I live in Southampton in the South of the UK and apart from watching anime, I also enjoy a number of other pursuits, including spending my time on our narrowboat Andante, cruising the Inland Canals and Rivers of the UK. I also try to take time to go fishing, mainly coarse fishing on lakes, canals and rivers for carp, bream, perch, roach, rudd, pike, chubb & barbel during the summer.
Other passions include reading fiction novels. Some examples of my favourite books would be Lord of the Rings (Feanor is an elven character from Tolkien's world of Middle Earth & Valinor), Terry Prachett's Discworld series, Terry Brook's Shannara series & Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series. Currently reading my way through the Wheel of TimeHyperion cantos series, as well as some of the Mistborn series. Mixed in with a few murder mystery novels, and a dash of shorter stories from PG Wodehouse, usually Jeeves & Wooster or Blandings Castle.
I'm also a football fan and have supported Tottenham Hotspur FC since I was a young kid when I used to go and watch matches. I also enjoy watching Le Tour De France every year.
I like most forms of music (classical, jazz and blues, 80's pop and rock, indie folk songs, retrowave/synthwave/chillwave, French 80's pop like Jean Jacques Goldman, xmas carols during xmas) but particularly Deep/Melodic/Progressive house and Trance music (used to love Drum n Bass and Happy Hardcore in my younger days but my tastes have mellowed out as I've gotten older; check out following channels for good trancetunes). Anything from Marsh, Sultan & Shepard, Chris Luno, Lika, Nora En Pure, Armin Van Buren, Ferry Corsten, Paul Van Dyk, Marcus Shultz, basically easy listening dance music you can have on in the background.
I used to enjoy going clubbing and to festivals (Glastonbury, Homelands, Creamfields, Gatecrasher, Godskitchen, Obsession, Dreamscape, Helter Skelter, Bagleys, The Fridge, Fabric, Cocoshebeen, Opera House....if you were clubbing or going to festivals in the 90's or early 00's you know the ones) when my body could cope with all night dancing. Now my idea of a nice evening is chilling out with a beer or wine, watching a mellow murder mystery with my other half. For beer I tend to opt for a craft beer like a hazy IPA, bitter or amber ale, but also enjoy Belgian and German beers, basically decent beer, not macro lager that tastes like diluted piss water. For wine I enjoy a drop of everything (French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Austrian, Hungarian, Greek, New Zealand, South African) but not American, the mass market swill from USA is terrible, eg Mystic, Barefoot, Hardys etc. If you want good wine recommendations, particularly if you live in the UK, check out Tom Gilbey, he's a self professed wine wanker, but he knows his stuff and suggests affordable wines from British supermarkets. Been drinking much better since following him.
Also a dad of two young toddlers who are very sweet and fun, but drive me nuts sometimes. I enjoy cooking and like trying out new dishes, even made some dishes I've seen in anime like katsudon and yakisoba.
I only use values 6-10, any show that would score a 5 or lower is a show I will drop (there are a couple of exceptions to this like End of Evangelion movie and Detective is Already Dead, and hentai). I also tend to give shows a low, mid/straight/solid or high rating for any numerical value that I give and usually elaborate on this in our Mal Later Years review thread.
10 - to score a 10 it will either have to be a masterpiece that i can't talk myself out of scoring lower (eg FLCL or Cowboy Bebop) and have top animation/music/story or characters, I developed a particular attachment to the show (eg Kamisama Kiss & Aria the Natural) or a show appealed directly to my tastes and got everything right for me, ie my definition of peak anime entertainment (eg Fena: Pirate Princess, Cat Planet Cuties, Katangatari, Konosuba S1, Kaguya-sama: Love is War S1 & Mushoku Tensei S2).
9 - top quality animation, art style, music, story and characters but without the x factor that gives a show that boost to a perfect score.
8 - i enjoyed immensely
7 - a very good show but lacking in some areas
6 - watchable and mostly enjoyable but with enough elements to lower the score
I began my anime experience way back when watching series like Dragon Ball Z, and films like Akira, Laputa: Castle in the Sky & Fist of The North Star. I can still clearly remember watching Laputa: Castle in the Sky on a colour tv for the first time at my grandparents (we had a black & white tv at home) and 8 year old me was awe struck. My break-through anime show was Full Metal Alchemist around 2012 and after that got into popular anime on kissanime (RIP). Check out my MAL list for all the shows that I'm into.
In respect to random friend requests, please tell me why you're sending me a friend request, I don't much see the point of having lots of random friends in my friend box (what ever it is called). If we have common favourites or enjoy the same genres or shows, then I'd be more than happy to chat anime.
