Anime

[Gollgagh]

Yeah, if you only consider the official kana as right, then you are right. However レヴィ　could be an alternate form.

Hang on dude, you're making so many assumptions and running with them, it's hard to catch up. The exact pronunciation of レヴィ is Re-Vui. Now I haven't seen any of Fairy Tale, but in most cases, Japanese will use Bi　（ビ） to approximate a Vi sound because Vui (ヴィ) produces a very distinct dipthong, such as in DVD (ヂヴィヂ). I have the feeling you just used the katakana keyboard and typed in Re Vi and wanted to check that you were aware that the ヴ is really a U with a dakuten and not a true Vi sound.

[The Derrit]

Hang on dude, you're making so many assumptions and running with them, it's hard to catch up. The exact pronunciation of レヴィ is Re-Vui. Now I haven't seen any of Fairy Tale, but in most cases, Japanese will use Bi　(ビ) to approximate a Vi sound because Vui (ヴィ) produces a very distinct dipthong, such as in DVD (ヂヴィヂ). I have the feeling you just used the katakana keyboard and typed in Re Vi and wanted to check that you were aware that the ヴ is really a U with a dakuten and not a true Vi sound.

boom. someone got learned right here

[HalcyonSpirit]

Hang on dude, you're making so many assumptions and running with them, it's hard to catch up. The exact pronunciation of レヴィ is Re-Vui. Now I haven't seen any of Fairy Tale, but in most cases, Japanese will use Bi　（ビ） to approximate a Vi sound because Vui (ヴィ) produces a very distinct dipthong, such as in DVD (ヂヴィヂ). I have the feeling you just used the katakana keyboard and typed in Re Vi and wanted to check that you were aware that the ヴ is really a U with a dakuten and not a true Vi sound.

How much Japanese do you know? I just (re)started teaching myself and this gave me some needed insight.

------

On another note, I watched all of High School of the Dead yesterday. Why? Because some of my friends kept talking about it and I wanted to know what the deal was with it. And dear lord... I can't even call it fanservice, but I don't know what I should call it. That was a show that took it a level beyond. I didn't like the fact that the show was geared toward that type of blatant fanservice, but ignoring it, the story was cliche but solid, and the action sequences were done pretty well. None of the characters stood out in any way, but I don't think character development was the theme they had in mind. If you don't mind tons of blatant fanservice every episode and want some mindless zombie-killing action, well, Highschool of the Dead fits the bill. What it intends on doing, it does well, though the ending really leaves something to be desired; I suspect the creators were gunning for a second season to be greenlit. I personally won't be rewatching the show, but I suppose zombie fans might. If it were a movie, I might call it a popcorn flick... plus boobs.

Just don't watch it around anyone that hates fanservice. For the sake of your health.

Edited May 6, 2012 by HalcyonSpirit

[Dexie]

Y'know, I don't mind fanservice personally, but after seeing

, I knew I'd never be able to take High School of the Dead seriously.

[HalcyonSpirit]

Y'know, I don't mind fanservice personally, but after seeing

, I knew I'd never be able to take High School of the Dead seriously.

And depending on one's perspective, that scene could either be the most egregious example of "fanservice", or one of the tamer examples. I'm not sure that they weren't going for comedic relief with that scene... I sure as hell was laughing the entire time.

[EC2151]

I tend to stay away from anime like High School of the Dead. Or most anime fanservice.

Now, I like blaxploitation, and I like my

, but fanservice a la anime is very not funny and it's not very entertaining.

The only time it's KINDA funny is in series like Sayanora Zetsubo Sensei, where they just make fun of it the whole time. AND IT'S KEPT TO A MINIMUM (specifically one character).

[Meteo Xavier]

Man, I started getting addicted to HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD after watching that bizarre booby-bullet-time video, but that was short lived. That first and I think second episode with all those underage kids getting massacred in the most horrible ways you can imagine without even the slightest hint of pathos or justification in the plot was too disturbing for me. I'm pretty desensitized to most of that stuff, but I draw the line at characters under the ages of 18 getting brutalized for no reason other than to show blood and entrails dripping down to an underage panty shot.

I was ok with the show after that, but that... even now that really bothers me.

And then factor in I can't seem to find ANY information on when more episodes might come out and I've largely lost most interest in any otherwise highly interesting series.

