Anime

[Kenobio]

^haha nice.

Yeah, it's clear the guitar-shaped spaceship is old news, but it's awesome how Interstella 5555 had one too. I seem to remember a live-action 80s movie that had one too, but I can't remember. Maybe Explorers? It's been too long.

[halc]

Interstella 5555 rocks.

HARD FACT: Haibane Renmei almost had me shedding a tear at the end. And I mean, almost. As in only a few seconds and sheer willpower prevented me from just bawling my eyes out.

Oh god yes I was the same way. The only anime that ever reallly had me crying though was Now and Then, Here and There

[The Damned]

My "the only other anime that made me cry" was Grave of the Fireflies.

Fuck you. That was just impossible not to be affected by it.

[Gafgarion]

Interstella 5555 is one of a kind.

[Tock]

Before I start, I'll admit that I have long held a rather biased opinion of anime, partly because I always thought the style made really odd looking people and partly because most of the people that watched any anime that I knew of were complete freaks about it.

So I've tried to give the medium a better chance to prove itself, because I know that there must be something deeper than the DBZ crap that I come into contact with on an irregular basis. I've checked out the most famous animes to mainstream audiences, namley Akira, Spirited Away, and Howe's Moving Castle. I really liked the whole neo-dystopian Tokyo and political vibe that Akira gave me, until it ruined it with the giant flesh monster wierdness. Spirited Away and Howe's Moving Castle were both quite entertaining, but I'm looking for something a little more grown up.

My question is, then, what would you anime devotees reccomend to someone like me, who knows nothing about anime and would like to learn a bit more. Keep in mind that I really cant stand the cliche wierd Japanese fighting sequences. Oh, and I'm absolutley in love with the Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, if it's any help.

I've heard that Ghost in the Shell is a good series that is a lot like Blade Runner, which is one of my favorite movies ever. Can anyone confirm/deny?

[Sephiroth1218]

Before I start, I'll admit that I have long held a rather biased opinion of anime, partly because I always thought the style made really odd looking people and partly because most of the people that watched any anime that I knew of were complete freaks about it.

So I've tried to give the medium a better chance to prove itself, because I know that there must be something deeper than the DBZ crap that I come into contact with on an irregular basis. I've checked out the most famous animes to mainstream audiences, namley Akira, Spirited Away, and Howe's Moving Castle. I really liked the whole neo-dystopian Tokyo and political vibe that Akira gave me, until it ruined it with the giant flesh monster wierdness. Spirited Away and Howe's Moving Castle were both quite entertaining, but I'm looking for something a little more grown up.

My question is, then, what would you anime devotees reccomend to someone like me, who knows nothing about anime and would like to learn a bit more. Keep in mind that I really cant stand the cliche wierd Japanese fighting sequences. Oh, and I'm absolutley in love with the Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, if it's any help.

I've heard that Ghost in the Shell is a good series that is a lot like Blade Runner, which is one of my favorite movies ever. Can anyone confirm/deny?

Ghost in the Shell

Ergo Proxy (more like BR than GitS)

Hellsing (vampire stuff if ur into it)

Evangelion (really good but its a love it or hate it thing)

Cowboy Bebop

Samurai Champloo

Monster (only in jap but its really good)

Karas

There is more cyberpunk stuff but EP and GitS r excellent

[Kenobio]

stuff

This doesn't have a whole lot to do with what I'm about to recommend to you, but I love Kurosawa films too.

But anyway, yes, considering your interests I do recommend the first Ghost in the Shell film. As far as the tv show goes (GithS: SAC--which I haven't seen), I've heard it's solid but far less grittier than the original film, which is a turnoff for me. A few other anime I'd recommend off the top of my head would be...

Cowboy Bebop

Samurai Champloo

Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal

Berserk

and the works of Satoshi Kon

These are well-known titles (I'm sure others can fill you in on less mainstream works), and also mostly for an older audience (particularly Berserk). Read a bit about these and see if any sound interesting.

[Sephiroth1218]

But anyway, yes, considering your interests I do recommend the first Ghost in the Shell film. As far as the tv show goes (GithS: SAC--which I haven't seen), I've heard it's solid but far less grittier than the original film, which is a turnoff for me. A few other anime I'd recommend off the top of my head would be...

GitS: SAC is excellent. If u love the movie then would love the show. SAC involves the Laughing Man case and SAC 2nd Gig goes through The Individual 11. its not watered down if thats what ur worried about.

