Damned Goldfish! Everyone knows to beware of those little buggers!
Posts made by Kareem Said
-
RE: Random News Article Discussion
-
RE: What are you reading? (Literature)
A year ago I read the Hunger Games. And it was outstanding. Just plain outstanding. Then I read Catching Fire and it took me a bit longer to read it because it was a bit weaker but it still good.
Then Mockingjay. And that book was mostly pretty boring which is why it's been a year and I still haven't finished the whole series. It's a shame the other two novels couldn't match the first but regardless I'm excited for the film coming in 2012.
After I finally finish Mockingjay I'm thinking of starting Discworld.
-
RE: Hunter x Hunter
Oh, Robby unleashed the beast. I was just ignoring that guy.
As to the anime: Yeah, the animation was great. Hope it stays at this level. I'll be watching for sure.
Yeah pretty much. I was annoyed but I know those idiots are going to pop up every now and then so I decided to move on. Of course I'm glad that Robby got to be the one who thrashed him because few, very few can do a better job than him.
Let me just say that as someone who got to read the Chimera Ants arc in pretty much one go, it is an excellent experience. I have difficulty deciding if Yorknew was the better arc or not. Chock full of excellent moments, this is actually the arc that really got me attached to Gon and Killua more than anything. I always liked them before then but after this arc they really became human.
Bit of a shame all of the other seemingly prominent characters got tossed aside, but I think I've realized now that this isn't the Gon-Killua-Kurapika-Leorio story fighting Hisoka and the Ryodan like one would originally think, it's much more the story of this world Togashi has created that centers around Gon and Killua and features these characters as well as many, many more. And you know what. I've decided that I'm totally fine with that. This world and these various characters Togashi has created are very interesting and the adventures are almost always very exciting and I'd say that's all that really matters.
I'd still say I'd like a Leorio-centric arc though. Even a small one.
-
RE: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Probably because Stroheim's kind of a stupid douche when he's first introduced…and a Nazi.
God damn it why did he have to be a Nazi.
I still like the guy but his...political affiliations make it really awkward.I have a Jewish friend who feels similarly to you. It's not too difficult to understand the thought process honestly.
-
RE: Hunter x Hunter
Not particularly impressed with either of them I'm sorry to say. But either way I'm thinking I might watch a few episodes of the new anime I'd say it looks pretty good.
Although for some reason I didn't really think Leorio would have black hair. I always thought Togashi wanted it to be brown honestly, I know it was brown on the volume 19 cover and a few other color spreads anyway. But regardless, can't wait until we get to the Ants arc. :)
-
RE: The "Shueisha" Thread
My experience is, never listen to anything manga-kas say about their future plans for their manga.
Especially Kubo.
Listening to what they say at least gives one a vague sense of what the author is trying to do. But I would agree to take what they say with a grain of salt.
-
RE: Chapter 640: "Straight Above Fishman Island"
I know I'm incredibly late but I should probably comment on One Piece chapters when they come out. That'd probably be a good idea. The latest chapter I thought was pretty good, we got a good comedy moment from Zeo, Usopp had a cool attack, Brook is going to fight (first time he's ever had a real fight so far), and the cliffhanger gives one a real sense of tension. My biggest problem with it was that Nami and Robin are apparently not going to fight. Bit irritating that. Although I think it's quite possible they'll end up fighting Caribou or assisting in one of the male fights. Either way it was good.
-
RE: Naruto and Bleach: Let's put this thread to bed I
Always did love that image for some reason. :)
-
RE: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
I only just started Part 2 and I honestly haven't been particularly impressed if only because Araki is trying to be "OMG PROFOUND!!" by introducing racism into his story and how African Americans were treated back in the 40's but he just isn't doing it well. I mean he has good intentions and all but the levels of ham fisting he's putting into it are on par with Mashima at his worst. Sorry to diss a series that a lot of people really like but from the 50 chapters of JoJo I've read I have not really been that impressed. Though I'm going to wait until I'm at least done with Part 2 before I make any real judgement of the JoJo series. And even then it'd probably be best to wait until Part 4 before I make real conclusions. Anyway.
