be active on DCW even in the far future. Looks like that ended up not being the case, huh? The Chatroom used to be so full of spam, but hell I loved it. Your presence here is surely going to be missed. Before you go though, you don't have to apologize. I know we may have gotten into disagreements on occasion and argued a bit, but that's equally my fault. I'll admit, sometimes I can be a bit of a prick with what I say and how I say things, so I'm sorry for those times I snapped at you. That wasn't in good taste and I failed to take your feelings into consideration. Life's too short for drama anyway; that's a lesson we can both take to heart. That out of the way, I wish you the best of luck in the rest of your life! As I told Moho, you're always welcome to stop by on occasion, if you're ever inclined to do so. To both of you, farewell!

OMM1: This lake effect snow has been so nice and pretty. There's been a relatively steady flurry for the past few days which has ensured the ground is always blanketed in white. If it weren't so cold, I wouldn't have minded talking a walk around campus at night to de-stress. OMM2: Yooooooooooo this 999 fanzine looks amazing! And it's only $19! I'll probably end up pre-ordering myself a copy, ufufufufufu... ^The cover art alone has me sold! OMM3: Well, DCW is deader than a dead doornail. I have never seen this site so barren. Yesterday there was literally one post made by one person during the entire 24 hours. I still remember when "Today's Top 20 Poster" used to be chock full of people with 20+, no 50+ posts a day. I still remember sh*tposting was so rampant that Maurice had to make Forum Game posts not count toward the total post count anymore. This place has cleared out so much that it's run by only a single moderator, who isn't even the founder of the site. We may have won the Wiki War, but DCTP appears to have outdone us in the Forum Feud. Well met, both sides. I've had a heck of a time here these past five years, and I suppose I'll stick around for some time more, but with each passing day there's less and less motivation to come back. Since it's finally come to this, I'll probably show one last bit of support by donating what I can. This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper. - T.S. Eliot (I'd really like to be surprised and have activity on the forums increase in the future, but a 5 year downward trend isn't giving me much hope. I fear the end is nigh.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6dvpW5o5U That one song in the soundtrack that hasn't aged very well. At all. (still catchy as heck doh)