[Knives]

Anime that is "a little more grown up:"

Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal (masterpiece, 4 eps)

FLCL (masterpiece, 6 eps)

Deathnote (masterpiece, 38 eps)

Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (excellent, 26 eps)

Outlaw Star (great, 26 eps)

Samurai 7 (great, 26 eps)

Last Exile (great, 26 eps)

None of the above animes have any teeny-bopper or cutsy scenes/storylines like most mainstream anime is known for, and revolve around more serious themes. I guess except FLCL, which is sort of a combination of both? It's hard to describe, but I really recommend seeing it, it's short and you could do so in a few hours.

[Gafgarion]

You guys that are into that fighting stuff, you should really look into Tokyo Majin.

[avaris]

Def watch Ghost in the Shell S.A.C.

Gantz (cyber-punk)

RahXephon (post apocalyptic)

Wolf's Rain (post apocalyptic)

Full Metal Panic! (all around good show)

Blue Gender

GunGrave

Elfen Leid

Also with Berserk IMO it might be advisable to start with the 2nd episode. BC the story itself starts with the 2nd episode. If you watch the 1st episode you'll know everything that happens in the end.

Also the site linked below is awesome bc it gives you "similar anime" listings, def worth checking out:

http://myanimelist.net/anime.php?id=47

[Z3120]

My question is, then, what would you anime devotees reccomend to someone like me, who knows nothing about anime and would like to learn a bit more. Keep in mind that I really cant stand the cliche wierd Japanese fighting sequences. Oh, and I'm absolutley in love with the Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, if it's any help.

As much as I enjoy animes like Air (especially the music) and Lucky Star, I know it isn't for everyone.

Mushishi would be the first title I'd recommend to anyone if they thought anime was nothing but for kids and childish entertainment. It's a 26 episode series and had a very distinctive presentation, wonderful music and each episode was a story in it itself. Think of each episode as a short story except everyone is living in the same environment. You'd be surprised how enriching the characters seem to be although that could be because of the underlying themes being presented. Either way, it's a heavily underappreciated show, and I'm somewhat sad it'll never make a TV appearance (surprised Mushishi even got a DVD release here).

Byousoku 5 Centimeter brought me out of my strange urge to not bother with movies and short series. You could argue a very simplistic story but the story direction is what drew me and the level of depth even silence can speak. Perhaps one of the only times I'll ever bother getting the manga for. Along with Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, I'm looking for movies to watch now.

Even if you don't quite like or find it unappealing how wild some characters tend to act in comedic animes, I highly suggest Honey and Clover. A slice of life anime in every sense of the word.

Speaking of slice of life animes, even if it's incorrect to say, I'd have to suggest Hajime no Ippo too. It's a sports anime and the fights aren't as cliche and riduculous as in Prince of Tennis and drawn out as in Slam Dunk. It's one of the only sports anime I ever really liked because it was considerably very down to earth unlike Ring Ni Kakero...

The Twelve Kingdoms, Monster, Nodame Cantabile, Gankutsuou, Seirei no Moribito and just maybe you'll like xxxHolic and Fantastic Children.

[chocobo150]

I guess I can give out some more personal opinions about some animations:

Boys Be - This is pretty much a slice of life series, but rather than focusing on a lifestyle of a specific person, there are a series of people that this series examines and try to express it an an individuality that anyone can love. It is a decent animation, but I am not certain how the American Dubbing is like.

GetBackers - This is a pretty nice animation that involves two people working in a retrieval-for-hire service, hence the animation's title. It involves magical powers and plot twists to some historical artifacts in our history, which makes it a pretty decent watch. The downer to this is that the ending falls flat, like a brick in a 100-g room. I would have expected more, but it just left me with an upset.

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien - This is like "Its a Wonderful Life" in animation. So much turmoil in this series that you hope that it would end, so that the protagonists can at least have their dignity and such. It deals with a bunch of adult issues and is not suitable for people under the age of 13 and such, but overall, it is a strong series that strikes the person's psyche.

Last Exile - A GONZO series that involves two ordinary children in an extraordinary war. It digs deep into the idea of aristocracy and the balance of power. You root for the protagonist as he tries to complete what thier fathers died for, peace.

Maison Ikkoku - One of the older romantic genre series. It has the same art style as Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura, and Inuyasha, but rather than involving martial arts or mystical beings, it revolves around a hopeless man trying to succeed in life while trying to have the courage to ask his landlord out. Overall, it is a nice series.

