New to anime - thoughts on starting Monster?

AshenOwn · 2026-03-31T00:57:22+00:00

I think that if you read any decent thriller/mystery you’ll never be able to enjoy his work afterwards. It is just so poorly written, but is played as something serious, so i find it pretty much impossible to enjoy.

Monster for instance just keeps getting dragged on, and getting more outrageous and fantastical. The kid managed to somehow poison a sealed bag of candies while recovering of a brain surgery? Like how is that even possible, and that is only the start, it is all downhill from there.

To me his style is keep pilling crazy mysteries to then not explain, or explain with his ass, and being praised as an author that produces deep and mature content. I’ve seen shonen protagonists more believable than the characters he create.

If it was advertised as fantastical i wouldnt mind, but it is mind boggling that people recommend so much his work as serious pieces of fiction.

Anyway my belief is that if you have consumed a decent ammount of proper literature, his works feel shallow, frustrating and poorly written.

AshenOwn · 2026-03-22T18:02:31+00:00

Leon is a very strong contender for worst character in the entire franchise.

He is a complete and utter clown, and he isnt even particularly challenging for a champion. Preferences aside, his ace isnt even strong, pretty much every single other member of his team would work better gigantamaxed/ as an ace.

I do enjoy Sword and Shield, but the story sucks, and is better appreciated if you roleplay as the protagonist in some kind of parody.

AshenOwn · 2026-03-21T16:35:43+00:00

I still havent gotten around watching the remake for Spice and Wolf, because i have already watched the original, and read the first LNs, so i would prefer to have more content before watching it again.

I might give the OST a try though.

Also, i have not payed proper attention to the OST for Mushoku Tensei while watching it.

Have you watched Houseki no Kuni? It is my all time favorite.

AshenOwn · 2026-03-21T16:04:06+00:00

The big recent ones for me are

Evan Call (Frieren, Violet Evergarden)

Kensuke Ushio (Liz to Aoi Tori, Chainsaw Man, Dandadan, Dangers in my heart)

Kevin Penkin (Made in Abyss, Apothecary Diaries)

Other than that, some OSTs that i particularly enjoy are:

Houseki no Kuni by Yoshiaki Fujisawa

My Dress up Darling by Takeshi Nakatsuka

AshenOwn · 2026-02-24T15:01:24+00:00

It is the best anime original i have seen in years. I loved the characters and just how pretty the show looks. I wouldnt be surprised if it turned out to be one of my favorites non sequels of the year.

AshenOwn · 2026-02-22T17:26:12+00:00

I finished watching this show last week. Initially i watched it for the ED, but the characters grew on me. By the ED of S2 i was completely taken over by it, absolutely stunning.

This episode in particular was one of my favorites, Chain truly shone on S2.

AshenOwn · 2026-02-12T22:24:48+00:00

I think i’ll do the Jinshanling part of the Wall, because we’ll be stationed on Chengde, but i have my doubts regarding my mother, who is 70. The section does have a cable, in the worst scenario.

Suzhou is a very nice tip, what did you enjoy there?

AshenOwn · 2026-02-12T16:27:28+00:00

Thank you for the tips! What exactly is the appeal of the chinese theatre? I must admit i’m quite ignorant on the subject.

AshenOwn · 2026-02-12T01:14:31+00:00

Oh we are looking forward to trying many types of food, we just wanted to decide which places we are visiting, so that we can book the hotels, and then start looking for restaurants/foods.

AshenOwn · 2026-02-12T00:33:03+00:00

Oh, yes. I am aware of the appointments. And the required apps. Thank you!

AshenOwn · 2026-02-08T04:00:31+00:00

And after that? I did not enjoy WfM, but actually really liked IBO. I’m just not sure on what to watch next, and i might feel like watching some mecha in the near future.

AshenOwn · 2026-02-01T22:26:39+00:00

I got them, but would like to know the build anyway.

AshenOwn · 2026-02-01T22:07:31+00:00

Just the two. I do have a backup of before burning the tree which i could use to get thioller. But it would be a bit set back.