-
RE: The "Shueisha" Thread
Didn't Kubo said he'll go for 1000 chapters at one point too? With all these thing I been hearing, it's hard to keep this man's story straight.
As I said before the man has no idea what he's talking about. Let's just hope he gets as tired of the "story" as we do.
-
RE: The "Shueisha" Thread
@Lazy:
I don't read Bleach, but like One Piece it has a definitive end right (becoming Pirate King will be near the end of OP)? But Like One Piece it has an end right?
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Yeah No. The series has never had a goal or planned ending and the author has said he wants the series to go on for another ten years if possible. But then again the author of Bleach has shown himself to be pretty darn insane numerous times before this so its for the best not to take anything he says too seriously.
-
RE: Ken Akamatsu thread (A.I. Love You, Love Hina, Negima, UQ Holder)
This chapter looks funny as hell, wow its been years since the cheersleaders had a focus chapter.
Wasn't the last time they had real focus like the first year of the manga's publication run. So yeah bout time.
And as for the subject of edit notes, I've always felt that they were a good opportunity to have some added laughs.
-
RE: The "Shueisha" Thread
All right good to know. I don't want to sound paranoid or like I'm obsessed with the series or anything I'm just getting a bit worried because if it places low in the rankings every now and then it's all right but it's been ranking low more frequently than I would personally like. And the volume sales will probably stay strong so I'd say there's nothing to worry about.
-
RE: Fairy Taint Discussion II
It's that big tree on the island, and apparently it only works on the island. One of this arc's minibosses demonstrated earlier that that effect ceases to work if it's damaged, knocked over, or otherwise damaged, though.
All right then. That fixes thinks a bit. Still seems like a dumb idea because it completely kills all tension for the arc. Although I did a bit of research and yeah, one of the villains took control of the tree and apparently that negated the effects so it's not as bad as I thought, but it just feels pointless honestly. What did Mashima really hope to gain from adding that into the story? It's just a bad concept in general, and even if he fixes it, it was just dumb to put it into the story to begin with.
-
RE: Fairy Taint Discussion II
Y'know I just read chapter 252 of Fairy Tail. I'm going to be honest with you: I liked it. I know that it's very possible Makarov isn't going to die but nothing is for sure and either way I thought Mashima's art was as good as its ever been in this chapter. And I had no real issues with it, so I'd say Mashima did good with this chapter.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
The tree that prevents Fairy Tail members from dying.
Wait…. there's a tree that prevents FT members from dying? Thereby killing any suspense Mashima could possibly put into his series? Which is probably the worst possible the single worst move an author could make in any kind of work of fiction? For those wondering I didn't know about that because I avoided most of this recent arc because I really, really wasn't interested.
But yeah. Wow. Just wow, Mashima. God. And to think I actually kind of wondered why people thought this manga sucked for a while.
-
RE: Beelzebub
not top quality but a couple good gags and a nice cliff hanger, are they gonna have to fight her? each other? some demon? their demons?
Personally I'd really be interested if Oga and Kunieda were forced to fight each other. That has a lot of story potential. But I don't really think'll it happen it'd just be interesting if it did.
-
RE: Ken Akamatsu thread (A.I. Love You, Love Hina, Negima, UQ Holder)
How do you sleep at night TLC? :ninja:
-
RE: Naruto and Bleach: Let's put this thread to bed I
I read a chapter of naruto, and remember nothing. Nothing sticks, like uncooked spaghetti against a wall. Kishimoto could honestly be running the last 3 chapters in a loop and I would not be able to tell. As far as I can see, this kind of thing could go on forever. We'll keep on meeting new dead people who were badasses and are now zombies and then they will all talk, but never say anything, and there will be some poorly drawn explosions and then somebody will get sealed up and then naruto will run around, and then we do it all over again. He could keep this up for years.
reading Naruto these days is like sitting on a conveyor belt in perfect darkness. are you moving? you know you must be, but there is no sign of progress.