Saikano - This series involves a girl transformed into a weapon of destruction to defend Japan from invading countries. It is a very harsh series that involves deaths of many of the secondary characters. It makes you wish that all of the violence can stop, so that the characters can at least live a normal life. It struck a chord on my nerves, which I stopped midway through the series, as I couldn't watch them suffer (it was the same time I was watching Now and Then, Here and There, so my emotions was already at its breaking point).

Stelliva of the Universe - A space drama that involves a bunch of children placed into a world after its destruction. It focuses on their hopes of being the best that they can be, while engaging in conflicts that involve invading aliens, warring nations, and world-ending phenomenon. It is a bit heartwarming at some times, and overall is a good series.

Batman the Animated Series - Animation is Animation, and Batman the Animated Series is, what I considered, one of the best American animation series of all time. It had a dark aspect to it and revolves around one of the greatest voiceacting that I heard. Once your hear Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker, you can not hear them in any other reincarnation of their characters. Its influence was so great, that even a series-only character, Harley Quinn, entered into the comic canon. There is a reason why this series won an Emmy.

[I-n-j-i-n]

Mushishi would be the first title I'd recommend to anyone if they thought anime was nothing but for kids and childish entertainment. It's a 26 episode series and had a very distinctive presentation, wonderful music and each episode was a story in it itself. Think of each episode as a short story except everyone is living in the same environment. You'd be surprised how enriching the characters seem to be although that could be because of the underlying themes being presented. Either way, it's a heavily underappreciated show, and I'm somewhat sad it'll never make a TV appearance (surprised Mushishi even got a DVD release here).

I'm not surprised at all. It's a mature anime, a boon for American release. Mushishi is like the X-files without the British accented girl/comedic-foil. Mushishi can tend to be very slow and toned down, so it can come across as boring for some. I loved it but I thought it was slow too.

Byousoku 5 Centimeter brought me out of my strange urge to not bother with movies and short series. You could argue a very simplistic story but the story direction is what drew me and the level of depth even silence can speak. Perhaps one of the only times I'll ever bother getting the manga for. Along with Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, I'm looking for movies to watch now.

I don't think 5cm has a manga because it was an anime original. Also, another great simple-story + great atmosphere movie (a full length this time) is Piano no Mori. Very straightforward but very relaxing.

Even if you don't quite like or find it unappealing how wild some characters tend to act in comedic animes, I highly suggest Honey and Clover. A slice of life anime in every sense of the word.

I only said this like three times or so in this thread alone. H&C is more like a collegiate anime (yes, it's becoming a subgenre) + romance. I think true slice of life is more meandering and nonsequitur/episodic like Aria is. As for other collegiate anime, there's Moyashimon and Nodame Cantabile. I think they were all made for the same TV station.

Speaking of collegiate theme, it tends to be more serious and adult-oriented because it's based on colleges. Sounds shallow, but it's true. With highschool anime, you get the usual school fare, the bullying, school trips, the gym meets, etc. It tends to be more eccentric for college based shows.

Speaking of slice of life animes, even if it's incorrect to say, I'd have to suggest Hajime no Ippo too. It's a sports anime and the fights aren't as cliche and riduculous as in Prince of Tennis and drawn out as in Slam Dunk. It's one of the only sports anime I ever really liked because it was considerably very down to earth unlike Ring Ni Kakero...

Boxing anime wise, Ashita no Joe is the best and the most classic one. I wouldn't be surprised if Million Dollar Baby was at least in part inspired by it. I don't think there is a concerted fansubbing effort for it yet though.

Ippo is also ridiculously better on manga form.

[Tock]

Wow, I definatly wasn't expecting the level of the responses to be to such a high degree. I went ahead and saw Ghost in the Shell, which I found pretty entertaining, the sole exception being some of the main character's voice acting which was pretty atrocious. Anyways, I think I'll check out Cowboy Beebop, which is one of the few that I'd heard about before really looking into anime. That or Batman, because he's one of my favorite superheroes and I feel bad for Mark Hamil's post Star Wars career.

[Soma]

If you're going to recommend Trust and Betrayal you might as well recommend Reflection. It's not as awesome but if you like the Characters of Rurouni Kenshin you might as well watch what happens in the end.

[Overflow]

I've seen a few good anime movies, like the myazaki movies(Spirited away, princess mononoke, etc), Steamboy and Royal Space Force. The last is pretty old, but has a great theme.

As far as series go, a friend gave me Gundam Seed Destiny, which I thought was pretty good, except the end was really rushed. I saw several pokemon episodes when I was younger, but I know people probably don't even count pokemon as a proper anime, lol.

