MetaVerse Episode 27: Winter@2013

MV-27

Winter ’13 anime dis/likes, Nintendo and Gintama on this episode of the ‘Verse!

We present to you another ep. of MetaVerse! This time we’ve got 3 segments for you coming in at just a smidgen over 90 minutes. We start by talking about some of the Winter ’13 shows we’re enjoying and didn’t enjoy, Jrow & OC talk about Nintendo in the Gamer’s Den, and Fosh invites Anivision’s steev to be MetaASK’d about Gintama and more. Enjoy!

MetaVerse Ep. 27 crew is…

fall12-jrow summer12-kyo fall12-fosh fall12-lvlln fall12-oc

Guest is: 

e3-steev

SHOW NOTES:

04:15 – 37:23 – Winter 2013 Dis/Likes (Kyokai, Jrow, Foshizzel & lvlln)

37:57 – 56:48 – Gamer’s Den (Jrow & Overcooled)

56:49 – 1:24:21 – MetaASK w/ Foshizzel

MUSIC

Intro: “Zoetrope” by Yanagi Nagi from Amnesia
Winter: “Chihayafuru Main Theme”
Gamer: “The Wind Waker Symphonic Movement”
MetaASK: “Dilemma” by Ecosystem from Gintama
Outro: “Reason” by Yuzu from Hunter x Hunter

About

The team behind Metanorn's Podcast, MetaVerse. Our aniblogging experience gives us the expertise to dish out detailed opinions on which series to watch and ones to drop. And remember, we take fangirling seriously!
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50 Responses to “MetaVerse Episode 27: Winter@2013”

  1. steev says:

    Had a great time talking about Gintama! I just don’t get to do it very much at Anivision because those scrubs don’t know what good anime is.

    • Foshizzel says:

      I know right? Total noobs! Thanks for hanging out and doing the interview! It was a lot of fun.

      • Tofu says:

        But it so long~~~ T____T I can’t be bothered marathoning Gintama but maybe one day I’ll get to it.

        • Kyokai says:

          You know what Tofu. Forget about marathoning (you just can’t do it in marathons because your stomach hurts after a few episodes continuous watch). Do it in small doses (it took me almost a year to slowly catch up), and it’s worth every minute. It is indeed TOO GOOD FOR WORDS.

      • BlackBriar says:

        Noob here. I’m not familiar with Gintama. Someone please give me a good crash course.

        • Foshizzel says:

          Gintama is one part Shounen action, insane and wacky comedy ranging from poop jokes all the way to parodies poking fun at the big three aka Bleach, Naruto and One piece! They even made a fun joke about Smile Precure when that was about to start with two older women transforming into magical girls? Besides those two Gintama has a fair share of drama/touching moments.

          All and all it really depends if you like shounen stuffs with lots of random jokes thrown in, but later Gintama episodes like Steev said turn into arc formats ranging from straight up gag and slapstick, action and drama.

          • BlackBriar says:

            The part about parodies makes me think about Haiyore! Nyaruko-san. It sounds like a good show to watch. Is it necessary to watch it from the beginning or can I just in no matter what episode it is? Like with Naruto Shippuden. I lost track after episode 50 but got back on at 200 leaving a huge gap but I was still able to understand what was going on. Is it the same for Gintama?

            • Foshizzel says:

              Yeah you could say Haiyore! Nyaruko-san and a Binbougami ga! which is basically Gintami with more boobs. I always hear you have to get through the first three episodes before it gets funny…I don’t think you have to follow from episode one I would have to say maybe skip the first three? They are just intro episodes to the main team of Gintoki, Kagura and Shimpachi. Yeah there are a lot of 1 shot comedy episodes that don’t make or break if you miss them, so yeah you could jump in around 5 or 6? I would have to look back on some episodes.

    • My CURRENT favorite arc is the Scandal arc where Gintoki six times with all of the females( and Hasegawa XD). I could watch that arc over and over. Though the current arc airing is rivaling Yoshiwara in Flames for favorite dramatic arc Gintama FTW : D

    • Kyokai says:

      @steev, as you talked about challenges to your team on anivision, Gintama should be the next in line. They don’t know what they are missing out! I recently caught on in episodes and man, it’s an agony to wait for a new episode each week. I might just start the manga just because I can’t wait anymore.