[Modus]

I'm such a supernewb anime-watcher, but I finished watching FMA: Brotherhood in 2 days. I expected it to be childish, based on the few episodes I saw of the 2003 anime back in high school, but it got pretty crazy. I gushed over the creativity of some of the action scenes, and I appreciated the author's attempts to keep believability in balance. I don't know where FMA ranks in the anime world, but I was taken by surprise from nearly all angles. The depth of the narrative just kept on surprising me, dancing around the threat of becoming convoluted but never quite breaching it.

That said, the first half I loved watching because I craved answers to all the questions and because I loved seeing the characters develop. The second half I just wanted answers.. because it felt like the author lost some of his tight narrative focus. We saw less and less of the Elric brothers, less adventuring, less jokes. It was weird, and it felt a bit "off" as a whole.

So Deathnote, DBZ, and FMA:B are what I've seen so far. I have more praise than complaints by far.

[Moomba]

I don't know where FMA ranks in the anime world

Quite high for the most part. Most sane people would rank it within their top 10, or top 20 at least. It's also the 2nd highest ranked anime on MAL (though MAL scores sometimes aren't the most trustworthy).

[XZero]

So Deathnote, DBZ, and FMA:B are what I've seen so far. I have more praise than complaints by far.

Death Note, DB/Z/GT, and FMA/Brotherhood are some of my favorite series, and honestly the only ones I bought recently. When I was in college I watched a bunch of anime. Whenever I had an extra $20 laying around, I'd swing by Best Buy or Suncoast to check out the anime sections and see if there was anything new floating around or (in the case of Suncoast) if the manager there could give any suggestions since he was into anime too.

To say I grew out of it might not be the best phrasing, but it's sort of true. Dragon Ball Z Kai has one more volume left to release, FMA Brotherhood just finished its run with the release of the movie a couple of weeks ago, and Death Note's been done for a while. I don't see myself buying any more anime in the foreseeable future. I tend to buy lots of video games to add to my collection. Much of my anime is actually boxed up at this point due to lack of space.

All of that having been said, Modus, I wanted to throw a couple of recommendations your way of stuff I enjoyed back when I was really into anime. We seem to have similar taste, so check some of these out. First and foremost, if you haven't watched DBZ Kai, watch that. The dub is fantastic, including the new Frieza voice. It only goes to the end of the Cell Games, but what's there is great, so if you've watched the original dubbed and want to see a respectable dub of the show, Kai is a great way to go (and at 98 episodes, it's a hell of a lot shorter).

Some other series to check out:

(1) Fullmetal Alchemist (original; I like Brotherhood a little better, but the original's awesome)

(2) Yu Yu Hakusho (similar to DBZ in some ways; the whole thing is available via some pretty cheap season sets. There are 4 total. The first 26 episodes are alright, but things get really good during the Dark Tournament story arc, which is on sets 2 and 3)

(3) Samurai 7 (really interesting retelling of the Seven Samurai story; only complaint is that at around episode 7, the animation gets really cheap looking for a brief time, but it gets a little better in subsequent episodes)

(4) Rurouni Kenshin (there are 3 seasons, a movie, and 3 OVAs, which are basically hour-long movies. Season 1 is similar to the first season of Yu Yu Hakusho in that it's good, but just introduces the characters and sort of jumps from minor arc to minor arc. Season 2 is universally regarded as the best, focusing on a single major villain with a great storyline. Season 3 was a filler season intended to let the manga get further ahead so they could animate the final story arc--which, in the manga, is better than season 2's story--afterward, but due to terrible reception, the show got cancelled before the final storyline got animated. The movie is alright, if perhaps a little slow. The OVAs are highly regarded. The first two tell the backstory of the protagonist and are super dark and violent, but beautiful in parts as well. The final one is a brief version of the final storyline in the manga that never got animated for the series. Way too rushed, which is unfortunate. Overall the whole series is pretty good. Kind of expensive to acquire the DVDs though.)

(5) Gankutsuou, The Count of Monte Cristo (this one isn't for everyone. It uses this weird art style that takes some time to get used to, but once you do, it's a very solid, rather beautiful show. It's a retelling of the novel, but takes some very distinct sci-fi liberties with it (giant mech suits at one point). The dub is particularly well-done, and the voice actor for the Count absolutely nails the part.)