Your enthusiasm is commendable my dear eyewitness, but the thread you're looking for is here. This thread is only for currently airing seasonal anime, not shows that have already finished airing. -- WINTER 2016 FIRST IMPRESSIONS To be honest, this year's lineup looks bloody fantastic. It all starts with the winter season and so far I'm really liking what I'm seeing. 1. Boku dake ga Inai Machi This is the winter show I was most looking forward to, and so far it's exceeded my expectations. The premise is intriguing, the animation and art is fantastic, the music by the famous Yuki Kajiura is atmospheric, and the directing is confident and artistic. There is nothing as of now that I can really fault the show for. This anime is an adaptation of a manga by the same name, and from what people are saying there are some things in the manga that are left out. However, nothing of importance was omitted, and instead of its condensation being a fault I see it as more of something to praise. The pacing feels perfect in the anime, and the scriptwriter did an amazing job translating the manga to the anime. Many times when a book/manga/light novel/video game is adapted to a movie/television series format, the adaption feels lacking and incomplete. This is not at all the case for Boku dake ga Inai Machi. Those who are fans of mysteries will especially like this show, but it also has such a wide appeal that I'd confidently recommend this to anyone, even strangers and people who don't usually watch anime. This is my number one contender to be anime of the season and is on its way to be anime of the year. 2. Ajin I'm not one of those people who dislikes CGI anime. Back in the day it used to receive a bad rap because it was... well, bad. Characters looked awkward, lighting and coloring was ugly, and it made for a jarring experience. CGI has certainly come a long way in the anime community, especially with Polygon Pictures as the trailblazer with their cult classic Sidonia no Kishi. Polygon Pictures is now responsible for the anime adaptation of the manga Ajin, and so far it's really good. The premise is similar to that of Parasyte's or Tokyo Ghoul's, expect the "immortal" monsters that masquerade as humans are known as Ajin instead of parasytes or ghouls. The part I was most impressed by was the music. Yujo Kanno composed it (known most for his composition of the Psycho-Pass OST), and I'd venture to say he's possibly done a better job with music than Yuki Kajiura has done with Boku dake ga Inai Machi. That aside, the CGI itself looks fantastic, especially the opening few minutes, and the overall atmosphere of the anime, created not only by the music but also by the coloring and shading, is great. Those who liked Parayste and/or Tokyo Ghoul and those who aren't so close-minded as to dismiss CGI anime before giving it a try will definitely enjoy this show. 3. Dimension W Continuing the trend of gorgeous looking anime, third on my list of most promising winter 2016 anime is the rule-of-cool action show animated by the young Studio 3Hz. For those who are looking for some good ol' fashioned seinen action akin to things like Darker Than Black, this is the show for you. Heck, this anime is an adaptation of a manga by the same name which was written by the author of Darker Than Black, so those missing their beloved Chinese Electric Batman will likely get their fix through this show. If it wasn't already apart from the gif above, this anime has amazing sakuga. Not only that, but the integrated CGI used for things such as cars is on par with the quality ufotable is known for. While the plot has yet to fully develop, the futuristic cyberpunk world filed with things called "coils" and androids is certainly interesting. Even if the characters and story fall flat, which I'm hoping it doesn't, the show itself is gorgeous and action-packed enough to at least be eye candy. This is definitely an anime to keep an eye on. 4. Ansatsu Kyoushitsu (TV) 2nd Season I keep on forgetting that AssClass is actually a pretty fun and enjoyable show. Sometimes it's not quite to my taste, but the odd juxtaposition of slice-of-life and shounen tropes certainly makes for an interesting watch. The second season is off to a pretty slow start, but then again after the climactic finale of the first season that was to be expected. The humor is okay and the references to pop culture are neat. The cast of characters is still too large and unmanageable; occasionally a side character gets development but they're soon sent to the back of the line and fade into the background. It's difficult to really connect with anyone outside of the handful of "main" characters, unless you go out of your way to read fanfics. Regardless, the animation is pretty good and the shading is especially impressive. The music also isn't bad. I wouldn't recommend starting the first season just to watch this, unless you have a lot of time on your hands and/or are especially intrigued by the premise. If the second season can drastically improve from the first then I'd perhaps change my tune. 5. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu This is the show I'm watching to broaden my horizons. It's a josei show about the nearly lost Japanese art of rakugo, a form of entertainment I didn't even realize existed until this anime came along. Though it's animated by the infamous studio Deen, the animation thus far has been pretty decent. Of course, it's not exactly an action packed show, so even the most sparse of studios would probably have done this justice. I'm especially a fan of this show's music, which is a mix of jazz and old fashioned Japanese tunes. The opening by Megumi Hayashibara is also pretty catchy (nice to see her do something nowadays aside from voice Haibara). The characters are interesting enough, though it's obviously too early to tell if I'm going to end up liking them. There may be some romantic undertones later on as well. While I'm not entirely convinced this show will be able to deliver by the time it reaches its conclusion, I must admit that it certainly is trying to succeed by breaking out of the tried-and-true tropes the anime medium is known for. That's something I think the anime community should strive to do more often, and so Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu has my seal of approval in that regard. 5. Dagashi Kashi This anime is only as famous as it is because of the main heroine, Hotaru Shidare. If you're wondering why, then... just Google Image her name you'll know exactly why. Aside from the rather expressive character that is Hotaru, there's nothing too entirely special about this show. It's a show about Japanese candy, seriously. It's a simple slice-of-life comedy series about various real-life Japanese sweets, and to an American viewer like me it's hard to appreciate some of the jokes and references just because, well, I don't have the means to eat Japanese confections. The animation is pretty average, as is the soundtrack. There's not really much of a plot, though there are some romantic undertones as is to be expected with any slice-of-life anime. It also takes place in a relaxing town in the country-side (I think?) during the summertime, so if you enjoyed the cicada-filled atmosphere of shows like Non Non Biyori then you might enjoy this. 6. Sekkou Boys This is that silly little anime you probably aren't watching about god busts that become modern day idols. Literally. The premise is ridiculous and never even truly explained, but then again this isn't a show that takes itself seriously. Each episode is only seven or so minutes, including the ending theme and animation. Though the premise is interesting and over the top, the rest of the show is a bit bland. It isn't particularly funny, but since it's so short I don't really feel like my time is wasting by watching it. I'll enjoy it for the novelty, and I'd recommend this to anyone who thinks they've seen everything anime has to offer. Because if you think you've seen everything but aren't watching Sekkou Boys, then you're missing out. Also, if you're wondering why the gif above doesn't really portray the anime very well, it's because I was having trouble finding a 500 pixel wide gif from the show and this is the best I could find, even if it is a bit misleading sorry for being OCD okey?? 7. Hai to Gensou no Grimgar Well, the season just wouldn't have felt complete without a show about a group of people getting stuck in a video game, now would it? That's right fellas, we got another SAO/Log Horizon/Overlord anime on our hand. The only somewhat interesting twist to the overdone premise is the fact that the people in the "game" don't remember that they ever lived a normal life in the "real world." They just end up at the beginning of the game and go out on quest of sorts, with their "real world" becoming the "game world." In that sense, the premise has nothing to do with trying to escape the game world but is instead about living in the game world as if it were the real world. Fighting monster takes actual physical strength and coordination with a weapon, and getting hurt results in actual injuries and blood loss. The animation is pretty good and the watercolor backgrounds are pretty. The first episode is slow paced and doesn't really tell the viewer much about what is going on. The characters and humor are rather tropey and uninspired as well. I wouldn't really recommend this to anybody, unless you're a sucker for these types of stories because there's nothing that makes it stand out as of now. 8. Fire Emblem: Awakening - The Animation This anime is an anime-original sequel to the Fire Emblem: Awakening game for the 3DS following Lucina, who has now reclassed into a Mage, and her family as they're teleported to the future............... Nah fam, I'm just playing, hope you didn't have a heart attack or something. The actual anime is called Bubuki Buranki though I'm sure anyone who's played Awakening, will look at that gif and momentarily think it's from a Fire Emblem game. Not only is the GCI very similar to the cut scenes used in Awakening and Fates, but the character designer for this anime, Yuusuke Kozaki, designed the characters for the two most recent Fire Emblem games as well. The animation in this anime is fast-paced and rather exhilarating, though pretty much everything else is rather poor. The characters are bland and tropey and the plot makes no sense. This is only good if you're looking for mindless action, because there's very little else in here to take seriously. 9. HaruChika: Haruta to Chika wa Seishun Suru I was really hoping to like this anime because it features a character who actually plays the oboe, but from what I've seen of it so far it's not very impressive. While the animation isn't bad, it's not particularly good either. The character's aren't interesting, the plot doesn't have much of a focus, the humor is shallow, and it's trying too hard to be too many things at once. It's a mix of romance and music and mystery and it ends up just being a mess. I must say though, the opening song is one of the catchiest of the season, so it has that going for it. Aside from that, there isn't much else good to say about this show. 10. Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri 2nd Season As I had mentioned previously, I wasn't a fan of the first cour of this show and am only watching the second cour because I feel obliged to at least give it a chance. So far, it's pretty much the same as the first season. The fanservice and needless otaku-pandering is still there, the political intrigue is far from realistic, and the animation is okay but not amazing. It also feels a bit too pro-Japanese military for my tastes, though it's possible I'm just imagining that. I don't like any of the characters and I'm only half-paying attention to the story, since everything about it is so ludicrous that it's hard to take seriously. I wouldn't recommend this at all, and it's pretty much tied with HaruChika for being the most bleh of all anime this season.