So, so, so much truth to this statement. Spot on sir.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
@The:
Also, Hitsugaya is kind of a sadist with the way he took out Yukio, isn't he? Once Yukios gloves froze over Hitsu had already won, and from there he could've knocked him out, or just frozen him completely. Heck, with his super speed and that attack from behind he could've taken down Yukio right that instant- but no, he opts for pushing Yukio onto a patch of ice, so he can get mauled by a horde of monsters while Hitsugaya mocks him.
Classy.
This chapter is the one that really illustrated to me why Kubo's characterization sucks. Every one of the four characters in this chapter behaved in a way that was contradictory to the characterization they had showed before. And it's not like they were exactly fascinating to start with. They're hollow slates that act however Kubo wants them to act for the story purposes.
-
RE: Ken Akamatsu thread (A.I. Love You, Love Hina, Negima, UQ Holder)
Sorry I'm late. Let me just say that the Chisame chapter is my favorite of the last 3 chapters. Likely because Chisame is easily one of my top 5 favorite 3-A girls. And she was actually more blatant than ever with her love for Negi. I like her but I'm still waving that Negi x Nodoka flag and I'll probably never stop. Either way I liked it, even if it did have a bit more fanservice than I can usually tolerate.
As for the cheerleaders next chapter: Bout time!
-
RE: The "Shueisha" Thread
All I want to comment on is that I really, really hope Beelzebub doesn't keep ranking in the bottom 5 and that being consistently in the bottom 5 doesn't make the series a cancellation target. Because I really, really don't want to see it cancelled. That'll suck so hard. I hope volume sales stay strong and the series keeps going because I've been really excited for the newest arc. Fingers crossed.
-
RE: Official Manga/Anime Recomendation Thread
If you like Vinland Saga I highly, highly, highly HIGHLY recommend you read Blade of the Immortal.
It is hands down one of my favorite mangas. It's absolutely stellar.
Hey Silence I suggest you check out the GinTama anime. If you like Beelzebub (which of course you do) than GinTama is just as much fun. I've already given the reasons for why I adore that series. Sorry I keep mentioning that series, but I try to pimp it as much as possible because it's an extremely fun manga experience that I feel not enough people on the site check out. I suggest the anime over the manga because the anime is really well done and its hard to find good scans of the manga.
As for Blade of the Immortal, I'm actually really thinking I want to try that series out. It sounds really interesting. So many manga (and anime) so little time.
-
RE: Hunter x Hunter
Not really much more to say about this chapter. I just find it a bit weird because I really feel like under normal circumstances I would have hated this chapter but… I liked it. It was really, really tragic as always. Togashi really mastered the ability to tug at heartstrings over the course of this series. I think if you're able to read the Ants arc in one go it's a highly satisfying experience. Too bad many people had to wait 7 years. It was a bit much for some people sadly.
-
RE: Official Manga/Anime Recomendation Thread
I've been planning on reading Negima and Claymore.
I'll check them out this weekend.Also, I've been reading Vinland Saga. I'm really enjoying it so far.
I just remembered today that you should really, really check out GinTama. It's basically the One Piece of comedy series. It's at least as good as Beelzebub in my opinion and that's high praise. However, I think it would be better to check out the fantastic anime adaptation. It's hilarious, heartfelt and awesome. Just like One Piece. It's a comedy series and the comedy aspects are done very well but the battle Shonen aspects that exist are also really good at times as well. My favorite part of the series is definitely the characters. The characters of the series remind me a lot of the characters of Baccano! in that there are many of them, but the author is able to give them all such likable personalities, and they're all highly entertaining. So definitely give this one a chance because it's definitely become one of my favorite series.
-
RE: Naruto and Bleach: Let's put this thread to bed I
More than anything this chapter of Bleach showed me how the Fullbringers are probably the most bland creations Kubo has ever thought up. Jackie suddenly has chivalry after it was suddenly revealed she was a villain. Yukio is suddenly an asshole after suddenly being revealed as a villain. These "characters" have no real character to speak of they're the blandest of the bland. They may not be the most irritating of Kubo's creations but they are possibly the blandest I've ever seen.
