Anime

[Unstable Hamster]

I'm a fansub elitist
I'm more of the fansub guy too. I know that the dub's have improved drastically, but it sounds better in my mind when I read it than hearing it. Also I've pretty much been in a competition with my friends of who can reference each other to good anime. I'm winning so far with Gurren Laggan, Macross Frontier, and Soul Eater. I think these anime's will make sure I'm in the lead, thanks guys!

[Native Jovian]

Cowboy Bebop anyone? :3
Rock.

And I'm a dub elitist (not really, but do prefer dubs to subs, they've come a long way.)
Rock!

Also, what's all this about Madoka Magica and Serial Experiments Lain? I've heard good things about Madoka Magica but I thought Lain was a festering pile of pretentiously meaningless drivel.

[eilios]

Rock.


Rock!

Also, what's all this about Madoka Magica and Serial Experiments Lain? I've heard good things about Madoka Magica but I thought Lain was a festering pile of pretentiously meaningless drivel.
Madoka Magica is good, but the ending is a little bit ridic. Lain is okay if you're into pretentiously meaningless drivel(so basically, for Eva fans amirite?), but you need to do so much plot analysing before it becomes even remotely comprehensible and to 99% of the people(AKA non-aspies) this is totally not worth it.


EDIT: I prefer subs for everything except Gurren Lagann, Suzimiya Haruhi, Cowboy Bebop, and Samurai Pizza Cats.

[Brycepops]

This thread needs more Fist of the North Star.

[Kenogu Labz]

Madoka Magica is good, but the ending is a little bit ridic. Lain is okay if you're into pretentiously meaningless drivel(so basically, for Eva fans amirite?), but you need to do so much plot analysing before it becomes even remotely comprehensible and to 99% of the people(AKA non-aspies) this is totally not worth it.


EDIT: I prefer subs for everything except Gurren Lagann, Suzimiya Haruhi, Cowboy Bebop, and Samurai Pizza Cats.

Well, from what it appears, the ending is par for the course in terms of anime plotlines. They can be good right up to the end before driving into a ditch for the big finale. Ahh, well.

[K.B.]

I've heard that gg subs were good as well. Wish they did theirs in lower resolution so I could compare; compy was already frame-dumping on most of the action sequences, so I wasn't about try ones nearly twice the file size.

I enjoyed the ending. I also enjoyed Lain.

Also, what's all this about Madoka Magica and Serial Experiments Lain? I've heard good things about Madoka Magica but I thought Lain was a festering pile of pretentiously meaningless drivel.
It was a terrible comparison on my part, as I was misremembering Lain. Both deal with the surreal and with friendship and loss, but mostly beyond that they're very different. So please disregard.

I read a scathing review that called Madoka "emotional porn", and I think that's a fair assessment. There's a decent plot (with good storytelling and pacing), a superb antagonist, and some neat visuals in the action sequences, but the selling point is the characters' reactions to misfortune. Seinen, magical girl, slice-of-life turned tragedy.

So yeah it's basically about a bunch of girls bawling their eyes out. Go watch it.

[Brushfire]

Golden Boy is the only good Anime.

[Schwaltzvald]

Golden Boy.

Speaking of which there's suppose to be a sequel in the works for the OVA...

[Brushfire]

It's been in the works for like 15 years.

Makes me sad that it is the Duke Nukem Forever of anime.

[Thin Crust]

Hey guys, look what I found at the nuclear medicine institute. It's a Tachikoma.

http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/ll434/Radiata5/IMG_0649.jpg

http://images.wikia.com/ghostintheshell/en/images/e/e7/Tachikoma.gif

Although this looks like an older model. Maybe a Fuchikoma or a Sledgikoma.

Hey, I thought it was funny.

[Gollgagh]

if they ever made pet tachikomas I would totally buy one

[Brushfire]

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/303/6/c/mommy_tachikoma_by_callmepo-d4eixl5.jpg

[The Derrit]

hey guys what show should i watch

i just got through the end of code geass and while i'm undecided on whether i liked the way the 2nd season ended it was undoubtedly a well-put-together show.

throw something at me

[psychowolf]

Neon genesis Evangelion the original tv show (ending included)
Apart from the ussual cardcaptors and pokemon that everyone and their grandma have watched, this was the first true delving into a anime series i did.
and i enjoyed it alot, although i can never listen to the song "fly me to the moon" anymore because it will remind me of it.

[The Derrit]

Neon genesis Evangelion the original tv show (ending included)
Apart from the ussual cardcaptors and pokemon that everyone and their grandma have watched, this was the first true delving into a anime series i did.
and i enjoyed it alot, although i can never listen to the song "fly me to the moon" anymore because it will remind me of it.

already hit it. there are some fucked up parts of that show but it's pretty awesome

also recently watched was deadman wonderland which starts out awesome and then gets just kind of awesome. people fight with blood (literally) so its really violent.

[keiiii]

Tekkonkinkreet. Not a series, just a feature length movie. (though the manga version IS a series...) It's very atypical, and filled with brilliance.

[linkspast]

This thread needs more Fist of the North Star.

You are already dead

[Thin Crust]

Well, what type? Another gundam show or something easier, or heavy, or romantic, or what?

[The Derrit]

anything with complexity is good

i've been looking for a definitive list of modern series that are great but there isn't really much of one

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

That's probably because a lot of modern anime isn't that great in the first place. I can't really think of any standout anime that's come out post Code Geass and Death Note personally. Most of it's degenerated into redundant Shounen garbage and/or Moe. I've been out of the active loop since the anime adaption of Valkyria Chronicles turned me off pretty badly. Maybe I'm just getting too old for anime's usual demographic. If anyone has any recommendations though, I'm open.

[Graycascade]

If you enjoyed Eva, check out RahXephon. Pretty interesting, its aged pretty well, and the dub doesn't suck.

For something completely different, I loved Usagi Drop. Definately not for everyone, but if you have a single slice-of-life bone in your body and want a mature show that doesn't pander to a pubescent male audience, I can't recommend it enough.

[Thin Crust]

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. The whole thing's been translated to english and I prefer it to watching subtitled. If you have seen the original, you owe it to yourself to see this series because it is without a doubt an incredible improvement. I was literally on the edge of my seat every episode begging for next week to come. The first 7 episodes or so follow the original series, but after that it's completely different. Everything from the origin of alchemy, to the origin of the homunculus is completely redone with immense success.

[The Derrit]

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. The whole thing's been translated to english and I prefer it to watching subtitled. If you have seen the original, you owe it to yourself to see this series because it is without a doubt an incredible improvement. I was literally on the edge of my seat every episode begging for next week to come. The first 7 episodes or so follow the original series, but after that it's completely different. Everything from the origin of alchemy, to the origin of the homunculus is completely redone with immense success.

this show was the bomb

i had the good luck of being in japan when it was wrapping up and got to watch the second to last episode in a japanese bathouse it was epic

edit: i found this image anyone have any comments on it?

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/7528/1258600944919.jpg

[Thin Crust]

No DBZ. or DBZ-A. Pic is pure fail.

[Kenogu Labz]

Glancing at the pic reminded me that I do have a recommendation: Monster. It's not flashy, sticking more with realism than blow-your-mind art. Yet it pulls off a stunning story, and you'll be at the edge of your seat for every episode. You could think of it as initially based on the older series 'The Fugitive', at least in the basic premise. Definitely worth a shot; do note that it takes a bit for the real story to kick in, so it's not a hospital drama as it may initially seem to be.

[HalcyonSpirit]

edit: i found this image anyone have any comments on it?

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/7528/1258600944919.jpg

What have you watched? I can't remember if you've seen some of these or not. Anyway...

Of the things in the image, I can personally vouch for Kenshin (up through the second season; the rest beyond that is... um... yeah.), Outlaw Star, Slayers, Gundam 08th MS Team, Black Lagoon, Azumanga Daioh, Suzumiya Haruhi, FLCL, and Big O. Slayers, Azumanga and Haruhi may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they're generally good.

I've heard good things about Zeta Gundam, Ghost in the Shell, Trigun, Sword in the Stranger, and Ergo Proxy, but I haven't gotten around to watching them yet.

As far as things not on that image, Yu Yu Hakusho is a classic Shonen anime that has many cliches from the time period but is quite well done. I hear Gundam 0080 is good, and I'm currently watching Gundam 0083, which so far is good (if a bit odd with pacing at times). Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is a really good one. Finally, Bubblegum Crisis and Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 are pretty good in my opinion, though they don't stand out in any particular way.

[Gollgagh]

eh, any short list like that is going to leave out stuff

especially if it attempts to encompass decades of material from an entire medium

[The Derrit]

i'm gonna be lame and make a list of what i've watched and what i haven't just so you can all secretly scoff at me/give me suggestions off of that

still running/something to keep me entertained weekly:

One Piece
Bleach
Fairy Tail

series:

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Deadman Wonderland (if you haven't heard of it at least look it up)
Samurai Champloo
Code Geass
Death Note
Hell Girl seasons 1-3
Mobile Suit Gundam 00
Hajime No Ippo
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Giant Killing (soccer anime, a pretty good watch if you're into that kind of thing)
[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control (great concept, clearly ran out of funding/interest and ended at 11 episodes. first 4 episodes bring up some good food for thought)

that's all i've got i think. this is in no particular order. I have of course watched the whole dragonball series but to me that almost doesn't count because you have to watch that show in english. it just doesn't feel right with the music and the voices in the japanese dub.

i remember big o being on toonami but never paid too much attention to it, same with yu yu hakusho and ruroni kenshin. i remember outlaw star being in the awesome toonami music videos i.e. this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_w9b3Tl9EA)

[HalcyonSpirit]

i remember outlaw star being in the awesome toonami music videos i.e. this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_w9b3Tl9EA)
Oh god I just nostalgia'd.

I see Gundam 00 on there. If you liked that, you may like Gundam Wing (another show in that Toonami commercial). Similar feel to Gundam 00 in that it's got more emphasis on action than most other Gundam series (still recommend those, as well), and the plots a quite similar, too. I personally feel that Wing and 00 weren't as strong as those other Gundam series, but I tend to focus less on action and more on the characters, so you can somewhat base your decisions regarding the various Gundam series on that.

EDIT: If you're liking Bleach and One Piece, then shows like Trigun, Yu Yu Hakusho, Outlaw Star and Rurouni Kenshin are probably right up your alley.

[Kenogu Labz]

Oh god I just nostalgia'd.

I see Gundam 00 on there. If you liked that, you may like Gundam Wing (another show in that Toonami commercial). Similar feel to Gundam 00 in that it's got more emphasis on action than most other Gundam series (still recommend those, as well), and the plots a quite similar, too. I personally feel that Wing and 00 weren't as strong as those other Gundam series, but I tend to focus less on action and more on the characters, so you can somewhat base your decisions regarding the various Gundam series on that.

EDIT: If you're liking Bleach and One Piece, then shows like Trigun, Yu Yu Hakusho, Outlaw Star and Rurouni Kenshin are probably right up your alley.

One Piece is kind an oddball of fun. It bounces between kinda immature humour and all-out awesome; the bizarre abilities are presented creatively enough, and the arcs are solid enough (at least as far as I've gotten) to keep it interesting and fun. But you're already watching it, so guess it doesn't need much of a recommendation. (Here's hoping Funi clinches the next batch of dubbing rights soon...)

Trigun's also a bunch of fun. The characters in that one are really great, and are what makes it stick out from the rest. Give it a couple episodes to kick in (I suspect this is the case for most shows, really).

I've watched YYH. I'm not sure it'd make it to the top of my list by a long shot, but it's certainly not bad. It's great if you're trying to watch and do something else at the same time, since the amount of attention required to follow it isn't that high.

[Koriantor]

Hey, maybe you guys can help me out. What might you suggest for a steam-punkish 1910's feel with possible connection to flying machines.

Something like Last Exile or Laputa is what I'm looking for. A good adventure.

Any ideas?

[Graycascade]

Glancing at the pic reminded me that I do have a recommendation: Monster. It's not flashy, sticking more with realism than blow-your-mind art. Yet it pulls off a stunning story, and you'll be at the edge of your seat for every episode. You could think of it as initially based on the older series 'The Fugitive', at least in the basic premise. Definitely worth a shot; do note that it takes a bit for the real story to kick in, so it's not a hospital drama as it may initially seem to be.

Monster was a very fun ride. Enjoyed the whole thing, especially how grounded the series felt (minus the whole overarching conspiricy stuff).

[K.B.]

Anyone seen the Persona 3 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1161682/) anime? There's a P4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Persona_4:_The_Animation_episodes) one as well that's currently airing. These appear to be sleepers - I just found out about them a couple days ago, so I can't vouch for or against. I'd be interested in opinions of either.

Or if no-one's seen them yet, then consider it an fyi-these-exist to Atlus fans, as I know we have at least a couple here.

Usagi Drop
Heard great things about this as well, and it seems right up my alley. Now that I have hd space (post-reformat) I'm going to check it out. I've been itching for a new show, too. I know that wasn't intended as a reminder for me but that was perfectly timed for my purposes, so thanks.

edit: i found this image anyone have any comments on it?

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/7528/1258600944919.jpg
I'll have to look up a few of those. Seems a good enough list to invest the time to investigate the unknown ones.

