Garnt gasping in disbelief/distaste when Ludwig revealed he watched SAO to him saying he watched all of the recent shows is such a Garnt thing to do

I will always defend the first three episodes, those were pretty good, they showed what SAO as a survival game could have been

Ludwig:"SAO is pretty good, alfheim is pretty wierd though" Audience:"Nods & shrugs in understanding" Ludwig:"FMA is long also bad" Audience:"Burn the Heretic!" Garnt also :" i havent finished FMA" Audience: " Burn the false idol aswell!"

When he said saiki k sucked I was stunned for a few seconds. Hands down one of the funniest shows I’ve seen

As a SAO "enjoyer" the first season is alright, we don't talk about alfheim, ggo is barely better, alternative ggo was surprisingly decent, and although I haven't finished it yet, i've heard that alicization is the best season so far

"Sakamoto is just Mr.Bean but a gigachad" Is probably the most analytically concise phrase about anime that's ever come out of Joey's mouth lmao

I watched welcome to the NHK when I was really depressed myself. It made me feel better in a weird way cause when I see a piece of art that is able to portray the kinds of feelings I was struggling with it feels reassuring to know that other people understand those feelings well enough to portray them well in art.

I don't know this Ludwig guy, but he seems chill. When someone interrupts him, he just lets them finish their thoughts and builds off what they say. Great conversationalist

As a SAO fan, 1st ARC is pretty good (not season), 2nd arc is bad (alfheim), 3rd is also pretty good (ggo), 4th is shitty (Excalibur), 5th is imo one of the best (mother's rosario), and alicization is the best by far. Also check progressive movies, they tell story of each floor one by one.

Garnt's eye flicking when FMA is being mentioned is funny at 2:48, like a oh no, don't you dare drag me into this discussion again.

That fucking hurt. I loved Saiki K

2:45 this felt like Ludwig gone off the script then everybody reacts and somehow get along with it. lmao

I’ve literally never heard anyone even mention silver spoon. It’s one of my favorites I’m so happy Ludwig not only watched it but liked it.

My first anime introduction wasn't SAO itself. It was SAO Abridged. My friend showed it to me and I got hooked on the comedy and enjoyed it so much when I got to like episode 5 in the series. I was wondering why it took like 5 months for an episode to come out. So I was looking it up to see any other sneak peaks for the Abridged episodes and found the actual anime instead and ended up watching it. My thoughts on it? It was like that one SAO Abridged episode where they ate that delicious rabbit and the rest of the food they ate tasted like shit.

My biggest problem with SAO is the villains, there’s only so many times the bad guy is bad because he is a molesters can be interesting and that number is maybe 1, even then it’s not very compelling. I think every season has had that be the motivation of a prominent villain, if not the main antagonist

Saiki K is hilarious, that's the one show that is like Gintama. But I do understand humor is a very subjective thing. Props that he loves welcome to the nhk

Connor finally realizes how everyone else feels when he talks about his food taste

Ludwig: Fullmetal alchemist having a lot of recap. Me (dude who wasted time by watching EVERY episode of One Piece anime): Those are rookie numbers New guy.

I did not expect Ludwig to say Madoka Magica. Fucking love that show.

7:20 you can see Garnt just realize "Ludwig is gonna spoil the show for me" and he just plugs his ears.

“So slow”, for FMAB. It’s an interesting opinion when you think about it. Constant stimulation is sometimes what people want, and if you are not used to a media you can miss judge the subtlety of a story as bad pacing. I believe that the same thing can be said with Connor and his distaste for story in games.

I'm stoked to finally have them talking about a anime my old weeb self has watched. Welcome to the NHK slaps. Now if only we can get more Onegai Sensei chatter :P

Man them taking about crying when they are supposed to compared to when you don’t know why you are crying was, reminded me of the MHA school festival when Ari’s darkness leaves and she’s smiling I was in tears, such a beautiful moment

Madoka Magica was my Silver Spoon. You absolutely weren't supposed to cry at the end, it's just not that kind of anime. But, at the end of Rebellion, I definitely cried more at that than Angel Beats or any of those tear-jerker shows

When they talked about anime where there are different types of crying, I feel like one of the only anime that I've watched that truly put me in my feels was 86 not just like a sad song got me going but an actual feeling of the characters and there sadness that truly fucked me up the night I watched it.