Edit: And Naruto chapter was pretty much the definition of meh. Naruto has just been boring lately.
-
RE: Toriko
@Venomous:
Lets just say it was so much i forgot how much it was after a while haha.
Finally decided to try and catch up on the rest of the manga since id been holding off on getting too far in hopes that the actual volumes would come out quicker. Right in the middle of ice hell chapter 80 at the moment, freaken awesome too.
Ah yes. That was reaaaaly great. Definitely one of the more memorable experiences I've had reading manga. If you weren't sold by then you'd probably never be sold on the series. And honestly why wouldn't you be sold because that arc was too awesome for words. I really hope Shimabukurou can make another great arc like that.
-
RE: Official Manga/Anime Recomendation Thread
Why thank you, Silence, for the warning.
I will now add Reborn to the "Do Not Read In This Lifetime" list.
I would recommend you check out Mahou Sensei Negima. If you have enoug patience to get through the crappy start and into the parts where it becomes a fighting series than its a very, very satisfying read. The fanservice and harem aspects are still present though sadly. (Though to a fairly lesser degree.)
Also Claymore. Which I'm currently reading and about 5 volumes in and I'm not going to really give a recommendation until I'm significantly far into it, but I'm highly enjoying it. I'll tell you if its worth checking out once I'm up to date or close. I think I'm probably going to enjoy the whole thing though.
-
RE: Naruto and Bleach: Let's put this thread to bed I
Hey guys, let's talk about Naruto's art and how 2ch consists of a bunch of festering shit-eating morons.
Hey, at least they got Kubo right.
Hah! I saw that on Naruto Forums (Shut up. I sometimes like to go there to see if I can find some lulz.) And yeah. It's very much a list of contrasts because while there are some genuinely great artists there, there were also some crap ones. Let me just say that Kubo was not ranked low. Because the ranks went from S-Rank to K-Rank (Yeah. 12 Ranks. Did they really need that many?). And yes it was an art list not a writing quality list. It was still pretty BS nonetheless and I'm not even that good at criticizing art.
Here's a basic overview of the list: Prepare to rage.
S-Rank Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), Takehiko Inoue (Slam Dunk, Real, Vagabond). (I don't see how they're equal in the slightest.)
A-Rank Takeshi Obata (Death Note, Bakuman), Oh Great! (Air Gear), Yusuke Murata (Eyeshield 21), Kentaro Miura (Berserk) (All good artists. All far, far better than Kishimoto.)
B-Rank Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Hirohiko Araki (Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure)
C-Rank Katsura Hoshino (D. Gray-man, Kentaro Yabuki (Black Cat), Ryu Fujisaki (Hoshin Engi)
D-Rank: Tite Kubo (Bleach), Togashi Yoshihiro (Hunter x Hunter), Atsushi Okubo (Soul Eater)
E-Rank Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist), Akira Amano (Reborn)
F-Rank Hiroshi Shibashi (Nurarihyon), Ken Akamatsu (Negima). (TLC's rage shall pierce the heavens. I honestly don't blame him.)
G-Rank Hiro Mashima (Fairy Tail), Konomi Takeshi (Prince of Tennis)
H-Rank Mitsutoshi Shimabukurou (Toriko) (Rage)
I-Rank Iwashiro Toshiaki (Psyren), Kenta Shinohara (Sket Dance), Hideaki Sorachi (GinTama)
K-Rank: Ryuhei Tamura (Beelzebub) (Double Rage)So yeah. Tamura-sensei at bottom kind of irked me. He's better than Kubo and Kishimoto I know that much. It was just really odd that of the 25 authors/artists listed there are many that I have great respect for their work, and many that I… don't. I just really can't get behind the thought process of this list honestly. So yeah. 2chan. Haven't gone there don't think that I want to upon seeing this.