I see Daioh and Monster on the "popular" list. That might be true but I certainly wouldn't call them 'good'. I watched the first two episodes of Daioh and each one was pure torture. They were bland, unfunny, slow, and disjointed. Couldn't stand most of the personalities and the music made me want to claw out my ears. I know that two episodes isn't usually a fair shake, but I feel no compulsion to give additional chances to something so wholly unenjoyable. Monster is cheesily over-dramatized, plodding, has horrible filler, and stays in the shallow end of the pool in exploring the human psyche, the lattermost of which is intolerable because this is the area the show should have explored since, well, that's largely what it's built upon. The show has a decent enough underlying plotline, but it is lackluster at best in execution. Then again, everyone else I've talked to about it has liked it, so take that as your minority view.

Biggest omission that I can see, with my very limited knowledge of the medium, is Grave of the Fireflies. That's one of the most emotively powerful visual works I've ever seen. But Miyazaki was covered well aside from that, so it's not a big deal. I'd throw Elfen Lied on there somewhere as well (under "hidden gems", I guess), but I'm also a big softie.


Obligatory recommendation is suffering.

[GravitySuitCollector]

Just a few things off the top of my head:
- Seto no Hanayome is awesome, even after watching it a second time
- There isn't enough of Time of Eve for me (any recommendations of anime with a similar feel?)
- FLCL... Totally weird, but it hooks you somehow

I'm too lazy to write any further. I'm watching Guilty Crown and seeing where it goes, but I've sort of fallen off Cubed Curaed Curious, or whatever that title was. GC is looking like it will be typical mecha, but there's nothing wrong with that.

Oh, yeah, Miyazaki films are good, too (although that weird goldfish one makes me wonder if he was breathing in too much car fumes; it was a bit weird and I didn't really like it)

I read the manga for Usagi Drop. It was great, although the last part of it was a bit of a "what just happened?" "this is getting slightly weird/I wasn't expecting that" sort of thing. Do they do it differently in the anime?

Again, too lazy to write more or read the last 10 posts. Sorry (not really:razz:).

EDIT: I felt a need to give more detail about Seto no no Hanayome (English title "My Bride is a Mermaid")
- It. Is. Funny. From the start, it doesn't take much seriously, and there's parodies up to your knees. There is a bit of fan-service (:whatevaa:), but there's not too much.

I personally think there should be a cut down on fan-service in general. I've seen bits of anime, but they were ruined for me with the humongous amounts of it. Didn't really return to most. Plots go from "what happens next" to "oh, another panty shot". :(

[Graycascade]

I read the manga for Usagi Drop. It was great, although the last part of it was a bit of a "what just happened?" "this is getting slightly weird/I wasn't expecting that" sort of thing. Do they do it differently in the anime?

The show covers the first part of the manga (from what I hear; haven't read it, don't intend to). If they make a season 2, I'd really hope they decide to do their own thing rather than follow the manga. I heard the ending to the manga was pretty weird/creepy, spoiled it, and agree.

[Gollgagh]

Anyone seen the Persona 3 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1161682/) anime? There's a P4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Persona_4:_The_Animation_episodes) one as well that's currently airing. These appear to be sleepers - I just found out about them a couple days ago, so I can't vouch for or against. I'd be interested in opinions of either.

Or if no-one's seen them yet, then consider it an fyi-these-exist to Atlus fans, as I know we have at least a couple here.

I keep forgetting about Trinity Soul, despite having beaten the game three times now.

I've been watching the P4 adaptation though, yeah.

[Moomba]

Steins;Gate has apparently not been mentioned once within this thread despite being awesome.

In terms of more recent anime, Tiger & Bunny is also definitely worth watching.

Just quickly skimming the chart for some of the stuff no-one has talked about so far:

Going back a few years, it's almost unforgivable to not watch Gurren Lagann. Eureka 7 is also pretty decent if you can put up with the protagonist.

I would also recommend everything Macross (except the parallel timelines). Who couldn't love anime where music wins wars? Personally, I prefer everything Macross 7 onwards far more than the original series though.

Oh also, Eden of the East, and a generally high percentage of Production I.G. anime are really good.

On the subject of Laputa/Last Exile style anime, there's the currently airing new series of Last Exile and possibly also Elemental Gelade. I'm sure I could think of more, but I seem to be blanking on anime in general this morning :[

[Brushfire]

Which Macross was it where the dude had a spaceship that transformed into a speaker that got him loads of Alien Poon?

Cause that is the only one worth watching.

[Unstable Hamster]

Which Macross was it where the dude had a spaceship that transformed into a speaker that got him loads of Alien Poon?

Cause that is the only one worth watching.

I have NO idea, but if you find it good sir,





you win.

[Brycepops]

Which Macross was it where the dude had a spaceship that transformed into a speaker that got him loads of Alien Poon?

Cause that is the only one worth watching.

Macross 7?

[GravitySuitCollector]

I just started watching Samurai Champloo. It's awesome; I find myself listening to the end theme after the episode, which is not typical for me. I even sorta like the OP (Strange, considering how I can't stand rap in pop culture today, not to mention the engrish of it). :grin:

[Moomba]

Which Macross was it where the dude had a spaceship that transformed into a speaker that got him loads of Alien Poon?

Cause that is the only one worth watching.

I'm not completely sure, but I'd like to think you mean Macross 7 since it's undeniably the best of the Macross serieses.

I also want to randomly plug Shiki which I forgot about earlier - back to the original concept of Vampires, none of this *sparkle sparkle* "I love you" crap. Just blood, murder, mystery and moral dilemmas.

[K.B.]

I've been watching the P4 adaptation though, yeah.
Good? i need to upload another invisible square at some point since i've lost my bookmarks

[Thin Crust]

To anyone who says Evangelion.....I just don't get it. The whole series is just plain stupid. (My opinion of course)

This song expresses my feelings towards it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNvqtKv1bPo

Just the song. The video has absolutely nothing to do with the song.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Epic song, yet overrated Evangelion is not.

[Gollgagh]

oh, one other fantastic thing that's airing this season is Mawaru Penguindrum

also Fate/Zero if you're into the FSN universe

Good? i need to upload another invisible square at some point since i've lost my bookmarks

yeah it's been pretty great so far

[Dissidia]

Ben-to is where it's at. I tried Penguindrum but I dropped it since it felt too serious, and I'm not very into that this season.

[Gollgagh]

I guess the undertones are pretty serious, but you can't tell me that that the presentation is as well.

And besides, not every one wants fluffy stuff all the time.

[Moomba]

I'm also really enjoying Penguindrum, though it really enjoys trolling its viewers. So much misdirection, withheld information and constant dangling of answer like a carrot before snatching them away.

But I guess that's one of the things that makes it really worth watching.

It did start to get a little eh after the first few episodes due to the constant focus on Ringo, but fortunately it managed to quickly pick itself back up after it got past that.

There's actually a fair few surprisingly good (Haganai, C³, UN-GO, Ben-to) anime this season, some letdowns too (Horizon, though it was considered an impossible adaption for a reason and there was no way Guilty Crown could ever live up to the hype that was generated by claims of being on par with Code Geass) and of course, the expected, and completely awesome Fate/Zero which people should watch regardless of what they know of Fate/Stay Night :3

[Dissidia]

I like to balance fluffy and serious animes but this season I just want fluffy fun :9.

I'm going to check out C3 Fate/Zero and maybe Haganai. New Working! yay ;), that's my style for this season.

[GravitySuitCollector]

Kill Me Baby ED ( キルミーベイベー) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRzLoWccGNw)

I find the ending addicting. The opening's horrible, though. I think it's a pretty funny anime so far, although the animation isn't the highest quality.It sort of surprised me when I found out this was a full episode length, too, considering its four panel nature. I know it's been done (Lucky Star :smile:), but this one seems it would have done better split up a bit more.

Again, don't bother with the opening.

[Moomba]

Kill Me Baby ED ( キルミーベイベー) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRzLoWccGNw)

I find the ending addicting. The opening's horrible, though. I think it's a pretty funny anime so far, although the animation isn't the highest quality.It sort of surprised me when I found out this was a full episode length, too, considering its four panel nature. I know it's been done (Lucky Star :smile:), but this one seems it would have done better split up a bit more.

Again, don't bother with the opening.

This season seems to be pretty bad for OPs, most of them are pretty terrible.

In complete opposition to what I just said, I declare the best OP/ED of this season to be:

Momoiro Clover Z - Mugen no AI (Moretsu Pirates OP) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY5LOmxbFc0)

Ignoring the often abysmal vocals of course... but that tends to be fairly normal nowdays.

[relyanCe]

Epic song, yet overrated Evangelion is not.

agree.

to call it "plain stupid" is to spit in the face of all the imagery, themes, and philosophy they somehow crammed into 26 episodes of depression. it's a turning-point work in anime, and a must-watch for anyone interested in existentialism in anime.

[The Damned]

I think the hate towards Evangelion is based upon one key issue.

Yes, lots of mecha shows existed before and after. But here's the big thing that makes Evangelion stand out: instead of a natural-born pilot or leader (or for that matter, the over-used "I'm going to beat you to show you the truth" bullshit that was so favored at the time), you have a child forced into piloting an alien... thing, and told to save the planet or else everyone is going to die horribly. No pressure, right?

Suddenly, we don't get the over-used "I'm a hero" lead character, and instead we see what might be the most realistic portrayal of a human being in that type of situation: he can't handle it.

Shinji is every teenage boy from a broken family. He was fucked up before, and the whole angels thing isn't helping things. Yes, he is totally a whiner and needs a good slapping/fucking from any one of the women in the show. But what the fuck do you expect? He's a goddamn child. His asshole father lied to him about everything he knows, he's been emotionally blackmailed into to piloting an alien being, the government has forced him to face horrific fights against beings that would make any normal person shit their pants, and then Shinji had to deal with it all on his own because he's too fucked up to realize he needs the support of others.

But people were (and still are) used to the archetype of the awesome guy that can do everything awesomely and overcome all the obstacles that his enemies throw at him, even if he stumbles sometimes. You see this in Naruto, Bleach, One Piece... hell, even outside of shonen manga and anime, you have the same archetype used for main characters in just about anything. Shoujo likes to have the determined young girl that manages to express her feelings for the guy; harem anime has the male eventually deciding on the girl he likes, and all the trials of the past are resolved. Think of any show you know of, and think about how the main characters eventually wins the day.

Evangelion doesn't do that. It shows what people are like facing almost certain doom daily. You see the cracks in their facades and what they do to cope with it. It's nice and comforting to see fictional characters be strong and resolute. It makes us think that we would be the same in their situation. So when we see Shinji freaking out because of all the traumatic and terrifying things he's had to deal with, we don't like it because it reminds us that we're more likely to act the same way.

It's something that most people don't like to acknowledge. We're not instinctively brave. We're hardwired to do what gives us the best chance of survival. Often, that means running, hiding or just not dealing with it.

Basically, we have a terrible double-standard for the show: anime is supposed to be about cool awesomeness. But let one specific kid in one specific series fall apart because that's what people do when they're overwhelmed beyond rationality, and that character and/or show sucks.

[Avatar of Justice]

A really smart analysis of why Eva is cool

Eva is a deconstruction of the monster of the week mecha show. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Deconstruction

Basically it is a response to the tired formula. It makes no sense without taking that into consideration. It's like how Final Fantasy VII is a deconstruction of the RPG formula of a hero on a quest pursuing a bad guy. It is no coincidence FFVII came out within a year of Eva.

[Meteo Xavier]

Basically, we have a terrible double-standard for the show: anime is supposed to be about cool awesomeness. But let one specific kid in one specific series fall apart because that's what people do when they're overwhelmed beyond rationality, and that character and/or show sucks.

Speaking of double standards - by your logic you should be much more understanding to these viewers. They are just children too. :P

I have still yet to see Eva. I don't know to be ashamed of that or not.

[PriZm]

Thank you The Damned for this post.

It irritates me to no end how everyone is so quick to dismiss/hate a character or a show just because of a little complaining or emotional difficulties. It's like forbidden to show any emotion except anger if you are a male character in anime or games otherwise an angry mob will just call you emo.

It happened with Hope in Final XIII, Sasuke in Naruto and others.

[Moomba]

Honestly, I think, to a certain extent, Eva suffers from this:

Warning. TVTropes link. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeinfeldIsUnfunny)

We see so many protagonists in anime these days who are, to an extent, similar to Shinji. It's basically reached the point where whenever an anime pops up with a slightly emo protagonist, everyone sighs and turns away.

Eva was and is an awesome anime, but newer viewers might suffer from "Oh no, one of THESE guys again."

I still dislike Hope though. See, Shinji takes his angst and pilots a giant robot. He actually does his job despite everything. Hope just whines about revenge and then fails to act on it.

[The Damned]

A really smart analysis of why Eva is cool

Thank you The Damned for this post.

Thank you for the comments. I don't get many of those.

Usually it's all "jesus fuckin christ, would you SHUT UP ABOUT POKEMAN ALREADY!?$" or the occasional "I always suspected you were a closet (insert topical phrase here)".

Speaking of double standards - by your logic you should be much more understanding to these viewers. They are just children too. :P
FUCK YOU.

I have still yet to see Eva. I don't know to be ashamed of that or not.
Even as a proponent of trying out shows, I have to admit that Evangelion is not for everyone. If you like, say, Escaflowne, you may not like Evangelion. They may be in the same genre, even the same sub-set of said genre, but they are different shows. I have no issue with someone being unable to get into it, only issue with outright dismissive attitudes.