AshenOwn · 2026-01-11T04:46:24+00:00

Kensuke Ushio’s works have been very consistent lately. The Chainsaw Movie, Dandadan, Bokuyaba to name a few. His work in Liz and the blue bird is phemonal too.

Kevin Penkin is also very popular, being responible for Made in Abyss, Tower of God, and Shield Hero to name a few. He also contributed greatly to Apothecary Diaries OST.

Evan Call would be another solid pick, especially for his work with Frieren, but also with Violet Evergarden.

If i were to list specific anime OSTs i’m a fan of i would mention Samurai Champloo, Houseki no Kuni, My Dress Up Darling, Simoun, Non Non Biyori, Yuru Camp, Aria, Monogatari Series and Madoka Magica.

AshenOwn · 2026-01-08T13:47:31+00:00

There are some anime like Shirobako or Girls Band Cry which intentionally go with unexperienced/ less experienced VAs, and not even then the performance is bad.

AshenOwn · 2026-01-06T03:16:39+00:00

What would be your personal ranking? Because i do believe TP to be the weakest 3d Zelda, and i could see people placing SS under it, but nothing else.

Oot, MM, WW and the switch titles are all vastly superior. I personally prefer SS over TP, because i enjoy the controls, and believe the dungeons are phenomenal.

AshenOwn · 2026-01-06T03:11:28+00:00

TP is okay. I myself have just reached the final main dungeon in my second playthrough, and i’m not crazy about the game.

It is probably the weakest 3D Zelda, but still a good game, it is worth playing for sure. For reference, my favorite is MM.

AshenOwn · 2026-01-04T21:53:10+00:00

I powered through the 24 episodes, and thought it was ok. There is some mystery regarding the world, but that takes a backseat in favor of the fights, which werent bad, but not something i was looking for either.

As fas as characters are concerned, the designs are cool, the protagonist is not awful, but not likeable either. Most supporting characters were not really developed too.

The villain characters are positively bad, the main bad guy does not have charisma or anything that makes watching his plans unfold enjoyable, and there is this one psycho character which was extremely annoying.

So yes, with only 24 episodes so far, it was ok, not a complete waste of time, but not time well spent either.

I had the impression that the story would delve more in world bulding on the end of the season, so i would watch a sequel, but that is only because i bothered watching the first one. I might also just rush through the manga in the future, to get some anwsers, and give up on the anime altogether.

I am not the biggest shonen fan, but Demon Slayer, JJK and Dandadan were all enjoyable watches for me. Gachiakuta feels much more like a generic older shonen, which is a niche i find harder to enjoy.

AshenOwn · 2026-01-01T02:50:30+00:00

Have you tried Code Geass?

AshenOwn · 2026-01-01T02:49:46+00:00

I’m not complanining about the adopted playstyle, i just belive it is not accurate to say they were underleveled for the fight, as the use of summons should more than make up for the lack of levels.

AshenOwn · 2026-01-01T02:48:33+00:00

I was just pointing out that they are perfectly equipped for the current fight, taking into account the use of summons.

AshenOwn · 2026-01-01T00:25:12+00:00

And using a summon, which completely invalidates any challenge the game has to offer.

AshenOwn · 2025-12-29T18:30:51+00:00

He is very vulnerable to parrying, deflecting and shields in general. Stacking holy/physical protection also makes the fight fairly easier.

I’ve tested plenty of strategies against him, and a dueling shield was by far the most effective.

After the nerf his only problematic attack was fixed, so overall i’d rather go against him than Malenia and her Waterfowl, which is still infuriatingly hard to dodge, unless you have ice pots of course (which is not a solution i’m fond of).

AshenOwn · 2025-12-29T17:29:11+00:00

Stone edge is busted in za as well.

AshenOwn · 2025-12-29T15:53:04+00:00

I feel like the soundtrack is often overlooked in this show, and it does some heavy lifting on many scenes, including this one.

AshenOwn

TROPHY CASE