Favourite girls:
To Love Ru: Momo, Lala & Sairenji
Monogatari series: Hanegawa (including sexy Black Hanegawa) & Tsukihi
Fairy Tail: Erza, Juvia & Cana
Date A Live: Oragami Tobichi
Highschool DxD: Koneko & Rias
Konosuba: Aqua & Darkness
Re: Zero: Rem
Steins Gate: Mayuri (tuturu)
Why The Hell Are You Here Teacher!: Kana Kojima
Domestic Girlfriend: Hina
Black Clover: Charmy, Mereleona, Sister Lily & Vanessa
Danmachi: Hestia, Aiz & Freya
Nisekoi: Chitoge
Cat Planet Cuties: Eris
Campione: Erica & Athena
Zero no Tsukaima: Siesta & Henrietta
Claymore: Clare & Teresa
As with most anime fans, I love some of the great OP's and ED's from anime shows. Some of my favourites:
Hey there, yes, Chrome Shelled Regios is in my top two anime. I have re-watched it more times than I have it listed watching it several times on netflix and got lucky at a re-sale shop and bought the series on Blu-ray. The anime kinda leaves you hanging at the end as to the disposition/whereabouts of Nina Antalk. However, the manga and light novel answer all of your questions that the anime doesn't. There is the obligatory spa/onsen scene but(t) the mysterious fog rolls in and blurs the camera, lol.
Ahh that explains it. My bad, I just assumed January because of the default date. Thanks for clearing it up, and early happy birthday for the end of the month then!
I haven’t started the Secret Santa recs yet, but I really appreciate the variety you picked. I like going in without too many expectations, so I’m sure something will click once I dive in.
You too, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what you pick for me! I love trying new shows, so I’m sure at least one of your recommendations will click with me when the surprise finally arrives. >//<
That's awesome! The Kizumonogatari movies are such a wild experience, definitely the highlight of the series for a lot of people. And yeah, I get what you mean. Hanekawa has that calm, reliable charm, while Senjougahara is more sharp and iconic in her own way. It’s fun seeing how everyone ends up choosing their own “best girl” in Monogatari haha.
Enjoy the rest of the series! You still have some really great arcs ahead.
For now there is a new visual novel with a new couple (Fraise & Shigure). And you are right of course, most of the franchise is visual novel and as such with very limited animation, both the saucy and not-so-saucy parts. The sauce is often in the AMSR in "those" scenes. I'm following the reddit, and there it's reported that new 3D modeling was used creating it. Which I hope now can be re-used to create another animation. They already did an OVA and the TV show, so I guess in the end what matters is how lucrative a media format is. Visual novel on Steam obviously earns more. But hope is not lost :) Nevertheless I'm happy to see the franchise evolving, alive and kicking.
Edit: Forgot to answer on The Expanse. Yes, I've seen the first 1-2 seasons, but somehow never finished. It was one of the last things before I switched my diet to anime exclusive, and if I go back it surely is high on the list of live action to watch.
Glad to see you give the fantastic Mononoke (2007) a shot. There's an even darker and weirder take on the style in Requiem from the Darkness (2003). It's sort of the pulp version. As for the three new Netflix movies, I'll probably watch them but the first one was a bit sterile.
You gotta let me know what you think of Fan Letter when you watch it, it's amazing. As for Idolmaster, sadly you will not find another idol series that good, at least in my opinion. I do recommend reading the 2014 Idolmaster Million Live manga though, it is probably the closest anything has come to matching that 2011 spirit, and it basically acts as a pseudo-sequel to the 2011 series, so it's really nice for fans.
Unfortunately I'm not 30+ yet so idk if I can join lol, but I am really looking forward to getting to S because I've heard it's one of the best seasons. That and Sailor Stars which is directed by Takuya Igarashi, one of my favorite directors.
Glad to meet a longtime viewer! I've been thinking about Healer Girl a lot recently, I miss that show so much. Crazy how under the radar it went for most people. Also of course extremely happy that you enjoyed Idolm@ster 2011!
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/15901 - Coming of age stories (Trough a female lens)
It's a really good list and I'd assume you can find some nuggets in it.
Similar here, I followed the tables but at some point it takes forever to finish an episode. So me too skipped. Owari introduces https://myanimelist.net/character/90393/Ougi_Oshino who I really never could make a rhyme on or bind emotionally. But it seems that character is growing in the recent season's cast. I probably should rewatch owari 1/2 before that one. But hwn, lol, work eats me alive until at least the end of the year. Deadlines ...
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I highly recommend it!
I haven’t started the Secret Santa recs yet, but I really appreciate the variety you picked. I like going in without too many expectations, so I’m sure something will click once I dive in.
That's awesome! The Kizumonogatari movies are such a wild experience, definitely the highlight of the series for a lot of people. And yeah, I get what you mean. Hanekawa has that calm, reliable charm, while Senjougahara is more sharp and iconic in her own way. It’s fun seeing how everyone ends up choosing their own “best girl” in Monogatari haha.
Enjoy the rest of the series! You still have some really great arcs ahead.
Edit: Forgot to answer on The Expanse. Yes, I've seen the first 1-2 seasons, but somehow never finished. It was one of the last things before I switched my diet to anime exclusive, and if I go back it surely is high on the list of live action to watch.
Requiem from the Darkness (2003). It's sort of the pulp version. As for the three new Netflix movies, I'll probably watch them but the first one was a bit sterile.
Unfortunately I'm not 30+ yet so idk if I can join lol, but I am really looking forward to getting to S because I've heard it's one of the best seasons. That and Sailor Stars which is directed by Takuya Igarashi, one of my favorite directors.
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/15901 - Coming of age stories (Trough a female lens)
It's a really good list and I'd assume you can find some nuggets in it.