Honestly, I think, to a certain extent, Eva suffers from this:

Warning. TVTropes link. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeinfeldIsUnfunny)

Eva was and is an awesome anime, but newer viewers might suffer from "Oh no, one of THESE guys again."

My original post was actually a three-part break-down about why people hate on Evangelion. The first was older fans that have gotten tired of the various "tropes" that Evangelion has spawned over the years, and the adherence of modern shows that adopt them.

The second part was newer/younger fans that "discovered" anime and have a superiority complex about themselves by way of it, covering what you managed to shrink down to a single line.

So, +1 internets to you for brevity?

[ambient]

I tried watching Evangelion first like ten years ago, there was just so much hype around it that I just had to check it out. It was a little slow, but what turned me off was not the pace, or the giant robots (I don't like mecha in general, well, maybe original Robotech was ok), or Shinji's character - it was the pointless usage of judeo-christian symbolism. Originally, I thought that it would be integrated into the story in some clever way, but it had no point whatsoever, and I found that distracting. Coincidentally, this is the same reason why I didn't enjoy Xenosaga and quit playing the first one half-way through.

[Gollgagh]

well since we're talking about classic animes I'm still slowly working through a list of them

right now I'm watching Nadia and enjoying it a great deal

[Dissidia]

Another currently running anime is "Another" very interesting keeps you on your seat. I think it's going for a suspense type show. It has some nice slice of life moments too. Mean cliffhangers though.

[Yami]

The only show I'm currently watching is the remake of Hunter x Hunter, this is the only thing that stuck, and unfortunately I have not enough time to watch all the anime I want to watch...

[Thin Crust]

So I watched this

http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/files/2009/11/spice_wolf_covers1.jpg

I thought I would get this

http://media.animevice.com/uploads/0/4/72219-spice_super.png

But instead I got this:

http://www.theconceptbank.com/tcb_images/print/tcb_print_cvrs_ecomomics.gif


Anyone else want to share their story of how they got fooled? Preferably in this format, because it's more fun.

[Gollgagh]

lol

I still enjoyed it for Horo

now that I think about it though, I don't think I've seen the second season yet

[Native Jovian]

Basically, we have a terrible double-standard for the show: anime is supposed to be about cool awesomeness. But let one specific kid in one specific series fall apart because that's what people do when they're overwhelmed beyond rationality, and that character and/or show sucks.
I agree completely. This is an amazingly succinct explanation of why Evangelion is not entertaining. It may be realistic psychology, but I'm watching a goddamn giant robot cartoon -- realism can and should take a step back to entertainment value. You know why the idealized hero -- the guy who overcomes all obstacles before them and, at the end of the day, saves the world and gets the girl -- is popular? Because it's fun. Shinji is not fun. Evangelion did something new and different -- props to them for that. But that, by itself, doesn't make it good.

the pointless usage of judeo-christian symbolism. Originally, I thought that it would be integrated into the story in some clever way, but it had no point whatsoever
Also this. Eva spends a lot of screen time on bullshit that has nothing to do with anything and serves no purpose except to confuse people into thinking it has meaning.

I will say that Eva has amazing fight scenes -- when it finally gets around to them, at least. So it wasn't all bad.

[Flash Strife]

Oh hey, I'm watching Spice and Wolf right now. Need to watch season 2.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

So I watched this

http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/files/2009/11/spice_wolf_covers1.jpg

I thought I would get this

http://media.animevice.com/uploads/0/4/72219-spice_super.png

But instead I got this:

http://www.theconceptbank.com/tcb_images/print/tcb_print_cvrs_ecomomics.gif


Anyone else get want to share their story of how they got fooled? Preferably in this format, because it's more fun.

The first thing still happens, and I'm reading through the light novels now, but yeah they'd might as well call it "Wolf and Emergent Markets" with all the shop being talked. Still, it's definitely a nice anime/manga/novel series.

For me it was Tsukihime, and I thought I was getting this:

http://www.tapeta-shingetsutan-lancuchy-tsukihime.na-telefon.org/tapety/shingetsutan-lancuchy-tsukihime.jpeg,

But instead I got this:

http://www.google.com.pr/url?source=imglanding&ct=img&q=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MDaBlkYDL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg&sa=X&ei=QA0WT7ihFYjAtwea7tHjCw&ved=0CAwQ8wc&usg=AFQjCNGQTN8VsUQDsYeocpS0ZnO4JSczRQ.

Still fun to watch, but yeah.

[Unstable Hamster]

Alright, so when I went to the ISU anime club, in 4 weeks going I became the Club Secretary (I work with the website.) I've done it for a semester and for the new semester I planed with the rest of the presidency for what we were going to watch for anime. In that meeting I realized I had watched a paltry amount of anime's.

So if you guys have any suggestions that would be awesome. I will say some of my favorites are Gurren Lagann and Darker than Black (One for being serious, the other because it is anything but.) I know most of the general, popular animes and have watched some of them (Soul Eater, Death Note, Bleach) and even some I've gotten from looking at this fourm (Whoever recommended Katanagatari thanks!) So any recommendations for some good lesser known or cult classic animes would be awesome!

Oh, and the anime's that I'm currently watching (got a few trying to catch up to others): Chaos;Head, Deadman Wonderland, S-Cry-Ed (Haven't started that one), Mahou Shujo Madoka Magica, and the last season of Yu Yu Hakusho (Remembered that as a kid) And thanks again for helping.

Oh and while we are on Eva, I would like to say I watched that, and I would say I was new to anime when I watched it, I really liked the show. I actually did not find shinji 'emo' or anything like that. I will say that the last few episodes certanly what I expected, but I liked the last 20 so I didn't complain. If I found the past 20 episodes fun but didn't enjoy the last few why should I complain?

Oh and that was a great explanation on eva The Damned.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Stuff I've watched in the past few weeks include Durarara(sort of a modern Baccano), Spice and Wolf, Deadman Wonderland, Tsukihime, Nodame Cantabile Finale, and both Hajime no Ippo series.

[Gollgagh]

I will admit that the first time I watched Eva, I bent to popular opinion on hating it; but when I watched Death, Rebirth, and Rebuilds 1.11 and 2.22, I made my peace with it.


I'm impatiently awaiting 3, but it's good to see a release date on it.

[Emperor Charlemagne]

well since we're talking about classic animes I'm still slowly working through a list of them

right now I'm watching Nadia and enjoying it a great deal

well hot dog I just got the series for myself and wanted to see if it was any good.

[The Derrit]

well since we're talking about classic animes I'm still slowly working through a list of them

right now I'm watching Nadia and enjoying it a great deal

what list might that be

also i'm chugging through FMA brotherhood for the second time and man it is good. the animation is some of the best i've seen in the fighting.

its also cool to see people watching deadman its a sweet show. the first half was better than the second half but definitely above average overall

[Gollgagh]

my own, based on interest of either artwork or synopsis

(Nadia was added based purely on artwork, yes I'm shallow like that >.>)

[The Damned]

S-Cry-Ed
I found Scryed to be an odd show, actually. It's supposed to be your usual shonen action flick with all the usual tropes... but in the end, it felt kind of underdone in its execution.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

Oh and that was a great explanation on eva The Damned.
PRAISE ME. PRAISE ME MORE. IT FEEDS ME.

[Unstable Hamster]

PRAISE ME. PRAISE ME MORE. IT FEEDS ME.


You smell nice.

[Emperor Charlemagne]

Unstable, if you want "Cult Classics" I'd say look into either Tekkonkinkreet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWj77NUjLI4

It's a pretty odd flick, with a distinct visual style (you haven't seen anime characters look like this), and a pretty zonky plot flipping around all over the place (but it's never hard to follow). The relationship between the main characters, Black and White, is very well done, and the side characters (the yakuza boss and his underling, and the villain) all have their chance to really shine. The English dub isn't bad, per se (Robin from Teen Titans voices Black), one look at the trailer shows that these characters aren't really meant to speak in English.

It's a thought. Made by the studio who did Animatrix, which I remember liking a whole lot (and after The Matrix, is probably the only other good piece of media in the whole Matrix franchise, hah hah.).

Or the incredibly entertaining and awesomely dubbed Dominion Tank Police:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La7Drjku-Y8

The guy who made this would go on to do Ghost in the Shell.

It was dubbed by Manga UK, who did the Mad Bull 34 dub (which was awesome - anything they did was always incredibly entertaining).
Also, unlike many dubs, they redid all of the music. Instead of the good-yet-generic J-Pop of the original (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xRr_7osTJw), they decided to make everything cool house/dance music.

And hot damn is it catchy. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G46a3h2ls7M)
(title is a misnomer. New Dominion Tank Police is the sequel series with many of the same characters)
(The scene itself in good quality, but with weird audio hiccups (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1Hy1GAvzcE&feature=related))
More good english tracks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ERdA1NJmzw)

The dub is pretty hilarious, and every actor sounds like they're having lots of fun with the role, which means you have fun with them.

The only bad thing is that it's four episodes long, and you want to have an entire series with these goofballs and badasses.

[BlackRazgriz]

I'm watching Clannad with a friend. Great plot and character development, the dub is decent, the animation is great. I'll recommend it for somebody that wants quality anime. Oh, and Dangos :oops:

[Graycascade]

I'm watching Clannad with a friend. Great plot and character development, the dub is decent, the animation is great. I'll recommend it for somebody that wants quality anime. Oh, and Dangos :oops:

Even if you don't care for Clannad, you need to watch it just to gain access to After Story.

Seriously, it is exactly what the hype says it is.

[Moomba]

Chaos;Head

The Chaos;Head anime is terrible, I'd drop that and play the VN instead.

The Steins;Gate anime however is something everyone should watch. Additionally, if you haven't seen Code Geass, I would advise doing so.

There are many many more amazing, must watch anime, but I just woke up and my mind is kind of foggy. :(

[Bleck]

Evangelion did something new and different -- props to them for that. But that, by itself, doesn't make it good.

actually that's exactly why it's good

when a piece of entertainment strives only to please by being the same as everything else, that's when it has no artistic value and is therefore pretty bad

I mean that's a super cool opinion you have there and all but uh yeah enjoy having no taste

[Modus]

actually that's exactly why it's good

when a piece of entertainment strives only to please by being the same as everything else, that's when it has no artistic value and is therefore pretty bad

I mean that's a super cool opinion you have there and all but uh yeah enjoy having no taste

Uh no. You're asking him to base value on something solely for its novelty. Execution matters too, and being able to perceive good or bad execution is a measurement of taste as well.

[The Damned]

You watch anime. You have no taste.

/thread

[Emperor Charlemagne]

My only problem with Evangelion is that it's been remade so many times now I don't even know which one I'm supposed to follow, or which ending is considered the "correct" ending, or which characters are even "real."

Is it the latest iteration?
Is it the super-happy version?
Is it the manga (still waiting on that one to finish...)?
Is it the original remastered series?

I feel that with each remake Evangelion loses more and more of its punch and impact, though I guess that's stating the obvious.

Also stating the obvious:
Dominion Tank Police is awesome, hilarious, and loads of fun.

For some reason, those 80s/early 90s OVAs often have some of the best stuff out there. Companies can do a lot more with four episodes than a 26-episode (or 52) bloated bore.

Hell just look at Mad Bull 34, aka, Mike Haggar the Anime. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLsLpUwE6Rw)
British people doing Brooklyn accents = best anime

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Conversely if you liked Eva's action sequences, then the new reimaginings are probably going to be your cup o' tea.

[Gollgagh]

hahaha holy crap a hallucinogen episode in Nadia


well it isn't strictly the whole episode, but it's fun seeing that kind of content in old shows since you can't do that kind of stuff any more

well hot dog I just got the series for myself and wanted to see if it was any good.

Be warned, there are some filler episodes for some reason. I'll not tell you which episodes it start; but, if you absolutely cannot stand filler, when it starts to get filler-ish, feel free to skip to episode #30. (spoiler'd) There's some cute stuff in there, but you'd honestly not be missing much. You can pretty much guess the direction of all of those episodes from the first one, but I'll leave it up to you.

[Shake]

Anime swag
Im flyin like goku
anime
fuck a bitch anyday

[Gollgagh]

you do that

[Native Jovian]

when a piece of entertainment strives only to please by being the same as everything else, that's when it has no artistic value and is therefore pretty bad
Artistic value and entertainment value are not the same thing. I completely agree that Eva did interesting things artistically (though not as much as most people seem to think -- like I said earlier, most of the "symbolism" was pretty much meaningless bullshit), but that doesn't mean that it was entertaining to watch.

[Evilhead]

As far as anime goes you can't get much better than Cowboy Bebop in my opinion... Just perfect!

[The Damned]

As far as anime goes you can't get much better than Cowboy Bebop in my opinion... Just perfect!

The truth. I still like to watch it occasionally, and I hardly ever rewatch anime.

That and Trigun... I liked Trigun. It was nice.

[Thin Crust]

I have a different opinion on Cowboy Bebop. I'm watching it for the first time and I'm on episode 20. Honestly, I find it really boring. Ed is annoying, Fey is evil, and Spike is emotionless. I heard that you could compare it to Outlaw Star (one of my favorites) and that it was better than it. But I'm just not getting into it at all. The one thing that saved it for me is Steven Blum doing the voice of Spike. At least in Outlaw star, the world was richer, and there was a bigger storyline that tied in the whole series together. Bebop on the other hand, is a list of stand alone stories that don't mean anything the next episode.

[Gollgagh]

The truth. I still like to watch it occasionally, and I hardly ever rewatch anime.