-
RE: Naruto and Bleach: Let's put this thread to bed I
@RobbyBevard:
The rescue Sasuke arc in part 1 was already pretty terrible. The start of Sasuke's horrendous unexplained downward spiral, as well as Naruto's unexplained "he's like a brother to me!". Dues ex machinas (namely the sand trio showing up to save everyone's ass…and bone guy dying from a time limit rather than actually being beaten), characters living that had great death scenes, nothing but fights for a year, and very thin plot stretched over a year, followed by a conluding fight that sucked. (The anime fixed it some, but...) People hated it at the time, but there was still so much good will saved up from the Chuunin exams and Tsunade arc, people let it pass at the time in the hopes it would be better int he future.
People like to say part 2 was the obvious cut line, because then they can pretend all of part 1 was good. But it wasn't.
I personally don't think the Retrieval arc was that bad. At least the fights were well done and impressive visually. Kishimoto was actually putting effort into the art back then. And it was cool that Kishimoto actually used the secondary characters and gave them badass moments. If only it weren't for all those flaws you mentioned which,… yeah I can't really argue.
Although I disagree about Sasuke's spiral being unexplained. It more or less made sense. He felt that Naruto was becoming better than him and that his goal of surpassing/murdering Itachi was falling out of his reach. So he decided to make the most desperate move by turning to Orochimaru in order to gain power. Obviously I hate Sasuke (mostly for the part 2 stuff) but his actions seemed pretty sensible based on his character. I agree about Naruto's sudden bromance being out of left field though. Something the hardcore fanbase tends to ignore. And I also pride myself because I always felt the Naruto vs Sasuke fight was probably the worst one of the bunch and not the "pinnacle of Naruto fights" which is what the bigtime fans say.
Don't get me wrong though. I don't think the Retrieval arc is good by any means. Because as well done and emotional as the fights are, they're all tainted in some way.
Choji vs Jirobo. Neji vs Spider Guy. They both ended up living, which takes away a good deal of the emotion that made those fights great.
Kiba vs Twins. Shikamaru vs Flute Chick. Quite good up until the Sand ended up bailing them out with a deus ex.
Lee and Gaara vs Kimomaru. A double deus ex.It's very possible the main reason I like the Retrieval arc is because as flawed as it is, it's still far, far better than most of Part Two. Because you could really tell Kishimoto was putting effort into it by looking at the art. Or at least far, far more effort than he puts into the current series if this war is any indicator. Still, I agree it's not nearly as good as people say. It's an average arc. Which is better than almost all of part two.
Naruto's golden age is undeniably the first 16 volumes with Zabuza and Chunin Exams. And there was so, so, so much more Kishimoto could do with this story. You've said it, I've said it, but it's very, very true which is why it'll keep on being said. And that's why Naruto sucks. Even if I still have a soft spot for the early volumes I must say: Fuck Naruto. You can do so much better. But I've said enough. Best not to repeat one self.
Btw Robby. I remember at some point in the Nausicaa thread, you said that some years back you spent a lot of time writing posts about all of the potential Naruto could have achieved to become one of the great Shonen masterpieces along with One Piece, FMA, HxH, Dragon Ball etc. I'd really like to see these posts. Because it's always good to see an intelligent individual ranting about how much Kishimoto screwed up all of his good ideas. Just see if you can find some of them, because I'm sure plenty of people here would like to see them.
-
RE: Gintama Discussion
@!Volpe:
Sakamoto is one of the my favorite characters.
Too bad that the last time he appeard was during the 2nd or 3rd season of the anime.At least, he is going to be on the Elizabeth arc.:ninja:
Yeah. I always wondered why Sakamoto was always featured in the openings and endings even though he almost never actually appeared in the series. I don't know, maybe the anime staff just likes him for some reason. I know he did fairly well in the popularity polls despite being really a minor character when you get right down to it. I wasn't crazy about him, but I had nothing against him either. Maybe if we spent more time with him I would have liked him more.