      Btw, pandemonium-saaaaan was voiced by Noto Mamiko and I literally did roll on the floor during that episode (she returned briefly again in a recent arc – I forgot the name). Madao is such a lazy bum but his episodes come out to be some real good ones (including that kid one, who takes him in for a while).

      @ HybridBloodsZak, that date-all arc was literally like the Carnival Phantasm joke of Shiro and Tohno dating all the girls in Tsukihime/Fate universe. Pretty good stuff.

      All in all, MORE GINTAMA LOVE YARRRR!

      • steev says:

        Unfortunately, when it comes to the challenges, they have limits on how many episodes one can challenge. I guess I could always pick an arc or something, but they would lose context overall.

        • Foshizzel says:

          That would be like me getting anyone to sit and watch One Piece or Fairy tail! I love them, but there are so many damn episodes xD

  2. Kyokai says:

    So happy to see Gintama as an actual topic and overall a good podcast guys. Segments was a good idea indeed.

  3. tatsuya says:

    it’s got the pictures of GINTAMA for god sake ..it gonna be GREAT ~~

  4. Tofu says:

    …at least you like Tamako Market, I will put away the chainsaw…for now…… ;D

    My favourites of the season (including shows that continued on from the past seasons) in no particular order are:

    Tamako Market – KYOANI!!! HIKASA YOKO!!! K-ON STAFF!!! That is all. Nah jokes, yes I do love the fact that it’s directed by the same director who directed K-On and also uses the same character designs from K-On too but I never knew having a self-centered talking bird in your series would make it so much more enjoyable to watch! This never occurred to me simply because I forgot there was supposed to be a bird IN the series in the first place. But I do hear hatred for the bird and I can see how Dera is a great example of a character you either really love or you really hate for his personality.

    Boku Tomo NEXT – Fosh would understand my love for Boku Tomo the most ;D All them Gundam X Gundam and just Sena and Yozora going at each other all the time. It’s fun! Always was always has been and the second season is still as fun as ever ;D Loved the homo episode and dude… we need more RIKA!!! Just a great comedy show to relax to with some romance in it.

    Kotoura-san – To me, biggest surprise of the season. I don’t care if it was overly dramatic, it did its job in getting me hooked. It definitely feels different to other high-school romance comedies we usually see so that’s refreshing. But I kinda like the drama in Kotoura and I actually disagree with you Lvlln about the fact that a few people at least would’ve come to accept or use Kotoura’s power simply because it’s something from a childs story and no one likes having their belief in what is ‘real’ and what is not destroyed. Also, the whole mind reading can backfire on them AND it can expose them. Humans hate being exposed. We’re naturally like that and that’s why no one wants to associate themselves with such a person unless you have them cast of characters which is only evident in anime unfortunately. Maybe you would accept the person if someone ever came around to be a mind-reader, maybe I would too after watching Kotoura-san but who knows? It’s never happened before 🙂

    Chihayafuru Season 2 – IT’S FINALLY BACK!!! More karuta action and more beautiful character development!! And I agree with Kyo, Chihayafuru really knows how to utilize and develop their characters; allowing them to blossom as much as possible. Taichi wasn’t that loved at first, but I sure came to love him as a character throughout season 1. But besides Taichi, I’m already loving the two new characters: Sumire and Tsukuba. Honestly speaking, I hated Sumire when she came on screen. I told myself, there’s no way this character and I are going to be on good terms and guess what? I was wrong. She and Tsukuba only have 3 episodes so far. an episode for introduction and then the rest for development but in such a little time, these characters developed a lot! It’s hard to put it in words because I’m all giddy giddy right now (can’t think straight). But yeah… if you’re not watching Chihayafuru, what the hell are you doing!??!?!?