That and Trigun... I liked Trigun. It was nice.

also Samurai Champloo

[relyanCe]

I have a different opinion on Cowboy Bebop. I'm watching it for the first time and I'm on episode 20. Honestly, I find it really boring. Ed is annoying, Fey is evil, and Spike is emotionless. I heard that you could compare it to Outlaw Star (one of my favorites) and that it was better than it. But I'm just not getting into it at all. The one thing that saved it for me is Steven Blum doing the voice of Spike. At least in Outlaw star, the world was richer, and there was a bigger storyline that tied in the whole series together. Bebop on the other hand, is a list of stand alone stories that don't mean anything the next episode.

this is the point and the beauty thereof

[ambient]

also Samurai Champloo

I think Samurai Champloo is the only anime series that I have rewatched in its entirety, and still immensely enjoyed it (unless you count FLCL as a series, which I rewatched maybe 3-4 times). I will probably rewatch it again soon. I really enjoyed all of it, the crazy, action-packed episodes, and the subtle, melancholic, slow ones. The soundtrack was pretty sweet too.

Also, really enjoyed Fu's character. She was not your typical big-breasted anime eye candy bimbo. It was refreshing to have a female character that was not there as pure fan service.

Since we are talking anime, did people here see 5 cms per second? What did you think?

[ambient]

I have a different opinion on Cowboy Bebop. I'm watching it for the first time and I'm on episode 20. Honestly, I find it really boring. Ed is annoying, Fey is evil, and Spike is emotionless. I heard that you could compare it to Outlaw Star (one of my favorites) and that it was better than it. But I'm just not getting into it at all. The one thing that saved it for me is Steven Blum doing the voice of Spike. At least in Outlaw star, the world was richer, and there was a bigger storyline that tied in the whole series together. Bebop on the other hand, is a list of stand alone stories that don't mean anything the next episode.

Honestly, I would have also described Outlaw Star as a poor man's Cowboy Bebop. I also didn't like the art style of Outlaw Star, sorry, I know, this might make me sound superficial. But anime is an audiovisual storytelling vehicle, so aesthetics are an important factor. And Cowboy Bebop is one of those where all the elements come together to create a beautiful thing.

[Thin Crust]

I get where you are coming from. It's just that all of the things that made Bebop great were things that I didn't like. I can't deny that the show has class. But I don't like jazz and the story is the most important part of a game, anime, or film for me. It just wasn't a good match. However, the ship designs for Outlaw Star were unreal.

[ambient]

I get where you are coming from. It's just that all of the things that made Bebop great were things that I didn't like. I can't deny that the show has class. But I don't like jazz and the story is the most important part of a game, anime, or film for me. It just wasn't a good match. However, the ship designs for Outlaw Star were unreal.

Fair. I see where you are coming from.

EDIT: And to be honest, Real Folk Blues annoyed the crap out of me.

[Bleck]

I completely agree that Eva did interesting things artistically, but that doesn't mean that it was entertaining to watch.

yeah, and this is why you have no taste

because you're not entertained by artistic liberty

I have a different opinion on Cowboy Bebop; I find it really boring.

you're a horrible person

[Dhsu]

you're a horrible person
Pretty much.

[Graycascade]

Since we are talking anime, did people here see 5 cms per second? What did you think?

I think 5 cms/second was probably a really good movie, but it just...it made me feel really bad. I was in kind of a weird funk the whole next day after I watched it. I don't really know a better way to describe it.

The Placed Promised in our Early Days was, however, really enjoyable for me. (same director).

[Shake]

you do that
I cant find it

but souljaboy made a song where he rapped about anime

cant find the original

[Native Jovian]

I don't like jazz
I didn't even know "not liking jazz" was a thing you could do. I mean, preferring other styles over it, sure. But someone puts on jazz and you say "ugh, turn that shit off, man"? Unpossible.

[The Damned]

I DON'T LIKE COMBOY BOPOP BECUS JASS AND IT NO HAV STORY IN ALL EPISOEDS FROM 1 TO NEXT. NEEDS BETER CHARCTERS AND LESS JASS.

Totally understandable.

The funny thing is, I remember when a member of the old local anime club interviewed three people (one was a jazz musician, one was an instructor, and the third was a music historian at the university) about the music in Cowboy Bebop and all three said "that's some decent music, but it isn't jazz" and then went on to pan all the music as being fluff, soulless, the work of commercial musicians and had no contribution to jazz music at all.

Needless to say, the comments consisted of "well, just because these guys base their livings around jazz and they said it wasn't, doesn't mean that IT ISN'T JAZZ AND FUCK THEM".

I wonder if I can find that article...

[Thin Crust]

My brother was in the jazz band in school. He also played classical piano and hearing him practice every day was unbearable. Especially since he wasn't a fast learner and I would hear his mistakes all the time, over and over again. I just got sick of it.

[Emperor Charlemagne]

I thought Bebop's musical style changed more or less all the time, to fit the mood or story they were going for.

Then again I haven't watched the series in like, 6 or 7 years so I can't remember very well.

[DarkeSword]

My brother was in the jazz band in school. He also played classical piano and hearing him practice every day was unbearable. Especially since he wasn't a fast learner and I would hear his mistakes all the time, over and over again. I just got sick of it.

Cowboy Bebop has nothing to do with bebop.

Or jazz music.

[Brycepops]

Cowboy Bebop has nothing to do with bebop.

Or jazz music.

The soundtrack does though, and I think that's part of the reason why he can't get into it.

[Moomba]

All this Cowboy Bebop talk has made me resolve to rewatch it!

Need to finish Dennou Coil first though - one of those anime that I'd never gotten around to watching before. It's pretty good - I love the setting and concepts, though I'm not the biggest fan of most of the characters. The story has been riveting so far too, and nicely interspaced with some slice of life deviations to flesh out characters and ideas.

Better than a lot of what I've watched recently, that's for sure.

[washudoll]

I am currently watching Zenki now. I downloaded all the eps some years ago never had the chance to watch it until now. Beginning is boring but it gets pretty good later. Underrated but good.

[Bleck]

The soundtrack does though, and I think that's part of the reason why he can't get into it.

anyone who thinks the music in cowboy bebop is jazz doesn't know anything about jazz music

that's not to say that cowboy bebop doesn't have great music, because it does

[ambient]

anyone who thinks the music in cowboy bebop is jazz doesn't know anything about jazz music

that's not to say that cowboy bebop doesn't have great music, because it does

Also, a lot of the music in Samurai Champloo isn't really hiphop.

[ambient]

I think 5 cms/second was probably a really good movie, but it just...it made me feel really bad. I was in kind of a weird funk the whole next day after I watched it. I don't really know a better way to describe it.

The Placed Promised in our Early Days was, however, really enjoyable for me. (same director).

Thanks for the recommendation, will check it out.

5 cms per second was a bit depressing, but that is what made it stand out. Kind of a real life take on what happens to pure childhood feelings and dreams.

How about Aoi Bungaku? Anyone seen that? I was blown away, especially by Hellscreen. It definitely isn't everyone's cup of tea though...

[Zeklan]

Ed is annoying, Fey is evil, and Spike is emotionless. At least in Outlaw star, the world was richer, and there was a bigger storyline that tied in the whole series together. Bebop on the other hand, is a list of stand alone stories that don't mean anything the next episode.

Okay.
You clearly didn't watch the whole series.
The thing about Bebop is, yes, they are all stand alone stories but it is the character's back stories that ties them together.
If you watch the whole thing it becomes readily apparent why Spike and the crew are the way they are and how and why they interact with each other.

Also, just finished watching Ghost Hound. Not bad at all.
I love a good mystery and the horror/ghost ascetic is pretty cool.
Would love to see more like it if you guys have any suggestions.

[Shake]

all three said "that's some decent music, but it isn't jazz" and then went on to pan all the music as being fluff, soulless, the work of commercial musicians and had no contribution to jazz music at all.

Needless to say, the comments consisted of "well, just because these guys base their livings around jazz and they said it wasn't, doesn't mean that IT ISN'T JAZZ AND FUCK THEM".


Its true, though. Just because a Jazz Musician, a historian, and a student say bebop isn't jazz doesn't make it so. Did this Jazz musician represent all jazz musicians in the world? Did all Musicians agree that he would speak for all? Did he single-handedly create the genre?

My guess is no. Don't get me wrong, his opinion is valued slightly more. But at the same time, musicians themselves disagree with each other.

So yeah. IT IS Opinion, after all. I don't know how Bebop doesn't have Jazz, but lol okay.

and Champloo does have rap on it.

[Gollgagh]

Finally watched Akira today. There's something so very visceral about a lot of these older traditionally animated animations that just doesn't seem to happen in newer stuff; I love it.

I had a similar reaction to Jin-Roh when I watched that a couple months ago.

[Bleck]

Just because a Jazz Musician, a historian, and a student say bebop isn't jazz doesn't make it so.

yes it does

[Meteo Xavier]

Finally watched Akira today. There's something so very visceral about a lot of these older traditionally animated animations that just doesn't seem to happen in newer stuff; I love it.

Man, I wish I had more access to anime back in the 80s and early 90s before it started getting more digital looking. I love just about all anime that comes my way, but I get something oddly... religious... watching anime, particularly like STEREOTYPICAL anime, from the era of AKIRA, IRIA, Wrath of the Ninja, Project A-ko, Toward the Terra and the lot.

It almost feels like my destiny to absorb any and all of the anime from that era to the point where I'm not greatly proud admitting it in public. I don't understand it but I understand your viewpoint here and I couldn't agree more.

[Emperor Charlemagne]

80s-early 90s OVAs are some of the best anime out there, if only for sheer entertainment factor.

They really ratchet up the crazy and fun.

Watch something like ORGUSS 02, MD Geist, Mad Bull 34, or Tank Police and try to say different.

[Moomba]

Man, I wish I had more access to anime back in the 80s and early 90s before it started getting more digital looking. I love just about all anime that comes my way, but I get something oddly... religious... watching anime, particularly like STEREOTYPICAL anime, from the era of AKIRA, IRIA, Wrath of the Ninja, Project A-ko, Toward the Terra and the lot.

It almost feels like my destiny to absorb any and all of the anime from that era to the point where I'm not greatly proud admitting it in public. I don't understand it but I understand your viewpoint here and I couldn't agree more.

Should add Macross to that list!

On an unrelated note, I finished Dennou Coil, which was pretty awesome. Great setting, story and themes. Some of the characters were kind of meh though. Overall I really enjoyed it though.

Somehow stumbled into Noein next instead of rewatching Cowboy Bebop. Not entirely sure how that came about.

[Evilhead]

Man, I wish I had more access to anime back in the 80s and early 90s before it started getting more digital looking. I love just about all anime that comes my way, but I get something oddly... religious... watching anime, particularly like STEREOTYPICAL anime, from the era of AKIRA, IRIA, Wrath of the Ninja, Project A-ko, Toward the Terra and the lot.

It almost feels like my destiny to absorb any and all of the anime from that era to the point where I'm not greatly proud admitting it in public. I don't understand it but I understand your viewpoint here and I couldn't agree more.

I was totally into anime during that era (actually the stuff was always late coming over Stateside), but completely stopped watching it after it went digital. Maybe I grew out of it, or maybe I just love hand-drawn/colored animation the best. When I go back and watch some old series out of boredom or nostalgia I always end up enjoying it a lot more than anything I happen to see these days.

Some my favorites back in the day were Ninja Scroll, Gunsmith Cats, Vampire Hunter D, Fist of the North Star, Slayers, Ghost in the Shell, etc.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

I was totally into anime during that era (actually the stuff was always late coming over Stateside), but completely stopped watching it after it went digital. Maybe I grew out of it, or maybe I just love hand-drawn/colored animation the best. When I go back and watch some old series out of boredom or nostalgia I always end up enjoying it a lot more than anything I happen to see these days.

Some my favorites back in the day were Ninja Scroll, Gunsmith Cats, Vampire Hunter D, Fist of the North Star, Slayers, Ghost in the Shell, etc.

Naturally aesthetic preference is important and I totally agree about hand drawn being nicer/more expressive at times, but I think it has to do with the general state of modern media; It's become far too commercialized and derivative in my opinion. Granted there's the good series popping up here and there, but nothing I'd personally say anywhere near as iconic as mid-80's to mid-90's.

[The Derrit]

what is this iconic stuff i've been watching anime since six years ago so i missed some of it.

that's not dragonball z

[Bleck]

the thing about anime is that at this point most anime is actively trying to be anime instead of a show that just happens to be anime, so as to fit into a culture that likes anime regardless of quality or artistic merit because that's what they believe their culture is supposed to do

it pretty much started going downhill with the advent of lucky star

[PROTO·DOME]

The funny thing is, I remember when a member of the old local anime club interviewed three people (one was a jazz musician, one was an instructor, and the third was a music historian at the university) about the music in Cowboy Bebop and all three said "that's some decent music, but it isn't jazz" and then went on to pan all the music as being fluff, soulless, the work of commercial musicians and had no contribution to jazz music at all.Okay, sorry for breaking in late to this conversation but regarding the above quote, I almost can't believe it. Jazz has become an incredibly umbrella term and refers to so much stuff, right from Joplin (Scott Joplin that is) through to Jamiroquai. It's a huge metagenre. For them to say that something written to be jazz music, using the characteristics of jazz isn't jazz, means they're obviously operating under a different definition of the word to the standard music dictionary one. A pretentious, douche-baggery definition where 'jazz' is progressive and experimentitive music which has greater meaning than simply to entertain. Ignore these people, their sense of music 'progression' died in the 70's.