-
RE: Bakuman
It's the apocalypse. Mashiro isn't going to be voiced by either Yuri Lowenthal or Johnny Yong Bosch. I was so sure it would be one of those two since they get used for 90% of lead heroes in dubbed anime. Or at least when the lead hero is in a coming of age tale. I actually don't have a problem with dubs like a lot of other people do but I do think I would agree that the same two dozen voice actors get re-used for 90% of roles in anime. But I digress because that'll de-rail the thread and it would be better to start my own thread on the subject instead.
Since I'm here, when're we going to get the new Bakuman chapter? It's Saturday where I am it should be coming soon.
-
RE: Hunter x Hunter
Sorry I haven't commented yet but I think I will now:
At first going into this chapter I was fine with visiting Meryem's death but I felt that it would be wrong to spend a whole chapter on it and so I was annoyed. The second Komugi started sobbing I realized that Togashi made the right decision with this chapter and I was wrong. I remember a while back people were saying Meryem was bland, he was just another stoic "badass" who was never phased by anything. I'll just say flat out that I myself generally despise those types of characters but Meryem isn't that kind of character. I found myself genuinely caring about Meryem and his relationship with Komugi and I would say Togashi has come up with pretty much the perfect ending for them.
Just beautiful. Togashi. Why must such a lazy bastard be so good at writing? I think this was definitely better than the One Piece chapter this week.
-
RE: Beelzebub
Twas a pretty good chapter. Oga and Aoi make a cute couple. Don't worry though I'm well aware that romance will probably never be taken seriously in a series like this. Also, those mannequins are creepy as Hell. Will be interesting to see what happens next and what this new woman will be like.
And Oga was as funny as ever. He really is a lovable dumbass!
-
RE: Berserk
Really does look great. Color me excited. And we're going to get Serpico, Schierke, Isidrio etc. down the line too? Color me very excited.
-
RE: Hunter x Hunter
@Thousand:
That was because it was stupid and pointless and even disgustingly tasteless and based on silly psychobabble about paternal nurturing that no one gives a shit about especially when it was being forcefully applied to manslaughtering ants.
This chapter was pure, well-done emotion about two friends spending their last moments together.
Don't even try to compare the two.
It was also annoying because it seemed as though Netero's sacrifice was in vain when Meryem was saved. Only through his changed mindset and the Rose Poison did it feel like anything more than a waste of a good character.
Also… it was weird. And disturbing.
-
RE: Troy Davis
I've actually posted this issue in the Random News Articles thread. Glad someone started a discussion about this though.
I have no idea whether he's guilty or innocent. But I personally believe execution is too harsh. I actually do support capital punishment but only in the most extreme circumstances. For me only one murder (though a serious crime) isn't enough to warrant death. That's what we have life without parole for.
And his race is irrelevant to me. If he did it, then he did it and he deserves to be punished. Simple as that. Although I do fear somewhat that the reason the court seems so hell bent on executing him might have something to do with his color. I'm just saying, I've heard about statistics where black men who kill white men tend to get more severely punished in the court than white men who kill black men. Of course it's a charged topic and the details are rather murky but I do think that I would agree that the American court system isn't nearly as color blind as some might claim. That's my 2 cents.
-
RE: Random News Article Discussion
Don't know if this was posted yet:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/09/21/powerful-typhoon-hits-japan-threatens-nuclear-plant/
…
When I first read the headline my initial reaction was "Well…. Shit!" but browsing through it the officials claim no harm has come to the plant. Really, really hope they were being truthful.
Also there's this. From what I can gather Troy Davis is going to be executed today at 7 P.M. EST. Personally I don't think he deserves to be executed. I have no idea whether he's guilty or not but I don't feel his crime is quite serious enough to warrant death. I only believe in execution in the most heinous of circumstances like McVeigh. And I'll just say flat out that I don't care what Davis' race is if he did it then he deserves Life without Parole for what he did. And I'm pretty sure he did. I just don't believe in execution in this situation.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9PST4TO0&show_article=1 -
RE: The "Shueisha" Thread
I find it interesting how people complain about this "Shonen Jump Hierarchy of Long Running Series" consisting of One Piece, Hunter x Hunter, Naruto, Bleach, Gintama, Reborn, Toriko, Bakuman, Beelze… Oh Wait! Those last three aren't particularly long running. Or at least not nearly as long running as the other six. Yet they're considered some of Jump's best and brightest current series. What I'm getting at here is people are complaining about how too much emphasis is placed on the older series (a complaint I can understand to a point) and how newer series can't ever succeed under the totalitarian, iron hand of Shueisha's permanent hierarchy!