"Mid" Garnt just before dying

On the subject of FMA, I think people often look down on the 2003 version. Sure 2003 version has "lots of problems" that people don't like while FMAB has a good adaptation that follows the manga's ending, but the 2003 version has a different feel to it. Honestly, even if I still like FMAB a lot, 2003 version has some impact on me that I will never forget, and this is coming from someone who grew up with FMAB instead of 2003 (watched FMAB first instead of 2003).

I really appreciate all the pictures at the bottom showing what they're talking about

The most memorable anime for me is Monster. Watched it on a whim not expecting to finish it but damn, after a few episodes i craved more until i reached the end in no time.

I used to hate SAO back in the day but recently gave it a full rewatch from start to finish and I gotta say, it is a flawed series that makes some critical missteps but is not NEARLY as bad as people make it out to be. And btw Alicization was actually really freaking good! The world building in the Underworld was very interesting, the side characters were charming as hell, the fight scenes were fantastic, the emotional moments were genuinely heart breaking, the soundtrack was a banger, and Kirito even became a much more engaging protagonist. SAO is not perfect, but it’s certainly not bad.

From 2:45 on (the FMAB discussion) reminds me so much of the Family Guy scene where Peter says he doesn't care for The Godfather

I've just got around to SAO (halfway through S2) and it's pretty good. Is it amazing or mind blowing? No, but it's good enough and I enjoy it. Equally I don't disagree that "Oh you just gotta wait until X episodes in for it to get good" is a bad thing but sometimes it takes time for a story to build. You could just read/ watch a synopsis to that point and then dive in. I was told that about TPB (Trailer park boys) because I hated it at first, but then I got it and love the show. But to each their own.

Dude SAO has bad writting but the production quality isnt that bad. A-1 is a pretty good animation studio.

I feel like I'm in the minority when I say I didn't cry during Your Lie in April. I genuinely enjoyed it and the ending did make me feel emotional but more so happy that I watched it and enjoyed it.

To me the reason sao is in my top ten is due to the idea of full dive VR. It’s a technology that peaks on the edge of science fiction but is still grounded enough that you can see that technological actually becoming something in the future

SAO being my second ever anime I watched, it really was a pretty nice rush If you’re curious my first-ever anime was Danganronpa

Ludwig is such a smart guy, he just wants to grow as a person. Admirable

Lud got surprisingly good takes. Needs to go back and finish brotherhood tho

Very enjoyable conv 🤣 made me laughs so much

Connors quiet “what” to brotherhood was hilarious

My first watch through of brotherhood I dropped it about half way through. I like it, but I was not in the right headspace for it. I watched it again last year all the way with my mom and we both enjoyed it.

I stopped watching FMAB at the 30s as well, but about 6 months later i gave it another go and i got through it, so while i completely understand Ludwig, it is still good. 8/10.

"I'm going to try to cry more" ME: *Plays Plastic Memories*

Welcome to the NHK was a tripppp. Watched it when I was pretty much a recluse myself and man did it take you places.

The thing with anime is that when you started everything and anything gets you hooked. SAO is actually pretty good for the first 15 or so episodes after that I don't think it's worth it.

I logged into youtube just so I can agree with Ludwig. SAO was the first anime I watched and that was the gateway for anime to me. AND its is in my top 3 because of that. (only the first part tho)

Lmao the thumbnail is pure gold

Welcome to the nhk will always hold a place in my heart.

I don't usually write comments, but this is too close to me. SAO was the 1st anime that I watched after a long period, essentially starting from scratch my acquaintance with the genre, and I was so captivated and clicked that I would never trade any other title (even though it is #1 on MALe, by the way 2003 FMA is better , deal with it Connor), and when I found out a few years later that everyone hates him so much, I just didn’t understand why, welp, it doesn’t matter. But here's what's important - Welcome to NHK was already in the 2nd row of the anime when I started to dig deep and it affected me so emotionally, spiritually, on all levels, that I still haven't found anything similar in terms of experience. So yes, I exist, a person who likes SAO (to be fair, season 1 of course, but I heard about the last good one) and I consider Welcome to NHK a great anime with a therapeutic effect, because I'm still in severe depression but it helped me in my time is very strong, rarely about which anime I can say such words, so don’t care about the opinions of others - what matters is what you find for yourself, because what most people like most often doesn’t come to me (mal), you need to have your own search inside and tastes. Unfortunately, it saddens me that the anime community has a very high level of snobbery and hatred, so I never discuss my tastes, but here I heard a way familiar to me, oddly enough. And it's interesting that I only watch anime when I have a complete fucked up in my life, it's not up to comedies, but it saves.