Okay, not ALL the music in Bebop is even 'metagenre jazz', there's hard rock, dance (and if we're going to be particular about genre) a metric fucktonne of blues in there, but take a listen to THIS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8wWa3O9cUo&feature=related). It's so painfully, most definitely bebop/hard bop it's almost unoriginal. It's damn similar to guys like Parker, Gillespie and Coltrane, the obvious namedrops. Actually, funnily enough Gillespie's 'Bebop' is a pretty good similarity to the example track.

So, yeah, Cowboy Bebop's soundtrack includes a lot of jazz, and even bebop. In places it's textbook.

If you don't agree, go study your music theory and then we'll talk.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

The most I know about anime and it's music was that the end credits to Gunamn Wing had an insane guitar solo.

[Admiral_C]

GW had an awesome soundtrack.

[Emperor Charlemagne]

the thing about anime is that at this point most anime is actively trying to be anime instead of a show that just happens to be anime, so as to fit into a culture that likes anime regardless of quality or artistic merit because that's what they believe their culture is supposed to do

it pretty much started going downhill with the advent of lucky star

and how like the K-On movie is like the highest grossing anime movie of all time or something like that.

To ease the pain of that tidbit, have some classic ORGUSS 02 dub:
Dressed like a whoooore (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfjVe13T7bY)

Manning gets tired of playing the good guy and threatening rape (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsTgWCZNk-0)

So good.

[Thin Crust]

I talked about spice and wolf earlier. I was wondering about what you think about a particular part of the soundtrack. There is a pretty ugly sounding engrish song called "Wolf Whistling Song" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6JVjuo1u5Q)

And someone made a kind of rap version of it here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSsnxTtbE7k&feature=related

Ummmmm, I just think it's worth talking about. I really don't know what to say. I think Holo's expression on the video speaks exactly my feelings on it.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

I talked about spice and wolf earlier. I was wondering about what you think about a particular part of the soundtrack. There is a pretty ugly sounding engrish song called "Wolf Whistling Song" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6JVjuo1u5Q)

And someone made a kind of rap version of it here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSsnxTtbE7k&feature=related

Ummmmm, I just think it's worth talking about. I really don't know what to say. I think Holo's expression on the video speaks exactly my feelings on it.

I thought the song was an endearing earworm, you sonuvabitch.

I'm afraid to go near a K-On movie. I'll admit I liked the first season since they actually tried to include the music part of being in a highschool band, but while it already had a fair share of moe, they dialed it up to 11 while removing any of the interesting parts in the second season.

Part of a recurring trend.

[Native Jovian]

GW had an awesome soundtrack.
Kow Otani is a pretty sweet composer. He did Gundam Wing, Outlaw Star, Zoids New Century, and Shadow of the Colossus (which is a game, not an anime, but whatever), among other things.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Kow Otani is a pretty sweet composer. He did Gundam Wing, Outlaw Star, Zoids New Century, and Shadow of the Colossus (which is a game, not an anime, but whatever), among other things.

He also did the score for Haibane Renmei, which had wonderful music.

[urdailywater]

I thought the song was an endearing earworm, you sonuvabitch.

I'm afraid to go near a K-On movie. I'll admit I liked the first season since they actually tried to include the music part of being in a highschool band, but while it already had a fair share of moe, they dialed it up to 11 while removing any of the interesting parts in the second season.

Part of a recurring trend.

I recently started watching K-On. Just started the second season. It's such a fun show.

If what you're saying is true... well I don't really care. I'll watch it as long as it falls under the category of "cute girls doing cute things", which I should be ashamed to admit even on the internet. Even if I were anonymous.

Though it doesn't come anywhere close to KyoAni's Nichijou, but I'm probably the only one who thinks that show is the best. (considering the kind of mediocre reviews it got)

Oh, and on the topic of anime soundtracks - Spice and Wolf has always been my favorite, if only for S1's OP which seriously tops as one of my favorite songs of all time. I can listen to the entire soundtrack for hours on end though.

[Graycascade]

"cute girls doing cute things"

Moe blob is a genre I hate to love.

If this is your thing, I can comfortably recommend Denpa Onna, Not much in the way of story or plot, but a weird, unique, and adorable cast makes it great fun. I think the BR comes out beginning of next month.

[Emperor Charlemagne]

If you want to see cute girls doing cute things, just watch Dirty Pair. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2A-sxn94oI)

If by cute girls you mean "hot detective bounty hunter trouble consultant chicks" and by cute things you mean 'kicking ass'.

Lots of fun. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoL6LmQYyWI)

After watching more clips, I kind of want to buy The Boondocks series. I loved the comic as a kid and I feel the show had some really funny moments.

[Native Jovian]

I loathe the whole "moe" thing to an extent beyond my ability to articulate. I guess it could theoretically be done well, but every example of moe that's ever been pointed out to me is just generic cuteness used instead of actual characterization.

Basically, being moe requires a character to act like a six year old girl regardless of their actual age or situation. Which is fucked up.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

I loathe the whole "moe" thing to an extent beyond my ability to articulate. I guess it could theoretically be done well, but every example of moe that's ever been pointed out to me is just generic cuteness used instead of actual characterization.

Basically, being moe requires a character to act like a six year old girl regardless of their actual age or situation. Which is fucked up.

the thing about anime is that at this point most anime is actively trying to be anime instead of a show that just happens to be anime, so as to fit into a culture that likes anime regardless of quality or artistic merit because that's what they believe their culture is supposed to do

it pretty much started going downhill with the advent of lucky star

And that anime culture is turning into Moe and Shounen Jump garbage.

[Bleck]

naruto and bleach are actually pretty fucking awesome and I have good reason to believe one piece is as well

[urdailywater]

I didn't really grow up with anime all that much, so I can't understand the whole moe hate thing as much. However even when I watch any slice of life anime I have standards, probably not as high as most. As long as the characters are interesting or fun, and it's not overly sexual, I'm totally cool with the show.

I find myself mostly watching SoL anime anymore now. The only action anime I really got into was Dragonball Z (of course it's that one), but I don't even like that now. SoL is just so fun and easy to watch for me - it's so relaxing to come home from a long day, hit the bed with some herbal tea while watching a couple of episodes of azumanga daioh or something.

However I do like a good plot every now and then. I just don't find myself chasing after those shows as much (unless recommended). I guess I just never really had a chance to get into anime, though. But maybe one day I'll be as cool as you guys.



edit: it's funny that my signature and avatar fit well with what i just said. typical moe fan.

[Admiral_C]

naruto and bleach are actually pretty fucking awesome and I have good reason to believe one piece is as well

Naruto would be awesome if it weren't 75% filler...

[Bleck]

the filler of an anime series has no bearing on the quality of the manga its based on

[Admiral_C]

But we're talking about anime not manga...

The Naruto anime has way too much filler. It literally detracts from the story imo. I realize their reasoning behind its necessity, but that doesn't make it acceptable.

[Emperor Charlemagne]

Reason behind its necessity?

Shit we want this to make more money and last longer on the air...
I know! How about a story that like focuses around a dog for an entire episode!!!

[Top Gun]

It's more that Japanese television doesn't really do the whole "season breaks" thing that the US does, so shows literally have to do whatever they can to keep airing in their time slot, lest they lose it entirely. For long-running shounen series, this invariably means filler episodes whenever the anime comes close to catching up to the original manga. It's a really crappy model, but them's the breaks. A lot of more recent series have started splitting into 13-episode "seasons" by default, presumably to get around this.

And I can't speak for Naruto, but Bleach is far from "great" in any of its forms. Tite Kubo may be an awesome character/fashion designer, but he can't structure a story or properly utilize characters to save his life. The reason the anime is seemingly always in filler is because his chapters are so devoid of actual content; I've seen many instances of two-page spreads that are pretty much blank. One Piece, however, is shounen done about as well as it's possible to do.

[Moomba]

I can remember parts of the Bleach manga where it took almost half a year of serialisation to get through a single battle. The only shounen manga I actually manage to enjoy these days is Fairy Tail, since it tends to move much quicker than most of the others and there's usually substance to it.

It'll probably devolve over time though... I remember Naruto and Bleach both being pretty fast-paced early in their run as compared to now.

In my opinion, it's not so much moe that's killing anime as it is the generic shounen protagonists and genki girls that are constantly being thrown at us. They're always exactly the same, they're always braindead, and they always win through some terrible deus ex machina.

[Dexie]

Has Tite Kubo learned to draw backgrounds yet?

Also:

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s106/DaHaloChick/Blog%20Photos/Bleach%20Troll%20Blog/theheart.jpg

[Grimm]

I think there's been a bit of a slump in decent anime recently. Obvious scapegoats would be economy, falling yen value, and the earthquake/tsunami. It just seems like there's been a crapton of sequels and genre slaves (easy money) and nothing that seems fresh. I went through and watched a few new shows streaming on my Roku out of boredom and finished them anyways, but again, mostly genre slaves. Anybody else found anything that legitimately blew them away in the past two years? I suppose this is also a personal taste question, so maybe I'll run a dir for you guys on my BFAF (big freaking anime folder) when I get home.

[Moomba]

Anybody else found anything that legitimately blew them away in the past two years?

Going back as far as the beginning of 2009, the anime I legitimately enjoyed and fully endorse (also includes a few films and ovas). Anything in bold means that not watching it is unacceptible.

Tears to Tiara
Dissappearance of Haruhi
Summer Wars
Redline
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom
Pandora Hearts
Katanagatari
FMA: Brotherhood
Durarara!!
Bakemonogatari
BakaTest (S1 + 2)
Shiki
Squid Girl
Gundam 00 Movie
Madoka Magica
Level E
Arrietty
The World God Only Knows
Legend of the Legendary Heroes
Angel Beats!
Yuru Yuri
UN-GO
Tiger & Bunny
Steins;Gate
Mawaru Penguindrum
Fate/Zero
Haganai

That's a bigger list than I originally expected to write. It doesn't include anime I haven't seen firsthand either. Most of the bolded titles are generally considered to be among the best anime of recent years. There's a huge variety of genres in there too so there should be something to appeal to everyone.

[Native Jovian]

Gundam 00 Movie
wat.

I'm admittedly biased by being a huge Gundam nerd, so I don't look at it the same was as the average anime watcher, but I couldn't stand the Gundam 00 movie. Nevermind the fact that adding aliens to Gundam removes one of the major things that makes the franchise unique (if I wanted my giant robots to fight aliens, I'd be watching Macross); the movie was 75% metal blobs chasing things around, 20% beamspam, and 5% not-suck. And that's not even bringing up the plot holes. If the metal blobs learn things by assimilating them, then wouldn't they assimilate a person or two, go "oh, shit, people don't like it when you assimilate them" and stop? Apparently not.

But yeah. Even as a Gundam fan, someone who really wanted to enjoy it, I couldn't bring myself to think that the Gundam 00 movie was anything but shitty.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

wat.

I'm admittedly biased by being a huge Gundam nerd, so I don't look at it the same was as the average anime watcher, but I couldn't stand the Gundam 00 movie. Nevermind the fact that adding aliens to Gundam removes one of the major things that makes the franchise unique (if I wanted my giant robots to fight aliens, I'd be watching Macross); the movie was 75% metal blobs chasing things around, 20% beamspam, and 5% not-suck. And that's not even bringing up the plot holes. If the metal blobs learn things by assimilating them, then wouldn't they assimilate a person or two, go "oh, shit, people don't like it when you assimilate them" and stop? Apparently not.

But yeah. Even as a Gundam fan, someone who really wanted to enjoy it, I couldn't bring myself to think that the Gundam 00 movie was anything but shitty.

As one Gundam fan to another, you should have taken the terrible second season of Gundam 00 as a warning that they were gonna ruin the movie.

[Top Gun]

One fairly-recent title missing from that list is Time of Eve, a six-part ONA later compiled into a movie that added a few more scenes. It's a fantastic little look at a near-future setting with androids that can pass as humans, and contains a boat-load of references to Asimov and the Three Laws.

[Moomba]

wat.

I'm admittedly biased by being a huge Gundam nerd, so I don't look at it the same was as the average anime watcher, but I couldn't stand the Gundam 00 movie. Nevermind the fact that adding aliens to Gundam removes one of the major things that makes the franchise unique (if I wanted my giant robots to fight aliens, I'd be watching Macross); the movie was 75% metal blobs chasing things around, 20% beamspam, and 5% not-suck. And that's not even bringing up the plot holes. If the metal blobs learn things by assimilating them, then wouldn't they assimilate a person or two, go "oh, shit, people don't like it when you assimilate them" and stop? Apparently not.

But yeah. Even as a Gundam fan, someone who really wanted to enjoy it, I couldn't bring myself to think that the Gundam 00 movie was anything but shitty.

I won't lie, those points are all true and when I watched the movie I expected to be horribly disappointed by it based on the flak it had recieved from most Gundam fans.

But despite this, the film brought a refreshing change to the usual Gundam fare - I personally have never been one of those people to go "OMG THEY CHANGED SOMETHING FUNDAMENTAL IN THE GUNDAM FORMULA". The Gundam 00 movie had very few of the things that make a Gundam series... well Gundam, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was a bad film.

One of the things it does take from the Gundam franchise is beamspam; you can't deny that beamspam is rampant in pretty much any Gundam series, so I can't say I judge the film on that.