Except Toriko, Beelzebub and Bakuman were able to succeed and become part of this so-called hierarchy themselves. Why? Because they were really interesting. That may be a bit of a subjective statement (though few on this forum would argue) but whatever the case those series captured the interest of the Japanese manga-reading public, gained high volume sales and anime adaptations and by this point are pretty much set to last their entire run, regardless of how long that may take.
And btw. 2010 may have been a very disappointing year for new series in Shonen Jump, and 2011 looks to be turning out just as bad, if not worse, but they are by no means the only poor years in the magazine for new series. 2006 was also a drought year. The longest running series was freakin' To-Love Ru and that didn't even last all that long. Also in 2003 Buso Renkin was the only series that managed to last into 2005 where it was then cancelled. And there's plenty more those are just the really notable ones.
Thing is, while many series get cancelled because of Jump's climate, it's kind of a blessing as well as a curse. It promotes a survival of the fittest climate where only the most interesting series survive. And I think we can pretty much all agree that Toriko, Bakuman and Beelzebub have been forces of good throughout their runs. St@rs and Magico just weren't as interesting or exciting straight away compared to those other series. It's a shame but it's how the magazine works and it works for them, and I'm sorry if you don't like it, but deal with it. It's not going to change.
And St@rs and Magico aren't over yet! If the authors of those series can improve the rankings or the volume sales, then they survive. Simple as that. If they can't. Then they can't. Simple as that.
I'm going to wait until we have three years of no long lasting series before I start to complain about how Shueisha does their business.
-
RE: Naruto and Bleach: Let's put this thread to bed I
I am still trying to figure out how does manipulating time increase one's body structure to that of an increased hulk like physical state.
Perhaps Butler-man (my name for him since I don't feel like remembering his name) really didn't have the power to control time? He just pretended he did to sound more impressive. He didn't want the SS Captains to think any less of him. Makes more sense than most of the crap Kubo comes up with.
-
RE: Naruto and Bleach: Let's put this thread to bed I
Someone asked me to explain why I like Naruto. I can't find the post. Our fun convo was placed elsewhere it seems
So… Why I like Naruto so much.As I explain this, I"m going to be focusing on part 1, because Part 1 and part 2 are insanely different in terms of quality and direction
I love Naruto (remember, part 1) because the series had 'heart'. That's the best way I can explain it. The third Hokage seeing a Young Orochimaru as Orochimaru is screaming at him while he dies. Naruto pouring his heart out to Gaara, telling him he knows how he feels, but there is no way he will let him touch Sakura or Sasuke. Gaara waking up and realizing the error of his ways. Lee fainting while standing up to Gaara. Gai breaking the rules of the tournament and saving his student. Kakashi tying down Sasuke and lecturing him on the error of his ways. The Konoha boys heading out to bring back Sasuke. Naruto pleading with Sasuke to come back to the vilage, telling him about what's happened to Neji and Chouji, and Sasuke passing it off as nothing
There is so much heart and care taken in so many of these interactions in part 1. So much of this is empty in part 2. It's unfortunate. Part 1 was very character driven, while part 2 has been more story driven, and the story has become garbage
Part 2 (for the first few years part wasn't that bad, it was different but still entertaining and had it's moments, but now......) feels like Kishimoto had his soul ripped from him, and now he just goes through the motions week by week. It's like he really doesn't care about Naruto, and now it's just about making that date line, making that dollar, and pleasing that editor. The down fall of Naruto is more disappointing, frustrating, and a greater injustice than the hiatuses that have plagued HXH have been
I honestly don't know what happened, and I wish I could find out (Did Kishi just sincerely run out of ideas?) but part 2 is soooooooo far away from the quality of part 1.