[Soma]

I've seen a few good anime movies, like the myazaki movies(Spirited away, princess mononoke, etc), Steamboy and Royal Space Force. The last is pretty old, but has a great theme.

As far as series go, a friend gave me Gundam Seed Destiny, which I thought was pretty good, except the end was really rushed. I saw several pokemon episodes when I was younger, but I know people probably don't even count pokemon as a proper anime, lol.

I've seen mention of Batman so Pokemon is definitely in. The best part of Pokemon was how Charizard never did shit because Ash didn't have the badge to control him. That and Brock, he has to be like the most pussy gettingest mofo in the Kanto region.

[Dhsu]

Wow, I definatly wasn't expecting the level of the responses to be to such a high degree.

Anime threads usually get a good response here.

Check out the reviews at Anime Remix too if you're looking for new stuff to watch (and of course anime remixes).

[Z3120]

After watching a few videos posted of the Eminence concerts from youtube before headed to VGL tomorrow (yay), makes me wish Eminence also performed here, or rather, there were concerts that'd perform both video game and anime music. I wish I could hear something like Air TV's Natsukage live.

I really loving the Romeo X Juliet and Song of Storm and Fire that were performed by Eminence.

Romeo X Juliet

Tsubasa Chronicles - Song of Storm and Fire

Edit: should I just remove the videos >.>? They do seems rather big.

[oppoppo]

All I can say is Cowboy Bebop has to be the greatest anime ever. Jet has the best anime personality and dub I've ever seen/heard. Tough macho dude and stern, but still cooks, does chores, and takes care of everyone and everything. The others were so damn ungrateful.

EDIT: Anyone seen Heavy Metal or Heavy Metal: 2000, they're FUCKING AWESOME

[Gafgarion]

Cowboy Beebob has a damn good intro theme.

[The Damned]

EDIT: Anyone seen Heavy Metal or Heavy Metal: 2000, they're FUCKING AWESOME

ANIME. AN. I. ME. Japanese, not American. Are you going to start including Bugs Bunny as well? Hey, why not Pixar's work? That's totally anime, right kawaii desu ne?

This is a micro-rant, so just skip over it if you want.

Ahem.

If you're Japanese, and you're currently living in Japan, then yes, animation in general can be called anime. But if you aren't Japanese, and you aren't living in Japan, then anime only refers to Japanese made animation.

I see this all the fucking time and it annoys the hell out of me. Even the fucking old white men from Merriam-Webster know this. Batman, while cool, is not anime. Disney is not anime. Teen Titans, for all that it wants and tries so hard to be, is not anime.

If it's made in Japan, by Japanese people, and marketed for Japanese consumers, and is in fucking Japanese, it's anime. And don't give me that "anime comes from 'animation', so that means all animation is anime" crap. Shut your otaku-hole, weeaboo. Japan isn't some glorious Awesomeland where all your favorite things become the world standard. Only in Japan does that apply. If you speak english, you're using "animation".

/micro-rant

//self-admitted ex-anime nerd

///came to my senses years ago; realized how much of a fucking weeaboo I was becoming

////slashies!

That said, Bleach is once again quickly catching up to the manga. Are they just going to stretch the remaining action out to allow the manga to catch up; make up some bullshit filler again; or ignore the manga, and shoot right past it? Will we see the show complete the story before the manga? Will they even bother keeping the same story at that point? I've read the manga, and it and the show are almost identical, scene for scene, word for word. I wonder how they will do this.

[chocobo150]

I know anime is Japanese animation, but the definition of it is thinning out. The problem with placing anime as Japan-only is that its influence is already spreading and such. Is Korean animation not anime? Or Chinese animation? How about some animation that are aimed towards American audiences, like Afro Samurai, or American series that sort of pay tribute in artstyle, like Teen Titans or Airbender. I am not trying to spark a flame, but it is just like if someone call everything cartoons, then a bunch of people would throw a fit because there are various reasons why something should be called so-and-so, etc.

[oppoppo]

I know Heavy Metal is American, who the hell couldn't tell. If it was Japanese it would be Heavy Techno-Pop or something. But it's still anime for it's style, the same thing for Aeon Flux and The Boondocks.

Cowboy Beebob has a damn good intro theme.

I second that. I always liked Piano Black, the one that goes "Where's you messiah, w00t" (Blue I think it's called), and 24 HOURS OPEN.

EDIT: I just uploaded 24 HOURS OPEN to youtube because no one had it on there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHDw1dteigA