I entirely believe Ludwig watched 30 episodes of FMAB and dropped it. If he said 50, he's lying, but I remember being pretty bored and taking a break around when they go to the north area.

someone else's favorite is "welcome to nhk". I love that anime so much, amazing opener too.

sakamoto being a giga chad mister bean has to be the most on point discription I've ever hear for that show

For me, choosing a anime to watch is like choosing a place to eat. It all depends what you are in the mood for. A show could be the best mystery of all time, but if I'm not in the right headspace for a mystery and rather watch a comedy, then I'd won't enjoy the mystery shows as much as I should.

As an avid brotherhood enjoyer, I am embarrassed to say that I did lose interest after episode 62, without looking at the episode list, not knowing I was 2 episodes away

The very ending scene in toradora (post creds) makes me cry EVERY TIME

SAO:A war of underworld is some of the best anime fights I've ever seen, visually it's such a beautiful season

The basic premise and stuff isnt really that bad, the issue is the pacing and the weird shit - you can get away with the weird shit if the pacing was a lot slower. Garnt trying to avoid saying Alicization is good is the issue with anime industry - its actually a lot better, its good as is WoU. Is it top tier, ehhh - no but its still good and enjoyable.

I can understand why some people hate on SAO but for what it is I actually really enjoyed every season

Welcome to the NHK changed my life and I'm so happy Ludwig is giving it more attention.

for some reason the ED to pokemon sun and moon makes me cry

Watched Welcome to the NHK because of this. What a great show

I think Grand Blue was one of the best comedy animes ever made. have they ever mentioned it on trash taste?

Sound! Euphonium This is a good type of cry anime Little bit of hamfisty, campy drama, but if you’ve EVER been a part of a club or a group, you know exactly what this anime has in store for you. This, at one point, was my top of the list S tier. It has since been shifted down to A, as S tier are reserved for things I can watch repeatedly, and this is kind of a one and done type of show. Short. Heartfelt. Worth your time. Likely to make you happy cry.

garnt's face at 2:48 got me dead

I love all of SAO, flaws and all.

I find Garnt's take on SAO very agreeable. The internet is full of mindless sheep that hate on SAO bc it's cool, but looking back, it had a great premise and good execution for the first few episodes (before the "haremization" happened). Alicization went on to expand what SAO 1's premise lacked. It was even more action-packed, emotional, entertaining, and it had decent plot progression and a greater focus on world-building. Now, SAO Progressive added and will be adding more depth to the characters and the events of SAO 1. My personal worry right now is how Progressive could potentially add more plotholes to the main storyline. So far, the hate for SAO is justified but excessive.

Could anyone help me find the shirt that Joey is wearing? My friend would love it!

1:19 the way he says onii chan HAHAHA hilarious

Reject SAO Anime, embrace SAO Progressive Novels

I have to say, Serial Experiments Lain and Welcome To The NHK are such amazing worthwhile trips, and the most striking thing about them is how closely they tie in to real world issues. Lain addressed losing one's identity online and becoming something completely different YEARS before even cable internet was a normal thing, while Welcome To The NHK faced depression, self-worthlessness and disenfranchisement in a very point-blank, completely unabashed manner. Both are masterpieces worth a really deep watch. But if you really want a really good comedy anime, I have 2 for you - Seto No Hanayome, and Hinamatsuri.

I have never been so aggressively upset than I have hearing Ludwig talk about FMA:B

Welcome to the N.H.K is so good - took me on an emotional rollercoaster of introspection and growth

SAO Alicization is a masterpiece

I fucking love SAO. Gungale was a bit of a letdown but Alicization and the War Arc are brilliant

Man I can't not cry watching shows. Shit just comes out

“How are you on this podcast?” 😂

The bois: 99% of comedy anime isn't actually funny. Me: *Laughs at 99% (not exactly but you know) of anime even if it's not labelled comedy* Does that just make me an excessively giggly person? 😁

2:46 Based Ludwig

Ludwig : SAO's such a good show The Bois ; The council shall decide your fate

connor at ludwig not finishing FMAB is me at connor skipping the story/cutscenes in games lmao

Sword art online was fucking awesome FOR ITS TIME. Of course overtime SAO is outdated, but it was a show abouta guy trapped in a video game but people have the most realistic stupid expectations for it. What made SAO one of the best imo is it was super fun to watch, everyone wants some super wrinkle brain anime to seem cool when discussing with friends, but I personally just had so much fun watching SAO I wasn't bothered by much at all. I even enjoyed the alfiehm part, not as much as the others but again we are literally watching an anime based on video games lmao

Alicization is really good right until the end where it falls apart because special boy kirito has to save the day with deus ex machina bullshit again. This was the one chance they had where everyone else could have shown that they are competent but we cant have that. I was genuinely angry during the last couple episodes, to a degree i still am.