Part 2 has had it's moments: Jiraiya's death, Karin having that flash back of Sasuke as he stabs her (man that would have been epic if she had been seen in part 1, and we didn't realize it was her till that moment), Naruto refusing Sakura's advances (showed that Naruto is done with her petty BS, I liked the scene), Shika owning Hidan.
One of my biggest gripes is that Sai never got a legit fight. The closest thing was this arc's fight against his dead comrade. I want some clever, 3 or 4 chapter long chess game fight like the stuff we saw in the rescue Sasuke arc
I would love if Kishi took a few years off after Naruto, collected his thoughts, and hit back with another fantasy Shonen series. Togashi reallly out did himself with HXH compared to YYH, I'd like to think Kishimoto could do the same with Naruto
I feel like going back and re-reading part 1 again now
I can agree with most of what has been said here. Yes it's definitely a shame that the series went so downhill and Kishimoto lost his way. I also would like to see if he can end up writing a superior series later in his career because I genuinely believe that he is a talented mangaka who sadly doesn't put in his full effort. Just me.
But I learned a long time ago that while it is sad that such a good series turned into such a stinker, there's plenty more great series out there, that are actually fairly similar to Naruto in a fair few ways and don't have nearly as many of the flaws. I'm just saying that spending all of your time sulking about how Naruto should've stayed good after the timeskip won't accomplish anything. It sucks now! It's hard to accept, but it does, just find other great series.
Here's a short list of Shonen and Seinen that are similar to Naruto, have many of its heights, and none of its lows. There's many more these are just the ones that I personally have read:
Fullmetal Alchemist
Berserk (Might be a little dark for some, but it is excellent nonetheless)
Eyeshield 21 (even if you don't like sports it's a great series)
Toriko (not the best characters but the manliness
Vagabond
Mahou Sensei Negima (takes a while to get good, but that's better than starting good and turning to shit later)
GinTama (might be better to go with the excellent anime adaptation for this one.)
Shingeki no Kyojin (also might be a bit dark, but has a fairly similar premise to Naruto part one, but executed just as well if not better)
Soul Eater
BeelzebubThese series have so far proven themselves to be much more rewarding experiences than Naruto has ended up being. Trust me, once you start reading other great series you'll feel much better about the disappointment that is Naruto.
But I swear I'll never forget how great part one and especially the first 16 volumes were. Gotta give the series credit when it deserves it.
-
RE: Soul Eater COMING TO TOONAMI FINALLY
Despite the poor translation that was another good set-up chapter. Shame it was another set-up chapter. But I won't deny I'm excited as hell to see the Maka vs. Crona match and I definitely want to see what the African and Middle Eastern Death Scythes are capable of. So this chapter got me excited for what's to come. What more could you really want from a set-up chapter?
-
RE: Naruto and Bleach: Let's put this thread to bed I
Bleach is fucking atrocious. I just felt an insanely strong impulse to say it.
I had no idea. I have never heard of this idea before. I didn't know anyone on this forum felt that way. This is a surprise to me.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
IDK why, but the new thread title reminded me of
! http://th01.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2011/014/1/a/manly_as_fuck_page_50_by_marik248-d364iyn.png
AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Didn't think of that when I first saw the title. Wonder what it means?
-
RE: Doctor Who
Hey y'all! I'm thinking that around December I'm going to start watching a bunch of TV shows, and Doctor Who is one of the shows I'd be eager to watch. There's just one problem. It's been around for thirty years so it's difficult to know where to start. So I'd like to know that if you're like me and you've never watched Doctor Who before and you know barely anything about it beyond just the basics, how do you get into it? What episode. What season. It'd be much appreciated!
-
RE: Post How Your Day Was..
Today has been a good day for quality entertainment. Today I've been re-reading Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (it's actually better when you re-read it just like any great story) and currently re-watching the Godfather (it's been years since I watched that film). Yesterday I watched The Shawshank Redemption. I think it's good to watch/read the essential films and comics in order to understand how a great story is told.