    Space Brothers – Yeah okay it’s not a series that started this season but hey, THEM DRAMATIC CLIFF HANGERS!!! WHAT THE HELL!?!??! Space Brothers was always enjoyable to watch but RIGHT NOW, it’s SO GOOD! RIGHT KYO!?!?! RIGHT!?!??!?! OMG HIBITO!!!!!!!!!!!!! T_______T

    Although I’m still watching this, I think Vividred Operation is a pretty bad show. I itch so much from how extremely cheesy and cliche it is and how it’s so deus ex machina. AND THEM BUTT SHOTS!! LIKE…. WTH??? The only thing that’s keeping me from dropping this show is the cool fighting animation.

    • Kyokai says:

      Man, Chihayafuru NEEDS ALL THE LOVE. It’s too good of an anime for words. Even when Karuta is the most important feature, the character development is what makes it work.

      Also, I did talk about Space Bros and JoJo that were cut because they aren’t really Winter shows. Oh damn, Space Bros is so awesome right now, I literally wait for every episode with bated breath because of the whole Hibito arc. Even after so many episodes, it still has us in its web and oh damn cliffhanger…..! I hope Hibito’s all good! >< For those who are not watching JoJo, GODDAMN GO WATCH IT. There is no anime more fabulous max than this.

    • Foshizzel says:

      Tomako Market is a lot of fun and it basically runs on moe power provided by those adorable character designs! Especially with the fourth episode? Oh my god! Even though it was all about Anko? ALL THE FEELS <3 While that is fun I just want to see the story pick up xD

      Kotoura-san! I am having a lot of fun with that series because they are maintaining a great balance of comedic moments and sad drama, but like I have said countless times I am blown away by Hisako Kanemoto aka Ika Musume/Cure Peace voice acting as Kotoura because for a while there she was kind of just played gag characters.

      Manebe x Haruka <3

      I guess Vividred butts is not for tofu.

  5. anaaga says:

    Whoops, Gintama in Metaverse. So I guess I have to listen to this one…

    Also, JoJo FTW! I hope they make the continuation after it ends because I heard the next JoJo is the greatest JoJo ever

    • Foshizzel says:

      Yes! You need to listen to us chat about Gintama <3

      I am having a lot of fun with JOJO! The action is so much fun xD

    • Kyokai says:

      I’m all for the continuation as well. David Production is doing so well with the adaptation!

  6. Highway says:

    Likes and Dislikes for me:

    Likes: Haganai Next, Kotoura-san, Maoyuu, and Love Live! Three hopefully romances and one idol show. And each romance is being handled differently. Kotoura-san is obviously a OTP show, and I like the mood swings, the emotional highs and lows, and think they work for the show.

    Maoyuu is kind of keeping the romance on the back burner for now, I wish it was more of a feature. I loved the scene where Maou stammers out her desire to have Yuusha lie in her lap and he just plops right down “no problem!”. Right now, tho, their insecurities about their own adequacy is what’s getting in the way of their relationship, and I hope it gets over that.

    And Haganai is going the pretty classic LN love triangle route, and I think handling it really well. I think everyone wants to see how it comes through, but I’m unabashedly a Yozora fan.

    Dislikes: The only show I’ve disliked enough to drop it was Cuticle Detective Inaba, which made it 10 minutes before being too dumb and boring to keep watching. As for shows I’m still watching but am disappointed in, Da Crapo (thereyago Fosh) tops the list, as it may be the blandest dull harem ecchi anime I’ve ever seen. I also wish Sasami-san was better. I really have no idea what that show’s trying to do, it seems like it’s given up everything in the first 3 episodes by talking talking talking.

    • Highway says:

      And I’m still watching 23 shows this season, just that those are the exceptional new ones.

    • Foshizzel says:

      Awesome like list there Highway, I am having a lot of fun with Kotoura, Haganai NEXT and Love Live!