(I'm just playing, y'all can like what you want to.)

Pokemon is the only reason I'm going to watch the Super Bowl this year, to be honest. OMM: Dat me??

Wut, that was so random. Trust me, if there were a second season announced, I would have posted about it already given I wasn't preoccupied with other work. This is sarcasm, right? Right, guys?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlcckRrhaNQ AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE YEAR IS 2016 AND EVERYBODY PLAYS POKEMON

We had a whole thread to discuss the anime here from when it was first announced to after it ended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRCNFOOMDYU THE FULL VERSION OF THIS SONG IS ALSO OUT??!

UPDATE: NEVER MIND IT'S SNOWING CHOO CHOO LET'S GOOOOOOOO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN7LW0Y00kE I CAN FINALLY POST THIS SONG BECAUSE IT'S FINALLY SNOWING BUT THE HOLIDAYS ARE OVER CBDHQ3BCHDU3BKFB3UKBYUUOIG7R843H1 OFHEFEIFOIE2B`ODQY4 3O7UHL

Nice, I had a feeling that was the case. Funnily enough, I actually watched a Bayside Shakedown movie on a flight once. I'm a bit disappointed I didn't recognize the reference immediately, but in my defense Conan was looking a lot like Gumshoe which threw me off.

I feel like the snow hype train is leaving me behind...

Dailymotion link to the ending. Wow, they played the nostalgia card really hard. 10/10 for accurately replicating the creepy smile Genta always has when gazing at a sleeping person. I also liked those little stills showing some of the cast members in alternate costumes/settings. I'm not really keeping up with Detective Conan anymore, so were those referencing something?

Link to the opening, for those curious. (^Dailymotion link, since YouTube is YouTube) My thoughts: ...........................Why even bother?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REfmX0u8k-8 THE FULL VERSION OF THIS SONG IS ALREADY OUT WHAT THE--

The more activity we get there the better!

Upon further reflection, I realize I check anime and video game news on a daily basis but generally ignore "real life" news. I don't find it boring; I just only have so much time in the day for news-checking and so I gravitate to things that interest me the most. I'd love to check up on Europe's immigration problem or see what candidates in America's 2016 presidential election are up to recently, but I'll only do that when I have more than a normal amount of free time, which obviously is not every day. Soooooooooo do I pass or nah? -- OMM: Oh my gosh, I'm going to get three free keychains with my Fates GameStop pre-order?! What a pleasantly surprising late Christmas present of sorts!

W-Why didn't you post in this thread?? That little nitpick aside, I agree. Forget OPM, Boku dake ga Inai Machi has saved anime.

Yeah, but it would have still been nice to get snow over winter break I still have yet to experience a white Christmas And I was more lamenting the fact that it'll be below freezing on days/nights without precipitation and above freezing on days/nights with precipitation. -- OMM: I'm showing my parents Shingeki no Kyojin, and 13 episodes in I think they like it.

Just got an e-mail stating my college has banned these from campus.

Woah there Speed-o'-Sound Sonic, it's literally been less than a week since it started. At least wait a little longer before judging, yeah?