There are some other decent shows out there. Black Cat wasn't bad, though it was somewhat inconsistent in quality. Bleach is supposed to be really good, but it's very long. Naruto had potential, but the main character is annoying, the dub is grating in parts, and frankly it gets bogged down far too easily with filler material and dragged-out battles.

A final series I want to mention is Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's a sort of depressing show when you watch the whole thing all the way through, and starting at episode 16, it becomes somewhat of a mindfuck for the main character Shinji and, to some extent, for the viewer as well. Conceptually it's really cool, but the last two episodes are highly divisive among fans for reasons that could amount to spoilers. There is currently a 4-episode remake of the series that Funimation is dubbing with some members of the original cast. I think the first two parts are out at present. These are basically movie versions of the series. Supposedly they're really good, but I haven't personally watched them. I enjoyed the show, but it's not for everybody.

[EC2151]

You can skip the entire third season of Ruroni Kenshin.

It sucks HARDCORE. It's clear that the story was supposed to end at the second season (and it damn well felt like it ended), and completely shits all over the main character, and gives us one bitchy, whiny emo final villain as opposed to the genuinely interesting, threatening badguy of season 2.

I remember reading somewhere that the creator of the series says he hates the anime studio that did the third season and that it, as he put it, "ruined my characters." And you know what, he's right. First time I ever "rage-quit" a series.

Also, lol at "Bleach being good." Maybe, the first 20 episodes, but hey, guess what, after that it really sucks! That's like, another 300+ episodes! Naruto is in a similar boat.

I'd recommend shorter(!) series, and stuff like the Miyazaki/Ghibli movies.

Stuff like Lupin III series 1 (also co-directed by Miyazaki, no less), from 1971, Outlaw Star, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, and maybe (indulge me) Dominion Tank Police and its sequel, New Dominion Tank Police.

All of those (outside of perhaps the last two, which are "cult classics") are more or less universally-acclaimed as some of the best anime out there. Miyazaki/Ghibli movies, at least Pre-Howl's Moving Castle, well, you can't find a bad thing to say about them.

[Modus]

First and foremost, if you haven't watched DBZ Kai, watch that. The dub is fantastic, including the new Frieza voice. It only goes to the end of the Cell

Kai's been on my list a while. DBZ without suspense filler would be great. I remember as a kid going insane because they'd drag battles out over several episodes.

(1) Fullmetal Alchemist (original; I like Brotherhood a little better, but the original's awesome)

Definitely, but I have a side motive to watching the original too. I think it'll be very interesting to see how the manga author and the anime team split off into two different narratives. Just as a wanna-be author, I want to see how far different interpretations can go.

(2) Yu Yu Hakusho

I watched some of this show and liked it, but never really fell in love with it. I remember not digging the art style, but the characters were really lively and likeable.

(3) Samurai 7

I'll be honest, I didn't like this interpretation of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. I watched the first few episodes not too long ago, but the characters just felt really weak to me.

(4) Rurouni Kenshin

Again, something I saw back in high school but gave up on. I like its style, and I'll probably watch it based on your recommendation.

(5) Gankutsuou, The Count of Monte Cristo

I'll give it a shot since we really do seem to have similar taste =p

[liquid wind]

First season of Bleach was the best but it's tolerable until like...episode 50 something, I forget, the series should have ended sometime around when Aizen takes his glasses off

[Brycepops]

Fist of the North Star.

[Yami]

Kai's been on my list a while. DBZ without suspense filler would be great. I remember as a kid going insane because they'd drag battles out over several episodes.

But Kai only goes up to the end of the cell saga, unfortunately. After I watched it, I started DBZ so I could at least watch it once completely.

Ruroni Kenshin is something I want to watch for quite a long time, but never gotten to. I just want to watch it, because of my hair color being the same as Kenshin's and I always was asked if I would cosplay as him...

I just finished Clannad, fortunately I'm no complete emotional wreck. I think I'll look for Clannad: After Story tonight.

[HalcyonSpirit]

I just finished Clannad, fortunately I'm no complete emotional wreck.

How are you not--

I think I'll look for Clannad: After Story tonight.

Ah. Well then, that explains it.

[Yami]

Ah. Well then, that explains it.

Ok, then let me see, what this does to me...

[Unstable Hamster]

Also, lol at "Bleach being good." Maybe, the first 20 episodes, but hey, guess what, after that it really sucks! That's like, another 300+ episodes! Naruto is in a similar boat.

I say that first Arc with the soul society, once that's done and they head back home, imagine it over and move on with life.