The story was a little on the wobbly side, I won't deny that, but at the end of the day, it was an action film and that's pretty much what I enjoyed it for. Sometimes it can be entertaining to watch something for more than just the story. I don't think it deserves to be judged based on it's lack of adherence to Gundam tropes.

I don't think there were really any major plotholes though, spoilers aside, Setsuna was different to normal humans, I doubt the same rules apply. It wouldn't be a stretch to believe that in assimilating a normal human they might not learn everything.

No, it wasn't the best movie ever, but it was still entertaining to watch.

[Grimm]

Going back as far as the beginning of 2009, the anime I legitimately enjoyed and fully endorse (also includes a few films and ovas). Anything in bold means that not watching it is unacceptable.

Whew, I've got at least half of those knocked out. Definitely agree with the mention of DRRR!! and Angel Beats (though my 1ep attempt to rewatch it on Netflix with the English dub MADE MY EARS BLEED! DRR!! dub is really good though from the little I've heard.) I'd forgotten about those.

On a side note, one of my brother's good friends is one of the minor VAs for Squid Girl. That was interesting, even though from what I've seen I'd consider the series average.

[Grimm]

wat.
the movie was 75% metal blobs chasing things around, 20% beamspam, and 5% not-suck.
Spot on. Though the 20% beamspam was some of the BEST beamspam I've seen in a long time! :D

[Avatar of Justice]

I won't lie, those points are all true and when I watched the movie I expected to be horribly disappointed by it based on the flak it had recieved from most Gundam fans.

But despite this, the film brought a refreshing change to the usual Gundam fare - I personally have never been one of those people to go "OMG THEY CHANGED SOMETHING FUNDAMENTAL IN THE GUNDAM FORMULA". The Gundam 00 movie had very few of the things that make a Gundam series... well Gundam, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was a bad film.

One of the things it does take from the Gundam franchise is beamspam; you can't deny that beamspam is rampant in pretty much any Gundam series, so I can't say I judge the film on that.

The story was a little on the wobbly side, I won't deny that, but at the end of the day, it was an action film and that's pretty much what I enjoyed it for. Sometimes it can be entertaining to watch something for more than just the story. I don't think it deserves to be judged based on it's lack of adherence to Gundam tropes.

I don't think there were really any major plotholes though, spoilers aside, Setsuna was different to normal humans, I doubt the same rules apply. It wouldn't be a stretch to believe that in assimilating a normal human they might not learn everything.

No, it wasn't the best movie ever, but it was still entertaining to watch.

Yeah, you don't get Gundam. Gundam isn't about beamspam and cool mech fights, it's about humans fighting wars with humans and how people on both sides aren't all good or all bad. You throw aliens into the mix and that suddenly all goes out the window. And I don't want to watch it anymore because I don't relate to the emotional problems of aliens.

Gundam in a nutshell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idDNATEXl2U

[GravitySuitCollector]

One fairly-recent title missing from that list is Time of Eve, a six-part ONA later compiled into a movie that added a few more scenes. It's a fantastic little look at a near-future setting with androids that can pass as humans, and contains a boat-load of references to Asimov and the Three Laws.

A must watch. :-D

[Moomba]

Yeah, you don't get Gundam. Gundam isn't about beamspam and cool mech fights, it's about humans fighting wars with humans and how people on both sides aren't all good or all bad. You throw aliens into the mix and that suddenly all goes out the window. And I don't want to watch it anymore because I don't relate to the emotional problems of aliens.

Gundam in a nutshell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idDNATEXl2U

So basically what you're saying is Gundam should never try a different angle and should always run a very similar plot over and over again? You're judging it purely based on the fact it decided to differ from the standard Gundam fare?

I "don't get Gundam" because I liked the fact that it decided to explore a different side of humanity for once? The ability for conflicting factions to unite to face off against a greater threat isn't something Gundam should be allowed to explore?

[Dexie]

My favorite Gundam was G Gundam.

Cool mech fights, indeed. :D

[Thin Crust]

Na. First season of Gundam 00 was unbelievable. Epic finale like few shows can pull off. But seeing as it is a gundam show, it has to have 50 episodes.

That sucks.

[Emperor Charlemagne]

Speaking of Macross, you guys should check out the Hong Kong Toho dub of Super Dimension Space Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?

It's pretty damn hilarious:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtthuOBGUQY

It makes the mess of a OVA very watchable.

WE
MUST
NOT
ALLOW
THE
WOMAN
TO
PENETRATE!

It also has that great glossy look to it that bespeaks to those old awesome mech anime.

[Native Jovian]

As one Gundam fan to another, you should have taken the terrible second season of Gundam 00 as a warning that they were gonna ruin the movie.
Oh, I was fully expecting the movie to be terrible, despite really hoping otherwise. I actually enjoyed Gundam 00's second season (despite the complete 180 it did compared to the first season), but I didn't expect the whole "dialoges to come" thing to lead anywhere good.

The Gundam 00 movie had very few of the things that make a Gundam series... well Gundam, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was a bad film.
Oh, I agree entirely. I hate it when people call something bad for not fitting in with the rest of its franchise (G Gundam gets some of this treatment, for example, and G Gundam is fucking awesome) -- but I thought the Gundam 00 movie sucked on its own merits in addition to jettisoning most of what I like most about Gundam.

Gundam in a nutshell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idDNATEXl2U
I was sorely disappointed that that link didn't lead to this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUBMTiIk-qc).

[Emperor Charlemagne]

You're All Wrong. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lvJ6eFcCJE)

[Thin Crust]

You're All Wrong. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lvJ6eFcCJE)

And so are you (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl-Si9M9sYY)

[AngelCityOutlaw]

Despite hating anime, since I am a big fan of the comics (still read them to this day) I am forcing myself to endure the anime interpretation of, "Witchblade"

God damn that theme song is just terrible.

[GravitySuitCollector]

Despite hating anime, since I am a big fan of the comics (still read them to this day) I am forcing myself to endure the anime interpretation of, "Witchblade"

God damn that theme song is just terrible.

I'm finding myself reading Korean ones a lot. Tower of God is looking really promising, for one. Things like this make me wish I knew Korean or Japanese....

[AngelCityOutlaw]

I'm finding myself reading Korean ones a lot. Tower of God is looking really promising, for one. Things like this make me wish I knew Korean or Japanese....

Comics? Not much of a "manga" fan, but I'm all about American comic books. They're the only thing I really love that's American aside from Newport Beach, New York Pizza and Vegas show girls.

Them Yankees also make pretty killer cheeseburgers. Every time I've ate a Cheeseburger in the USA, it was always the best burger ever.

[PorscheT1]

One fairly-recent title missing from that list is Time of Eve, a six-part ONA later compiled into a movie that added a few more scenes. It's a fantastic little look at a near-future setting with androids that can pass as humans, and contains a boat-load of references to Asimov and the Three Laws.

Oh nice, I wasn't aware that they added some scenes and made a movie out of it, I'll have to check it out again. The whole concept is very intriguing, and the cinematography and production were very high quality.

Thanks for sharing :)

[Zombie]

Really only lurk these forums anymore, but I figured I come into this thread to talk about some anime. Every now and then I get the urge to watch some and end up on a huge anime kick. Just recently I watched a new show that I really, really enjoyed. Not sure if it's been mentioned here or not, but the Tatami Galaxy is incredible.

You can watch it for free on hulu I believe, and it hasn't been dubbed but there is an official sub. It's pretty much what the Endless 8 plot arch in season 2 of Haruhi could have been if put into the capable hands of a creative genius. The art style and story are both very experimental and intelligent, so if you like watching good things, watch the tatami galaxy.

Here it is: http://www.hulu.com/the-tatami-galaxy


I've also been watching Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Missed it when it first came out and I had never been able to watch much of the original show, and am pretty impressed. Another one I started is Serial Experiments Lain. Lain is great if you want a story that's a bit deeper and thought provoking.

[HalcyonSpirit]

This one's only been mentioned once in this thread, so I really, really have to give my most earnest recommendation for the show I just finished a minute ago:

Nichijou (aka My Ordinary Life)

It is a slice-of-life comedy, but one that introduces bizarre situations and treats them as ordinary as can be, and then the very next instant takes a completely ordinary occurrence and ramps up the energy until any semblance of realism is blown to pieces.

At its core, the show is the very definition of a vignette series. It's an episodic show with each episode a series of episodic scenes. You won't find much in the way of "plot" in Nichijou. What you will find, however, is a show that uses its episodic nature to play up the comedy and give chaos to organization. The scenes are often broken up by random, very short sequences that have nothing to do with what was previously occurring, and then it throws you right back. It's used very effectively for comedic timing, and to give you a breather after a particularly long or intense sequence.

The animation and voice acting is done superbly. Many of the jokes may have fallen completely flat had the production value not been as good, and the voices given to the characters does everything to bring them and their relationships to life. An absurd life, but one that is adorable at times. Combined, these aspects allow the relatively simplistic-to-a-fault comedy of the show to shine.

When watching Nichijou, it wasn't until the 7th episode that it finally hooked me. Not because of any fault with the show, but because I expected a little more cohesiveness, some sort of overarching plot of some sort. Once I realized the true nature of the Nichijou, I could finally enjoy it for what it is. It was made to entertain in the most simplistically ideal manner possible, and it achieves that spectacularly. Take it all as it comes, nothing more or less. That is the state of mind it wants you to be in.

I ended up in an almost perpetual state of grinning and giggling like an idiot throughout my viewing of each episode; this is the first time anything has ever done that to me, in any medium. While it won't appeal to absolutely everybody, if you're looking for some quality, simple comedy, look no further.

[Kenogu Labz]

Sounds a lot like Cromartie High School, which is probably a very good thing. I keep hearing this one come up, so will probably take a look.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

"Man fears the darkness, and so he scrapes away at the edge of it with fire".

I still dislike anime art and 90% of anime movies/series that I have saw, I do not like. However, this Evangelion series has some interesting quotes.

[Bleck]

that I have saw

this is just sad

[AngelCityOutlaw]

this is just sad

Elaborate.

[Bleck]

the past tense of see is saw; the past participle is seen

[AngelCityOutlaw]

the past tense of see is saw; the past participle is seen

Sir...do you have nothing better to do than worry about these kinds of things?

[Modus]

He's pissed off you hate what he likes, so he took a piss on your grammar. I seen this tactic many times.

But seriously Deathnote is the only good anime.

[Bleck]

He's pissed off you hate what he likes, so he took a piss on your grammar.

actually I'm correcting his grammar because rampant anti-intellectualism socially dictates that it go uncorrected, because it's more important to not be seen as an egghead with "no life" then it is for people to actually be competent with the language that they speak

the manner in which I execute the corrections is steeped in the idea that people will not ever try to change themselves if they don't feel bad about whatever needs the changing - to that effect, nobody will ever put forth the effort to actually be able to read and write competently if nobody stops and calls them a worthless illiterate fuck every once and a while

also

Sir...do you have nothing better to do than worry about these kinds of things?

you're posting on an internet forum about whether or not you like evangelion; I could crack a stirring joke about how you have enough free time with your wretched little life to both watch through anime series and complain to random strangers about how you don't like them, but I won't, because I haven't considered "get a life" to be an actual insult or riposte since tenth fucking grade

also!


But seriously Deathnote is the only good anime.

saying death note is the only good anime is like saying twilight is the only good book

[Modus]

the manner in which I execute the corrections is steeped in the idea that people will not ever try to change themselves if they don't feel bad about whatever needs the changing - to that effect, nobody will ever put forth the effort to actually be able to read and write competently if nobody stops and calls them a worthless illiterate fuck every once and a while

You're moving society forward one post at a time, truly.

On a less overly sarcastic note, I do admire your proper use of "effect". I'm not sure if I'm supposed to put my quotations before or after the period, though.


saying death note is the only good anime is like saying twilight is the only good book

Well no. Only Song of Ice and Fire is a good book.

[Gollgagh]

On a less overly sarcastic note, I do admire your proper use of "effect". I'm not sure if I'm supposed to put my quotations before or after the period, though.

The period is "supposed" to go inside the quotation marks; but I almost always ignore that rule, myself, since I view it as analogous to putting a mathematical equals sign inside of a set of parentheses.

[Modus]

The period is "supposed" to go inside the quotation marks; but I almost always ignore that rule, myself, since I view it as analogous to putting a mathematical equals sign inside of a set of parentheses.
I thought so, and I hate that rule. It logically makes no sense to me, and it looks ridiculous.

Anime and grammar. This is serious business.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

actually I'm correcting his grammar because rampant anti-intellectualism socially dictates that it go uncorrected, because it's more important to not be seen as an egghead with "no life" then it is for people to actually be competent with the language that they speak

the manner in which I execute the corrections is steeped in the idea that people will not ever try to change themselves if they don't feel bad about whatever needs the changing - to that effect, nobody will ever put forth the effort to actually be able to read and write competently if nobody stops and calls them a worthless illiterate fuck every once and a while

also



you're posting on an internet forum about whether or not you like evangelion; I could crack a stirring joke about how you have enough free time with your wretched little life to both watch through anime series and complain to random strangers about how you don't like them, but I won't, because I haven't considered "get a life" to be an actual insult or riposte since tenth fucking grade

also!




saying death note is the only good anime is like saying twilight is the only good book




Piss off, Bleck. You're just trying to prove to yourself that you're smarter than, or superior to everyone else by belittling every opinion, thought, idea etc. that you don't like or agree with. You ALWAYS do that and people like you online are almost always impossible to get along with in real life because of your ego. An ego which they never deserve at that. I kinda like Evangelion. I said that most anime I have "seen" I do not like and I do not care for the art style. That doesn't mean I hate all of it. Your hostility is uncalled for and for someone who pretends to be so damn smart, your head seems to be so firmly inserted into your ass that I doubt Bruce Banner on steroids would be able to dislodge it. Nobody gives two shits what I or what you say, or how grammatically correct it is. Your idea that attempting to make someone "feel bad" about what needs changing is completely stupid and does nothing to combat anti-intellectualism, it just makes you look like an asshole.


