Tonight on GeekNights, we review the simple but charming Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid anime. In some news, a bunch of excellent Gundam is up on Hulu, and Adventure Time Islands is the prelude to the end.
We're also putting all our board game reviews from the last 12 years of GeekNights on youtube: spread the word! And we'll be live at PAX East!
Things of the Day
Episode Links
Maid Dragon is an endless source of anime memes
It also doubles as a gourmet cooking show.
https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/C5R9AyIWYAA3XNk.mp4
https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/C5SgzH5WYAAXagy.mp4
When I started I wasn’t expecting to like the show nearly as much as I do. It runs pure slice-of-life, but once an episode manages to hit these poignant notes that keep which watching, which for example Flying Witch didn’t do.
The series is still going, though. How can you review something that isn’t done yet?
[quote=“VictorFrost, post:6, topic:507, full:true”]
The series is still going, though. How can you review something that isn’t done yet?
[/quote]We’ve traditionally reviewed most shows based on the first four episodes, and done a separate show after we’ve seen the whole thing if there’s something particularly important or different to say. If it’s especially noteworthy we’ll go full “final thoughts” on it.
But four is almost always enough to know the deal of a show.
[quote=“SkeleRym, post:7, topic:507”]
But four is almost always enough to know the deal of a show.
[/quote]I forsee this falling apart if you ever review Air Gear.
Don’t review Air Gear. That potion is too strong for you, Traveller.
We previewed Air Gear on April 19, 2006.
Now, to be fair, we have always called it a “preview” if we aren’t sure that we’ve seen enough of a show to give it a completely fair shake.
Haven’t seen Air Gear since High School I only have vague memories of ridiculousness and crows.
[quote=“SkeleRym, post:9, topic:507”]
Now, to be fair, we have always called it a “preview” if we aren’t sure that we’ve seen enough of a show to give it a completely fair shake.
[/quote]Air gear has a habit of suddenly going completely left-field on you. Assuming you did the first four episodes as usual, (which should be the Night King Battle), after that it gets kinda weird with bizzaro superpowers like stopping time, the sleeping forest gets another introduction, Shit starts going down with Simika, the pervy dude and best friend start riding AT, the dedicated anti-AT police force who roll around with millitary equipment in the middle of tokyo and everyone is okay with this, the dude that all but straight-up murders people with his crazy bladed AT but everyone’s okay with it for some reason, and more.
And that’s the simplified version that most people didn’t like, because it cut out so much. The manga gets so much nuttier. Like, US President “Omaha” getting brain-switched with a japanese high school girl, multiple different kinds of genetically engineered superhumans, orbital elevators in the middle of tokyo that somehow nobody actually noticed because they were underground(?) roller-blade kids building deadly electrified metal snowmen and trying to kill each other on a warship, Tool Toul to and people fuckin’ to tune up their skates, and a dude with a TV for a head.
I’ve read some pretty mad shit, but even so, Air Gear was almost too much for me.
I read the first volume or two of the mannga and a few episodes of the anime and I thought it was just Jet Set Radio with a bit of fanservice and got what I wanted out if it. I had no idea it was full of wild ass stuff like that, might take a peek again just for laughs.
As for Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, I agree it’s entertaining fluff for the most part. I personally don’t find the fanservice to be egregious but then I like a bit of dumb “silly cute girls lol boobs” junk food now and then.
[quote=“panfriedmarmot, post:12, topic:507”]
I read the first volume or two of the mannga and a few episodes of the anime and I thought it was just Jet Set Radio with a bit of fanservice and got what I wanted out if it. I had no idea it was full of wild ass stuff like that, might take a peek again just for laughs.
[/quote]I’m 100% not joking. When it comes to Manga, I don’t need to joke.
If I wanted to rewatch do you suggest watch all episodes and then go on to read the manga where the series leaves off of or just read the manga?
[quote=“usrName, post:14, topic:507, full:true”]
If I wanted to rewatch do you suggest watch all episodes and then go on to read the manga where the series leaves off of or just read the manga?
[/quote]I’d suggest to read, rather than watch. It’s not a huge difference, but the sequence of some side events and details involved that they leave out or gloss over in the anime are helpful for understanding what the fuck is going on up to and after where the show ends. It was intended to have more seasons, so it just kinda ends, and doesn’t quite line up with the comic. And really, from memory, it’s not going to take that much more time to read than watch anyway, considering how soon in the run the anime ends.