I have some people who's only watched Naruto and the keep getting me to watch Naruto, and I just can't get myself to even start that anime. Even if I did like it, I would have 300+ episodes to watch, and there would be filler in it and I hate filler.

As for an anime to watch, I think Darker than Black is great start. It doesn't explain much in the beginning, so you'll be very confused, but if you keep watching, more get's explained through the characters than some narrator telling you what's going on. It's my favorite anime next to Gurren Laggan.

Speaking of Gurren Laggan, if you ever love how absurdly stupid Naruto and Bleach is by whoever has the most willpower wins approach. Watch this anime, it takes that mentality to hilariously stupid awesome levels. Also mechs.

[Meteo Xavier]

I'm halfway through Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. I'm not sure where I stand on it now - I was expecting something 10x more insane than FLCL, but so far its just been 10x more disgusting. Creative with some funny ideas, but not living up to the hype I wanted yet.

[EC2151]

When the first trailers for PSG came out, I said "this looks really cool, but I hope it's not just scat and sex jokes"

WHOOPS JOKE'S ON ME

The only thing I'm hoping now is for the dub to tone down some of that stuff, and put like, real jokes into the show. Maybe, maybe not.

At the very least, the Lupin III series from 1971 (co-directed by Hayao Miyazaki no less!) gets released next month on DVD! AM EXCITE.

[Meteo Xavier]

I take it back. THe last half of Episode 6 lived up to the hype. That was cool.

[Soma]

So i haven't watched anime in about 3 years, and I have a 3 week break from class. What are some good shows that are somewhat new? I have Break Blade, Infinite Stratos, and Sekirei laying around. Feel free to recommend anything new-ish. I feel quite out of the loop.

[Gollgagh]

Fate/Zero is actually pretty good

[The Damned]

Here's how to catch up on Bleach and Naruto.

Step 1. Download the soundtrack. Just the first couple, the restis boring.

Step 2. Play soundtrack.

Step 3. Find a site that has the manga.

Step 4. Read the manga with the soundtrack playing.

You've just made the series much more tolerable and you can catch up quicker than watching it. No filler, all the good parts, and you can catch up as quickly as you can read.

I guess the same applies to just about any long-running series that follows the manga exactly, but you get the idea.

I haven't watched Bleach or Naruto in years because of this.

[suzumebachi]

NETFLIX ANIME

I've been watching animus on Netflix. A lot of them suck. Some of them don't. My thoughts on a few of the ones I've seen so far:

THE GOOD

Mushi-Shi - Fantastic. Awesome art, great voice acting, and genuinely interesting stories. The soundtrack is pretty good too. It's about a dude who wanders around the Japanese countryside solving mysteries and helping folks with problems involving invisible creatures called Mushi. A lot better than it sounds.

Ghost Hound - If you can get past the main character's voice and the absolutely retarded floating translucent purple babies with pink butts it's really not a bad show. Not really that scary, for a "horror" show, but quite interesting in other regards, especially all the psychology shit. I wonder how much of it is accurate.

Naoki Urasawa's Monster - This one's kinda long, at 74 episodes, but I recommend it. It's in Japanese, with English subtitles. Normally, that'd be just fine, but it's kind of weird in this case considering 90% of the series takes place in Germany. Weirder still that when they're speaking "German" or "Czech" or "English" they're all still speaking Japanese but magically can't understand each other *throws up hands.* That said, an excellent show nonetheless. It's like Twin Peaks meets The Fugitive. But anime.

Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo - 4/5. Excellent voice acting. Unique art style. A retelling/adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic set some two or three thousand years in the future. Would be one of the greatest animes ever if they just dropped the whole Gankutsuou angle. But no, they just had to go and anime it up. Because Giant Robots and Evil Space Demons make everything better. Still pretty damn good though.

Gurren Lagann - I'm only halfway through this one, but it's been pretty great so far. I'd finish it, but I have a feeling it's gonna have one of those heartbreaking endings that'll leave me all depressed for a week. I'll get around to it eventually.

THE NOT SO GOOD

Shigurui: Death Frenzy - I quit watching this one a couple episodes into it. The whole thing just feels like a vapid excuse to show as much blood and tits as possible. Does it get better? Maybe I'll give it another shot some time.

Golgo 13 - Watched one episode of this to give it a try. Dumbest shit I've ever seen.