ANYWAY

I have heard many positive words for "Jin-Roh: The Wolf-Brigade" and "Grave of the fireflies". I don't trust "professional" reviews though. Have you guys saw them and what did you think?

[Kenogu Labz]

Evangelion was a great setup. They did a pretty great job... right up until the end, when it did the equivalent of ding-dong-ditch and threw any good ending ideas out with the trash. Pretty disappointing to me, and I suspect it may be either part of the cause or just following the trend of animes that try to have overly philosophical endings.

Darker than Black did something similar; despite the superb quality of the rest of the series, and all the conclusions they could have given it, they chose to go a route that didn't really tie up loose ends that well, and instead trying to sound profound. Those types of endings just usually don't end up that deep; it's like jumping into the 13-foot end of a pool only to find out the water's only 3 feet deep. Perhaps it's because they don't take the time to write the endings beforehand, or because they're forced to write an ending for an ongoing manga.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

Evangelion was a great setup. They did a pretty great job... right up until the end, when it did the equivalent of ding-dong-ditch and threw any good ending ideas out with the trash. Pretty disappointing to me, and I suspect it may be either part of the cause or just following the trend of animes that try to have overly philosophical endings.

Darker than Black did something similar; despite the superb quality of the rest of the series, and all the conclusions they could have given it, they chose to go a route that didn't really tie up loose ends that well, and instead trying to sound profound. Those types of endings just usually don't end up that deep; it's like jumping into the 13-foot end of a pool only to find out the water's only 3 feet deep. Perhaps it's because they don't take the time to write the endings beforehand, or because they're forced to write an ending for an ongoing manga.

Well, that's disappointing. I'm only 10 episodes or so away from the end of the series I think.

[Moomba]

Darker than Black did something similar; despite the superb quality of the rest of the series, and all the conclusions they could have given it, they chose to go a route that didn't really tie up loose ends that well, and instead trying to sound profound. Those types of endings just usually don't end up that deep; it's like jumping into the 13-foot end of a pool only to find out the water's only 3 feet deep. Perhaps it's because they don't take the time to write the endings beforehand, or because they're forced to write an ending for an ongoing manga.

Darker than Black was a great anime overall, though I'm not a huge fan of the second series and how they decided to portray Hei. I'm also not sure why they didn't air the OVAs of the events that happened between the first series and the second series... between the first series and the second series. It would probably have made a lot more sense. The end of the second series was especially irksome, mostly because it seemed partially like a cliffhanger ending and yet we're probably never going to get a resolution.

[GravitySuitCollector]

The period is "supposed" to go inside the quotation marks; but I almost always ignore that rule, myself, since I view it as analogous to putting a mathematical equals sign inside of a set of parentheses.
Personally, I think the period being outside of quotations looks a bit sloppy. :whatevaa: For me, it's almost a, "oh wait, I forgot something," and it's just stuck on the end. Don't compare math and grammar, by the way; they're two different things entirely. Besides, the equals sign isn't even really comparable to a period; it's more of a verb. I can't think of a single symbol comparable to a period.

On the subject of anime: Nisemonogatari episode 8, what the heck did I just watch?!?! :shock:

[Moomba]

On the subject of anime: Nisemonogatari episode 8, what the heck did I just watch?!?! :shock:

Still waiting to hear from people whether or not it actually works... I'm placing money on not.

I'm probably alone in this out of people who actually like the -monogatari series, but I vastly prefered Bakemonogatari to Nisemonogatari so far. Nise seems to have degenerated to being mostly fanservice and the dialogue isn't quite as witty anywhere near as often as Bakemonogatari was.

[Dissidia]

I like Nisemonogatari, there is a lot of fan service yes. I liked the "courage in front of everything" joke haha. I don't remember liking Bakemonogatari as much. Maybe it's because there has been character development already.

[K.B.]

the manner in which I execute the corrections is steeped in the idea that people will not ever try to change themselves if they don't feel bad about whatever needs the changing - to that effect, nobody will ever put forth the effort to actually be able to read and write competently if nobody stops and calls them a worthless illiterate fuck every once and a while
Must have felt dirty to have been compelled to explain that.

[Metal Man]

When I've seen "that I have saw" I thought my english was about to get kicked in the mouth, but soon realized that I was still okay. Damn Canadians ;P

For real I thought Evangelion had a great ending but it's been like 5 years since I watched the series. Is "You can (not) advance" any good ?

Capeta was a cool little anime.

[Bleck]

Piss off, Bleck.

you mad bro

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

The reimagined Evangelion movies are pretty good. They do a lot to make certain plot points and character interactions more coherent, add a new character and a few scenarios, and if nothing else the redone action scenes are so pretty.

Still waiting on Quickening.

[Metal Man]

Anyone mentioned Akira in this 70 pages long thread ?

[Bleck]

the new evangelion movies are secretly a sequel

the 'reimagining' is all just a cover up

[Gollgagh]

Anyone mentioned Akira in this 70 pages long thread ?

yeah, I watched it ~5 pages ago

[Metal Man]

Anything similar worth watching?

[Gollgagh]

Offhand, I would suggest Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade; but I'm not terrifically well-versed in animes from this era, so I couldn't name too many more.

[eilios]

the new evangelion movies are secretly a sequel

the 'reimagining' is all just a cover up
This is actually my theory as well.

E: as for timelines, I believe it goes TV up to about the weird crap, then EoE begins, human instrumentality happens and when everyone gets absorbed that's when the weird as hell last two episodes happen - they're not part of the series proper, but rather a view of instrumentality itself. Then the end of EoE happens, some stuff goes down(??) and somehow everything gets reset. Then the movies happen. This is backed up by some of Kaworu's statements.

DOUBLE E: i wish i could forget everything about evangelion

3xE: please do not follow down my path of misery and do not watch this show!! do not get caught up with it!!

[Brushfire]

Cromartie Highschool.

Excel Saga.

Puni Puni Poemi.

Dragon Half.

Dragon Pink.

Bible Black.

Discipline.

Star Jewel.

[eilios]

I refuse to make an anime list because it would be excessively large. Just know that I am an Anime Wizard and if you want to get into the Dark Arts you can ask me for help. :350:

[HalcyonSpirit]

Finished watching .hack//SIGN this week. I remembered watching it when it was on CN years ago, but I was too young back then to really appreciate it (not to mention, I never did see the ending until now). Good anime, but don't expect really anything as far as action goes, because there's essentially none. It's an extremely dialogue-centric, character-focused show, and it doesn't go out of its way to explain everything to you. Things aren't tied up in a neat little bow by the end, either. Personally, I liked that about it.

There were points where I wished they'd have delved into certain issues a bit more, but overall it's a very solid anime. I think the music is great, too, particularly Yasashii Yoake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wsCyrE17NU) (the ending theme) and Fake Wings (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C3EIX--s-0) (Subaru's theme).

[Kenogu Labz]

That ending theme is still one of the most gorgeous out of any I've heard. Don't know what it is about it. 'Aura's Theme' is also a potent theme, IMO. There's a quiet bitterness to it that makes it quite potent. Most of the vocal tracks are excellent in their own way, but what else do you expect from Kajiura?

The show itself is okay. I remember enjoying it, but wishing they'd take the setting a lot farther. The basic premise of the .Hack series really could be used for a whole lot more, but what we got was still enjoyable.

[GravitySuitCollector]

I'm probably alone in this out of people who actually like the -monogatari series, but I vastly prefered Bakemonogatari to Nisemonogatari so far. Nise seems to have degenerated to being mostly fanservice and the dialogue isn't quite as witty anywhere near as often as Bakemonogatari was.

Same here. I thought Bakemonogatari was much better. All of episode 8 was fanservice, and episode 9 has maybe 5-8 min of it in my opinion.

[Bleck]

Cromartie Highschool.

I'm fairly certain that this is the best anime

[The Derrit]

Bible Black.

Discipline.

i guess i'm not any better for knowing but aren't these porn? i'm cool with people doing their own thing but there are minors on this site after all. while we all know high school dudes jerk it recommending they go look for it without forewarning maybe not the best idea.

also started watching sword of the stranger tonight. some beautiful animation. for those who have seen, i loved the short fight with the fisherman underneath the bridge. that was an awesome way to portray it

[The Derrit]

Evangelion was a great setup. They did a pretty great job... right up until the end, when it did the equivalent of ding-dong-ditch and threw any good ending ideas out with the trash. Pretty disappointing to me, and I suspect it may be either part of the cause or just following the trend of animes that try to have overly philosophical endings.

actually what happened was that the team working on it was incredibly emotionally drained, and i believe they lost the support of whoever was sponsoring them. so they had to find a way to end it. sucks but sometimes that's the way the cookie crumbles

rawr rawr rawr bleck

i love seeing these posts because they almost always prove bleck's point.

criticism doesn't have to be polite to be correct. if you don't like it, ignore it. being like 'omg bleck ur a jerk dood' does literally nothing. take my advice and you will save yourself quite a bit of trouble

[Kenogu Labz]

actually what happened was that the team working on it was incredibly emotionally drained, and i believe they lost the support of whoever was sponsoring them. so they had to find a way to end it. sucks but sometimes that's the way the cookie crumbles

Yeah, I'd heard they had budget issues several episodes before completion. But that still doesn't wholly excuse the fact that the writers didn't plan a basic arc beforehand. The problem I see is that, unlike most American shows, which run with the intention of serializing over many years without much forward planning, many anime are designed to operate in smaller arcs, with a solid ending after 25-50 episodes. The fact that many of them don't seem to at least have sketched out the entire arc is what surprises and somewhat frustrates me.

This issue isn't just present in serial anime, either. Miyazaki's work is beautiful, and I love it as much as many other people, but there's always something missing from his endings. Oftentimes, loose ends are simply either made irrelevant (without being resolved), or are resolved almost deus ex machina. Those films are aimed toward a younger audience, so I can understand that decision, but still, it's another example of the same pattern.

[The Derrit]

Yeah, I'd heard they had budget issues several episodes before completion. But that still doesn't wholly excuse the fact that the writers didn't plan a basic arc beforehand. The problem I see is that, unlike most American shows, which run with the intention of serializing over many years without much forward planning, many anime are designed to operate in smaller arcs, with a solid ending after 25-50 episodes. The fact that many of them don't seem to at least have sketched out the entire arc is what surprises and somewhat frustrates me.


the fact they had to cut it really really short has little to do with whether or not they planned it; its entirely possible they did, but when all of a sudden you're out of money, can you fit 15 episodes of solid plot into three? i personally doubt it. see "The Money and Soul of Possibility Control." That anime started out looking like it was going to be absolutely awesome, then it got cut down to 13 episodes instead of 25 and the last three had to wrap up a plot arc that pretty much had no prior explanation whatsoever. even in the ending OVA there was a small hidden message that said it was supposed to be 25 episodes

[Moomba]

see "The Money and Soul of Possibility Control." That anime started out looking like it was going to be absolutely awesome, then it got cut down to 13 episodes instead of 25 and the last three had to wrap up a plot arc that pretty much had no prior explanation whatsoever. even in the ending OVA there was a small hidden message that said it was supposed to be 25 episodes

[C] is undoubtedly the perfect example. It was still pretty good, but wow, towards the end there things pretty much went straight to hell.

It's unfortunate, but anime often gets cut in the middle of a run. The positive side is that the nature of how anime is produced (the episodes aren't made in a batch and then aired, they're made as they're required) means that even if it's not a good ending, an ending CAN still be created in the time remaining, rather than having to cut off in an odd place, even if the cancellation is very last minute.

[Brushfire]

I'm fairly certain that this is the best anime

I am fairly certain that you are right.

[Brushfire]

i guess i'm not any better for knowing but aren't these porn? i'm cool with people doing their own thing but there are minors on this site after all. while we all know high school dudes jerk it recommending they go look for it without forewarning maybe not the best idea.

also started watching sword of the stranger tonight. some beautiful animation. for those who have seen, i loved the short fight with the fisherman underneath the bridge. that was an awesome way to portray it

The last four are all porn. Good, story driven porn.

[eilios]

Same here. I thought Bakemonogatari was much better. All of episode 8 was fanservice, and episode 9 has maybe 5-8 min of it in my opinion.
I was so creeped out by the first episode of Nisemonogatari that I left. For all intents and purposes, Bakemonogatari was a 1 season wonder and never had any sequels. If you're looking for a great anime this season check out Moretsu Space Pirates. Also yeah, Cromartie Highschool is fantastic.

[Moomba]

Moretsu Space Pirates

*Socially Acceptable Insurance Fraud With Pirate Costumes

I'm sorry but except for the "Space" part, the entire title is a blatant lie. Add to the fact that nothing significant has happened in most of the episodes so far and they just sit around talking and interspacing it with discussions of Electronic Warfare while preparing for their next stage show... of which we actually see very little.