      Yep I know Yozora x Kodaka is the ideal way to go, but I am rooting for Sena! Even though I know she probably doesn’t stand a chance in hell…

      I don’t blame you I tried to watch two episodes and I just did not care to watch the third episode, but Kyo said it turned into Nichibros style cause it follows the segment style with two or three mini episodes…not that I plan on trying again…

  7. BlackBriar says:

    Gamers Den:

    @Overcooled: I saw your trophies on PSN. You’ve sure played a lot of games. How do you find time to play so much during your weekly schedule, especially with blogging and school being a major part?

    @Jrow: You mentioned Jak and Daxter. There’s the Jak and Daxter Collection on PS3 with all three games remastered in HD. I have that as one of my games and I must say, it feels really good going down memory lane. It’s hard to believe how much time has passed since I played it on the PS2.

    Sadly, I’ve never been into any of the major Nintendo systems like the N64, Wii or Wii U so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on much. The only products that would catch my eye would be the handheld systems like the GBA or Nintendo DS. I grew up getting stuff so it’s become common placed. The downside is that there’s no compatibility between the old and new products these days like the earlier DS models being able to play GBA or have connectivity between the two (I used that method to sneak Pokémon from the Emerald version to Platinum or Soul Silver). And because of certain games, you’d have to buy the in order to play. For example: The new generation Pokémon games, Pokémon X and Y are on the 3DS so fans who don’t have a 3DS but want the game have no choice but to buy one.

    For upcoming games this year, there’s Pokémon X and Y. And now that there’s a PS3 in my grasp, I’m looking forward to Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 coming out March 5th, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, The Last of Us, Tomb Raider, Beyond: Two Souls, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and maybe even God of War: Ascension.

    • Jrow says:

      I do have that Jak collection. When I look at it, I always think of the time when Jak 2 came out and they changed things up to go GTA open-world style and I remember so many reviews talking about how hard the game was. Difficulty wasn’t much an issue and it’s probably my favorite in the series.

      Truth be told, when it comes to remakes, so often I look forward to them only to play for a bit and just find myself gravitating back to other games. It’s nice that games are in 720p and have trophies, but me having a good enough memory of those games probably diminishes my enjoyment and time spent with them. For me, old games are old and I’m too busy enjoying current releases to visit gaming’s past (that I’ve likely already played).

      Nintendo has lost me in the past few years. A buddy and mine bought 3DSs at launch and traded them in pretty soon after, feeling they just released a half-baked system and too much a wait for it to get going. It’s the same thing with the Wii U. These guys just don’t know hardware and it took them too long to realize that HD isn’t just a fad.

      The new Naruto game should be dynamite. Last of Us and Tomb Raider should be a lot of fun. As for Lightning Returns, I’m even a fan of XIII and thought XIII-2 was a better game, but I have little interest in this new game. I feel like I’ve had my fill of the XIII franchise, and maybe of Final Fantasy altogether.

    • Overcooled says:

      lol I think Jrow has more trophies than me. I tend to do everything twice as fast as normal people, so I end up with more time for games. That’s the only thing I can think of. I’m pretty good at time management, I’d like to think!

      I’m another one of those suckers who bought a 3DS and hasn’t used it at all. I’m glad it’s there for the new Pokemon game, but I’m not sure that’s worth how much I spent on it…I liked my wii, but it was definitely my most neglected console. Nintendo will really have to work to win us back over.

      I just want to watch someone play Last of Us…I don’t want to actually play it myself. Can I sit on someone’s couch as they play it? I’ll be quiet, I promise.

      • BlackBriar says:

        Based on what you’re saying, if I ever add Jrow and take a look at his trophies, my jaw would drop from disbelief.

        I would only buy a 3DS to play the continuation of games I already know like the Mario, Pokémon and Mega Man franchises. I even bought Golden Sun: Dark Dawn because I played the first two games on GBA. That one ended on a cliffhanger so I assume the next installment will be on 3DS given that the DS games are officially at an end. Seeing that the new Pokémon games are titled with simple letters, it’s safe to assume they’ve run out of colors to name them behind.

        I very much doubt I’ll ever be interested in consoles like the Wii. My sister has one and I’ve never had any intention of playing. I’m a Sony fanboy first but Nintendo handhelds come second.