Madoka Magica being called out caught me off guard

"Ludwig Actually has Good Anime Taste" Saiki slapped bruh

Sao was my first anime back in 7th grade and I had no idea what it was about lol Alicization (part 1 atleast) is about as good as the first season

He really doesn't...

Damn I love Welcome to the NHK, I thought it was a niche title. It's the only episodic anime I ever rewatched alongside GTO.

to anyone who hasnt seen it give beck a try its a music kinda life drama anime it really captures the feeling of lonliness and not knowing what your supposed to do with yourself as well as really tough life situation like almost nothing ive ever seen.

Ludwig came on and stated his slightly controversial opinions, lots of respect

SAO is a straight male power fantasy. That's why ppl hate it. The main reason I liked it as a kid is bc i was trans and didn't know it and being a princess in a castle waiting for a prince appealed to my heavily repressed sense of femininity. For most people, and for me rewatching now, the visuals and designs are pretty sick and the music is sick but the plot is just no.

Aaah .. Welcome to the NHK, one of my favs too.

Dude Your Lie in April fucked me all up. First show that I actually had to take a break from anime after watching

People only hated SAO because social media said so I still like it, still one of my favorites

Unironically Alicization is genuinely great. I'm someone who CAN enjoy the whole of SAO but totally agrees most of it was bad. Alicization is different though. It does so much to make itself barely an SAO show anymore and as a result it becomes an actually good story. Kirito, for the first time, is actually kinda likeable and an engaging character. And also for a first time, the side characters are actually really likeable and engaging as well, Eugeo is better than Asuna was, and Alice is great. There's none of this back and forth between the real and fake world, there's like MAYBE 15 minutes of screentime spent in the real world during the first 12 episodes once Kirito is actually in the simulation. The story feels focused and like each episode actually matters instead of being filler. There's way less fanservice, in fact generally the female characters are actually GOOD, and don't all get insta-crushes on Kirito. It's animation is a big step up, the coloring and lighting as actually REALLY good, especially compared to how SAO used to not really do anything special with its visual style. The soundtrack is the best it's ever been with some real good action bangers. The world is genuinely interesting with some unique concepts. It's pacing is fairly good actually. And there are some really good fights and battles. Alicization is a major step up from previous SAO (even tho the movie before it is actually decent). I was really surprised. Especially when it started doing stuff that is genuinely interesting. Like how the world Kirito is in is a simulation, all the characters in it are AI who have basically full free-will and autonomy except for a tiny bit of free-will left to develop. So an interesting thing is the magic system in this simulation is coding. Like when they want to do a Light spell to make a glowing orb to see in the dark they say stuff like "system command, generate luminous element". To them those are just magic words to do incantations, but to us we recognize that these AI are using magic by unwittingly CODING the simulation in real time. That's cool as a shit. There's actual cool concepts in SAO now. It's worth noting Alicization season 2 is a massive departure from Alicization season 1. It's still actually pretty good, but where season 1 was mostly character focused and more small scale, season 2 is a lot more action focused with big battles. And they actually did something really surprising given what SAO is, Kirito isn't really a character in season 2. I won't spoil what that means, but while he's "there", he basically doesn't exist within the story until the end of the season. Alice takes his place as the MC. That's a big thing for a show that used to be such a "self-insert OP MC" kinda story.

Alicization is the arc that the light novel readers where talking about for ages being amazing. Think some of that has still stuck around.

7:01 MORBIUS!

i genuinely do like sao. haven't seen the progressive movie though cuz didn't have the money to go see it for the one day it was out and it hasn't come out online even illegally so i'm just waiting for that to happen.

Connor telling Ludwig to skip the Madoka Magica movies is a fucking crime, those films are kino and incredibly important, I can't wait for the next

SAO's first season hit so different, mainly the first part called Aincrad

I remember stumbling onto Welcome to the NHK on Netflix when I was in high school and it just confused me. I honestly couldn't wrap my head around what I was seeing.