If you want entertainment this season, only Daily Lives of High School Boys and Aquarion EVOL can really cut it.

[eilios]

*Socially Acceptable Insurance Fraud With Pirate Costumes

I'm sorry but except for the "Space" part, the entire title is a blatant lie. Add to the fact that nothing significant has happened in most of the episodes so far and they just sit around talking and interspacing it with discussions of Electronic Warfare while preparing for their next stage show... of which we actually see very little.

If you want entertainment this season, only Daily Lives of High School Boys and Aquarion EVOL can really cut it.
Sorry about your short attention span I guess?? The reason why it hasn't been so intense is stated in the series to be because Marika's in high-school and they can't afford to have her out on huge pirate jobs for the moment, FYI. Anyway, stuff is really heating up now.

[Moomba]

Sorry about your short attention span I guess?? The reason why it hasn't been so intense is stated in the series to be because Marika's in high-school and they can't afford to have her out on huge pirate jobs for the moment, FYI. Anyway, stuff is really heating up now.

Did you miss the part where they're not actually pirates? Or even privateers for that matter?

They're what basically amounts to a stage troupe who are paid to "rob" ships.

You claim I have a short attention span? If I had a short attention span would I watch the -monogatari series? I somehow doubt it. The core of the matter is that Mouretsu is a dull anime which has taken nine episodes to finally decide to go anywhere... assuming it actually does go somewhere.

[eilios]

Did you miss the part where they're not actually pirates? Or even privateers for that matter?

They're what basically amounts to a stage troupe who are paid to "rob" ships.

You claim I have a short attention span? If I had a short attention span would I watch the -monogatari series? I somehow doubt it. The core of the matter is that Mouretsu is a dull anime which has taken nine episodes to finally decide to go anywhere... assuming it actually does go somewhere.
How dare you!!! Have at thee, knave!!!

Other people: Don't listen to this guy, Moretsu Space Pirates is actually really cool.

[Moomba]

How dare you!!! Have at thee, knave!!!

Other people: Don't listen to this guy, Moretsu Space Pirates is actually really cool.

Everyone is, of course, free to not listen. But I find it a hard anime to recommend to anyone unless they enjoy watching people type on a futuristic keyboard while talking about what basically amounts to hacking... while sitting in a giant pirate ship.

Imagine what more they could do with it! They have giant laser cannons, the handheld versions of which can shoot through a tank! But no-one cares because they'll never actually use them anyway. Heck, during the "battles" Marika's entire class of high-school girls spends their time giggling while talking about how awesome and fun war is.

[eilios]

Everyone is, of course, free to not listen. But I find it a hard anime to recommend to anyone unless they enjoy watching people type on a futuristic keyboard while talking about what basically amounts to hacking... while sitting in a giant pirate ship.

Imagine what more they could do with it! They have giant laser cannons, the handheld versions of which can shoot through a tank! But no-one cares because they'll never actually use them anyway. Heck, during the "battles" Marika's entire class of high-school girls spends their time giggling while talking about how awesome and fun war is.
Well sorry that not everyone wants to watch action series all of the time!! Sometimes a brotha wants to get his speculative fiction on, and in such a case Moretsu Space Pirates is absolutely fantastic. I don't watch Moretsu Space Pirates because it's the #1 space piracy show or anything, I watch it because it's really fascinating and doesn't try to be too much.

[Bleck]

I looked up a picture of Moretsu Space Pirates and I can already tell this show isn't worth anyone's time

[Emperor Charlemagne]

If you want a good series with speculative fiction and space pirates why in the heck do you not go and watch something like Outlaw Star?

Oh wait but you didn't want action.

Umm.....

[eilios]

I looked up a picture of Moretsu Space Pirates and I can already tell this show isn't worth anyone's time
I thought that too.

[Bleck]

If you want a good series with speculative fiction, why would watch anime?

fixed that for you bub

[Emperor Charlemagne]

Well Bleck that's the ultimate logical conclusion but we haven't gotten there yet. Baby steps.

[Kenogu Labz]

Well Bleck that's the ultimate logical conclusion but we haven't gotten there yet. Baby steps.

Dr. Bleck, you can help me! For the first time in my life, I feel like there's hope! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncFCdCjBqcE)

[eilios]

Well Bleck that's the ultimate logical conclusion but we haven't gotten there yet. Baby steps.
I have incredibly poor taste and probably hate myself.

[Emperor Charlemagne]

Don't feel bad.

I've been watching a little bit of Mad Bull 34 (which is one of the greatest anime ever), and Dominion Tank Police, which has 3 episodes that are absolutely hysterical and enjoyable - both were dubbed by Manga UK, which had probably some of the most entertaining dubs back in the day (full of "edgy" profanity and cheesy New York accents... from England!).

My older brother saw the 4th episode and said the series completely fell apart, not even being centered around Leona anymore. which sucks, because she was one of the most batshit crazy and likable characters on a show where everyone was crazy.

Makes me apprehensive to finish, or start the "super grungy srs" sequel New Dominion Tank Police. Hm.

At least the original had some really bitchin' tunes for the UK dub! That's how you do a dub! Replace boring J-Pop with funky house!

I also want to get to a few other 80s OVAs, like MD Geist, the hilariously stupid Black Lion (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghmzfUwJk4g) (YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS STUPID JIN EI)

As well as the more serious and actually-good-anime-film Twilight of the Cockroaches. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3PfE2a_Al0)

Whether for comedy or actual quality i'd recommend these OVA/movies.


EDIT:

Watching the final episode my older brother was more or less right. I was expecting worse, and there were a lot of good moments but halfway through it just kinda fell through and centered around the main badguy for no reason and really sucked the momentum out of the show.

Oh well, it's still a series I'd very much recommend.

[Gollgagh]

http://i.imgur.com/0PQfP.jpg

[AngelCityOutlaw]

Well, I've taken to watching these re-imaginings of the Evangelion series. The "rebuild" movies.

I must say....damn that is impressive animation.

I recall I enjoyed the original "Ghost In The Shell" movie. I know they made a second one, but I don't know if it is any good. Is it any good?

[Zerothemaster]

Can I count Girlchan in Paradise as Anime?

[GravitySuitCollector]

Man, I love a good anime OP/ED. One of the best parts of the Mono/Nisegatari series are those. The endings I really liked, as they were sort of a fresh way of doing them, scratchy pencil lines and all. Any other good ones?

Let's see... Samurai Champloo, Ao No Exorcist, and Kyouran Kazoku Nikki come to mind (the last one's a bit odd, but I liked the OP a lot for some reason. I thought the series was hilarious. :lol:).

[Yami]

Man, I love a good anime OP/ED. One of the best parts of the Mono/Nisegatari series are those. The endings I really liked, as they were sort of a fresh way of doing them, scratchy pencil lines and all. Any other good ones?

Depends on what you define a good.
Let's see what I find in my mind...:
Ghost in the Shell Standalone Complex - Inner Universe
Rahxephon - Hemisphere
Samurai Deeper Kyo - Ao no requiem
Outlaw Star - Through the night
Cowboy Bebop - (I forgot what it's named)
Vision of Escaflowne - (Don't know it as well, at least by heart)

And there are a lot of others which you could count as generic but if you wish I can go there as well

[Moomba]

I recall I enjoyed the original "Ghost In The Shell" movie. I know they made a second one, but I don't know if it is any good. Is it any good?

Watch Stand Alone Complex, if you liked the original movie, there's no sane reason why you wouldn't like the two series that were born from it.

List of OPs

I can't allow anyone to list OPs without mentioning this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaRMqgaIc6k).

Or really any OP or ED that has something by KOKIA.

More recent OPs (since very few people here seem to have any interest in more recent anime):

Mirai Nikki - Kuusou Mesorogiwi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zu8UVLMcZ4)
Mouretsu Pirates - Mugen no Ai (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukEs_rjChMU) (despite what I've said about the anime itself)[/URL]
[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL7f6rsVrBQ"]Rinne no Lagrange - Try Unite! (http://ocremix.org/forums/www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL7f6rsVrBQ)
Haganai - Zannenki Rinjinbu (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RG7dYIrii8)

p.s. the Escaflowne OP is Yakusoku wa Iranai.

Oh and if you like the Cowboy Bebop OP you should also like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUjqlVt6y2A) (which everyone should really watch if they haven't seen it and are capable of rational thought).

[Gollgagh]

I recall I enjoyed the original "Ghost In The Shell" movie. I know they made a second one, but I don't know if it is any good. Is it any good?

GitS 2 - Innocence is good, yes.

[DarkeSword]

You can't talk about anime openings without talking about this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibPCLMH1NM4).

[Native Jovian]

Oh and if you like the Cowboy Bebop OP you should also like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUjqlVt6y2A) (which everyone should really watch if they haven't seen it and are capable of rational thought).
Is it weird that watching that makes me want to watch the series, despite knowing literally nothing else about it?

As far as OPs go, I've always been amused as hell by Big O's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdA6iRk94Hc), just because it's so damn weird. Though as far as weird OPs (or anything else about it, honestly) go, it's hard to beat Paranoia Agent (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-anabfAg06U).

I rather liked some of Gundam 00's OP/EDs, like the first ending (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiWM03X4Fvs) (mostly because I generally prefer j-rock to j-pop). FLCL's ending (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV73_JbQaVY) I like for the same reason. (FLCL has a pretty good soundtrack in general.)

[Moomba]

Is it weird that watching that makes me want to watch the series, despite knowing literally nothing else about it?

Not at all! Go watch it! It has some of the best storytelling in any anime to date along with great characters and a well thought out premise.

[CinnamonJihad]

Mirai Nikki - Kuusou Mesorogiwi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zu8UVLMcZ4)
Mouretsu Pirates - Mugen no Ai (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukEs_rjChMU) (despite what I've said about the anime itself)[/URL]
[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL7f6rsVrBQ"]Rinne no Lagrange - Try Unite! (http://ocremix.org/forums/www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL7f6rsVrBQ)
Haganai - Zannenki Rinjinbu (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RG7dYIrii8)

p.s. the Escaflowne OP is Yakusoku wa Iranai.



I'm looking for some good more recent animes. I know Mirrai Nikki is pretty good, but are these other ones worth watching, or are you strictly talking about the OP's? Also, which anime is that KOKIA song you posted from? Pretty epic song.

[Moomba]

I'm looking for some good more recent animes. I know Mirrai Nikki is pretty good, but are these other ones worth watching, or are you strictly talking about the OP's? Also, which anime is that KOKIA song you posted from? Pretty epic song.

Mouretsu Pirates is pretty slow, but the world is kind of fascinating. I would find it hard to reccomend to anyone who thinks that it might really have anything to do with pirates. Who knows, it might get better.

Rinne no Lagrange is definitely worth watching if only for some of the more recent developments.

Haganai is a pretty weird slice of life comedy - I enjoyed it, it has some pretty funny moments.

The KOKIA song is from Break Blade which is a series of six hour-long movies. They're also very much worth watching (especially if you like mecha - though the mecha in Break Blade are somewhat different to your typical mecha)

[CinnamonJihad]

Hell, I love some mech shows, including the likes of Tengan Toppa Gurren Laggan, which is pretty far from the norm of mecha, so I'll give'em a whirl. Thanks for the recommends.

[FenixDown]

If you haven't already done so, you should check out Redline. The best anime movie I've seen in recent memory. It took them about seven years to make because the whole film was drawn entirely by hand without the use of any CG. It's visually amazing and the cast and story are engaging.

[relyanCe]

aif you haven't already done so, you should check out redline. The best anime movie i've seen in recent memory. It took them about seven years to make because the whole film was drawn entirely by hand without the use of any cg. It's visually amazing and the cast and story are engaging.
APPROVAL.

[Bleck]

redline makes my dick rock hard

[AngelCityOutlaw]

redline makes my dick rock hard

If Bleck holds a positive opinion of it that must make it worthwhile.

I just googled it and it looks like if Elvis was Speed Racer.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

I stand corrected. I guess I'm gonna have to put this "Redline" in my pile of "anime I don't like".

That or I just didn't do nearly enough hard drugs before watching.

[Flash Strife]

As far as OPs go, I've always been amused as hell by Big O's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdA6iRk94Hc), just because it's so damn AWESOME.
Well yeah, they did use Queens Flash Gordon theme as inspiration so of course it's gonna be awesome.

[Gollgagh]

finally pushed me to grab Big O

This is totally Batman with mechas

[Native Jovian]

This is totally Batman with mechas
In the best way possible.

I think it was actually done by the same animation team that did Batman: The Animated Series.

[CinnamonJihad]

I stand corrected. I guess I'm gonna have to put this "Redline" in my pile of "anime I don't like".

That or I just didn't do nearly enough hard drugs before watching.

Really? What's wrong with Redline? Aside from not enough drugs of course... I thought it looked pretty damn incredible myself.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

Really? What's wrong with Redline? Aside from not enough drugs of course... I thought it looked pretty damn incredible myself.

Well yeah, it looks good but for me it was just way too...out there. The characters especially were just way too weird.

[Gollgagh]

I think it was actually done by the same animation team that did Batman: The Animated Series.

Yeah, I can see that being the case.

I mean even Roger's car arms itself in a similar fasion.

[Moomba]

Well yeah, it looks good but for me it was just way too...out there. The characters especially were just way too weird.

I'm legitimately surprised you would consider Redline to be particularly "out there", when compared to a lot of the more popular anime (and in fact, a lot of anime in general) it's actually pretty tame.