        I think you’ll make your decision on The Last of Us if a demo ever comes out. I want to play the first two Final Fantasy XIII games before Lightning Returns comes out. But more than that, I want Final Fantasy Versus XIII to be released. Because Square Enix director Tetsuya Nomura is being so focused on that is why there hasn’t been any word on a third Kingdom Hearts and development on Versus XIII began November 2005. He stated that Final Fantasy Versus XIII is being developed with the aim of challenging what Final Fantasy should be in terms of story and gameplay.

        • Jrow says:

          I’m at Level 12 right now on the trophy list, and it’d be a lot higher if I’d move all of my multi-platform games I played on 360 over to the PS3.

          btw, add me on PSN. User id: jrow77.

          I had a friend that was really anxious for Mega Man Legends to release on the 3DS, and when they cancelled that, the system was dead to him.

  8. BlackBriar says:

    Being in an anime world is probably the most secretive thing any fan has hidden. For me, I’d like to be part of animes like Trinity Blood Psycho-Pass, Index and Naruto.

    In the Naruto world, I’d love to be a ninja that has a power close to the Uchiha’s Sharingan because it’s awesome despite the drawbacks. I’m especially a big fan of the Susano’o avatar. The use behind it is that it serves as both attack and defense.

    For Psycho-Pass, I’d be the one who put all the clues together to find Makishima or be a citizen who is criminally asymptomatic and can slip through the cracks of the Sibyl system with no one to stand as an obstacle.

    • Foshizzel says:

      FK YA INDEX WORLD! We can totally team up BB and kick some ass xD

      Naruto does have a interesting world if you can manage to avoid being a random filler character~

      Detective BB has a good ring to it lol!

    • Jrow says:

      Like steev mentioned, I’d love to be in One Piece. There’s a crazy absence of computers and other technology, but I’d love to have devil fruit powers and sail to all of those awesome worlds. Especially Amazon Lily with all those lovely ladies… 🙂

      • BlackBriar says:

        I can’t remember the last time I watched One Piece but since there are different devil fruits, what power would you hope to get? Knowing the drawback of eating the fruit yet sailing out in open water is one hell of a contridiction.

        • Jrow says:

          Yeah there’s 3 different types: special ability, animal or natural element. Even though I have a Luffy avatar, Robin’s powers of growing hands anywhere would be really nice to have; she’s shown that you can do some really strong stuff with that.

  9. BlackBriar says:

    Sorry for being late to the gathering. I was celebrating my birthday today as soon as I got off from work (I’m a year older now! NOOOOO!). It looks like we have some interesting topics and props to Jrow for playing Zoetrope. The music for that OP is addictive and I’m still looking for the download link. Mistaking the name of a restaurant? 😉 It’s clear that anime culture has fully been wired into you.

    Likes:

    Senran Kagura: Definitely a favorite of Winter season. It’s the action and ninja elements of Naruto meet the humor and shameless boobage of High School DxD. One of the best characters besides the lead Asuka, is Katsuragi who should be considered a relative to Railgun’s Saten because she can’t help but fondle Asuka’s rack when the opportunity presents itself. Also to note is the unrestrained sexual innuendo like the way the eat the eat the sushi rolls and the erotic message scene that was in episode 3 which begs one to ask how far will they go and what haven’t they twisted yet.

    Zettai Karen Children: THE UNLIMITED: Hyoubu Kyousuke: Kyokai and I are on the same boat. Hyoubu Kyousuke for the win!! I haven’t seen the first season so I don’t know what to expect but I like how it’s developing. It’s my cure for enduring the failure that is Code: Breaker given that both shows have espers. It’s nice to watch something where the lead is an anti-hero instead of the typical goody goody hero type for a change. Kyousuke’s personality would be easily compared to X-Men’s Magneto given that he feels humanity would never accept them no matter what they do.

    Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru sou Desu yo?: Badass and moe characters in a fantasy world is perfect combination. What I like is that among the three lead characters, none of them are whiny and lacking in confidence. In fact they’re overconfident and that’s surprising especially the overpowered Izayoi who proves to be shrewd as he is strong. I also like that they’re in a world that’s inhabited by basically all species of creatures and everyone can eventually find their favorite monster somewhere.

    Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT: The first season was good and this one just carries the formula further. The new thing is the possibility of a romantic relationship between Kodaka and Yozora because of the common childhood friend card. Sena has gained two titles this time around: lolicon and stalker. The only explanation I can process that someone has so many pictures is that they’re obsessed and planning to do some harm. She really is starting to exude yuri aura because both her targets are girls.

    Dislikes:

    Cuticle Detective Inaba: This was the anime I ultimately dropped after the three episode test. Truly a disappointment. At first, I assumed its unpredictabily would be a benefit for entertainment. The jokes were funny the first time it’s being heard but becomes sour and juvenile when you think back on them. Junichi Suwabe has proven himself to be good for comic relief but sadly, he alone couldn’t carry this.

    (This was supposed to be before the comment on the gamers den but I assume it somehow got deleted).

    • Jrow says:

      Happy Birthday BB! So much birthday-ing around the Metanorn community. 🙂

      • BlackBriar says:

        I appreciate the wishes, Jrow. Yeah, there’s a lot of birthdays going around and thanks for playing Zoetrope. DJ Jrow FOREVER!!!

    • Foshizzel says:

      Oh wow HAPPY BIRTHDAY BB!

      Senran Kagura: Yeah p much Naruto meets ecchi is the perfect way to describe that series and yeah you are correct about Katsuragi as the Saten character instead of skirts its boobs for her xDD

      Unlimited: OH GOD I LOVE THAT SERIES! It feels like a spin off series of Railgun//Darker Than Black//Code Geass because we are technically following the “villains” which is something we never really see in anime. I just love the characters and super powers <3 I had fun with the last episode cause the original Zettai Karen Children appeared and I think they have their original voice actors? That was cool to see them appear.

      Mondaiji: Watch for the action, but stay for the sexy bunny girls <3

      Haganai NEXT: There are so many shipping couples in this season especially if you saw the 4th episode! For me Rika is fueling this series as one of the best characters <3

      Seems most of us disliked Cuticle Detective LOL

      • Highway says:

        Mondaiji is finally starting to move out of ultra-predictable range. The relationships are convoluted and interesting to keep up with. But they need to tone down some of these bad guys. They’re as formulaic as Sugou and Noumi were, if not quite as infuriating.

    • Kyokai says:

      Happy Birthday, BB. Hope you had an awesome one! ^^

      • BlackBriar says:

        Thanks, Kyokai. I had a good time.

        Question: On the comment ranking, from 1200 to 2000, the rank is called “Meta Resident”. What do you get when you go past it?

    • Highway says:

      Happy Birthday, BB. 🙂

  10. BlackBriar says:

    Help! Spammy caught one of my comments.

  11. Gecko says:

    +2 to Jrow for playing Zoetrope at the start.
    Liking: Sasami-san, Maoyuu, and the continuing Psycho-Pass and Shin Sekai Yori. Sasami ended up being a good choice and Maoyuu is great minus some of the character art. I know Sasami isn’t going over well with you guys, but I like the experimental stuff and the weird stuff. I’m a niche market on my own.
    Half-like: Kotoura-san. It’s too fast and while it tries to focus on some negatives it ends up blowing through them. But the comedy parts are well-done. Manabe is a very interesting character, although I don’t love Kotoura by any stretch. Also the President, goodness. So…?
    Not sure: Mondai-ji-tachi, Inaba, Senyuu. Mondai is alright but it feels very typical. Inaba is very goofy. Senyuu.. not enough has happened to even tell.
    Also Amnesia… that can’t get put anywhere on this list. I’m watching it, so obviously I wouldn’t dislike it, but I have issues with it. As in, the main character. I’m thinking it will pick up a little bit but oh well. I’ve made it through Guilty Crown, I can make it through Amnesia.
    Gah I’m so indecisive cause there’s no super heavy plot show this time around. I continue to be elitist. I can’t help it. (At least Shin Sekai Yori is still here… :D)

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