Forums > Off Topic > Anime and manga thread!
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 6/16/2011 10:58 PM · Permalink · Report
I think it's obvious a lot people on Moby like anime and manga. This thread is for discussing anime and manga recommendations, questions, what you're reading\watching exct.
I've been watching a lot ofGenshiken lately. I picked up some dvds of the anime series few weeks ago and I can't stop watching it! I like it so much, I bought a copy of the first manga volume. (My first manga book btw.) So what about you guys?
Zovni (10504) on 6/16/2011 11:11 PM · Permalink · Report
Not a super-duper manga fan here. But I'm currently following the local releases of Monster. Its a great police drama and while it has its weak moments I'm pleased that its not a fanservice turd like most manga out there.
That is something you could say about Gantz, which is the other big manga I'm following. But doing so means ignoring an intriguing and solid sci-fi story where nothing really can be taken for granted. I've been pleasantly surprised by pretty much all the issues so far even if it dives all too often into gore and tits galore.
Indra was here (20752) on 6/16/2011 11:50 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Zovni wrote--]Not a super-duper manga fan here. But I'm currently following the local releases of Monster. Its a great police drama and while it has its weak moments I'm pleased that its not a fanservice turd like most manga out there. [/Q --end Zovni wrote--] Dang it, Zovni. Spent five minutes trying to remember that name and you already mentioned it. Probably the only manga comic I couldn't stop reading despite it was in Indo (really bad translation) and I don't even like manga that much.
The overall summary is more boring than a conservative trying to be creative, however the actual story has more plot twists in an adventure gamer's wettest dreams.
Zovni (10504) on 6/19/2011 3:25 AM · Permalink · Report
BTW, if you guys are into terror one author that is heavily recommended is Junji Ito. Uzumaki (Spiral) is his most famous work and is extremely creepy and disturbing in a Japanese-Lovecraft sort of way. Have a taste of his kind of madness with The Enigma of Amigara Fault a short story made as a backup feature for one of his books. You can read the whole thing in that link.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 6/19/2011 4:39 AM · Permalink · Report
I read one Junji Ito short years ago and it was so fucked up that I've been wary of ever reading anything by him ever since. Just thinking about it even now makes me cringe.
However, I do recommend Kengo Hanazawa's I Am A Hero, which is not only a damn fine zombie story, but also at times a very chilling indictment of modern Japanese society. If someone starts chewing on your head on a train in Tokyo, don't expect anyone to come to your assistance. Unfortunately the scanlations seem to have stalled, and it's just gotten even more interesting since where they dropped off.
Slug Camargo (583) on 6/20/2011 10:15 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Zovni wrote--]BTW, if you guys are into terror one author that is heavily recommended is Junji Ito. Uzumaki (Spiral) is his most famous work and is extremely creepy and disturbing in a Japanese-Lovecraft sort of way. Have a taste of his kind of madness with The Enigma of Amigara Fault a short story made as a backup feature for one of his books. You can read the whole thing in that link. [/Q --end Zovni wrote--] I tend to follow your manga/anime advice pretty blindly ever since you recommended Paprika, so I went right away and checked these.
Amigara Fault is amazing. Enough can't be said about it. It packs an impressive amount of power in such a small, short story. I can easily see how some people could find it too disturbing to even read, and that's quite a feat for a comic --and the fact that it doesn't resort to the usual easy tricks you see all around (i.e.: ridiculous amount of gore) is very commendable. It's a very clever, genuinely creepy story and I couldn't recommend it enough.
Uzumaki, on the other hand... eeeh... It does start pretty awesome, I'll give it that, but then it falls prey to the plague that ails every manga and their dog: The Unquenchable Thirst For Filler (TM). The first couple episodes are easily on the level of Amigara Fault, but around chapter 4~7 the thing starts taking a nosedive, and by chapter 10 it has become an incredibly stupid, predictable and frankly ridiculous ball of nonsense (the snail-boy episode is downright retarded). It has a slight whiff of X-Files-style cop-out, where there is an interesting backstory buried somewhere in there, but you have to slog through way too many bland episodes of nothingness to get to the next bit of something interesting. Hey, it even has an impossibly stubborn main character that Will Not Believe even if Teh Weird! smacks her in the middle of the nose (or the hair, rather). A shame, really. Maybe if they made an anime out of it; a shorter, more concise and focused version of the thing, it would fix this problem --much as it happened with Akira.
One question, though: What is it that so many people find "Lovecraft" about this? Have I been reading a different Lovecraft or will people just strap that name in front of anything that's remotely horrorish? Because I sure fail to see any but the most tenuous connection here.
Zovni (10504) on 6/21/2011 5:14 PM · Permalink · Report
Well I'm glad you like it. As for Uzumaki you are right in the sense that the second act is a very different beast from the beginning and ending, but I'd hardly say its filler material. Rather that the main storyline is put on hold and instead you get all of these seemingly unrelated "Twilight Zone" episodes that build the atmosphere and characterization but don't really advance the story. I find nothing wrong with that specifically because its a rather short manga (really 3 tomes only) and since a lot of the stuff gets picked back up later on, I feel the ¨filler¨ was planned or at the very least serves a tangible purpose. Of course if you want the story to proceed in a straightforward manner without tangential distractions I can understand how that might irk you. If you left it at chapter 10 I would seriously recommend you to pick it back up as you are a couple of chapters away from jumping back to the ¨main¨ story if you can call it that, and the third act is a much more straightforward affair that deserves to be experienced. If you thought all hell broke loose before wait until you see how things fare afterwards. Don't mean to spoil it for you but if you liked Amigara then you really owe it to yourself to see how Uzumaki ends, you'll find a lot of similar themes and connections.
I don't think any of Ito's work has been adapted, but they did make a movie out of Uzumaki. It has a few clever moments, and it definitely feels like a more condensed version if that's what you are looking for. However the ending and the entire 3rd act are completely different in the manga and movie, and the manga is undoubtedly superior in that respect.
As for the Lovecraft connection, well if you read Lovecraft you'll recognize the themes of ¨Unexplainable eldritch horrors wrecking havoc on a small, isolated community¨ and the idea of horror themes that warp the perceived notions of reality born out of the seemingly innocuous corruptions of mundane episodes and situations. The narration is also very much stepped in Lovecraftian tradition, as in following a certain character's often unreliable account of events that supercede his/her comprehension. Heck, Kurouzu city could have been easily placed in New England and if you look back you'll see that in the very first page the narration starts as a last account after a dreadful event as in many Lovecraft stories...(in this case, it becomes another subtly disturbing touch when you take the ending into account).
There are certainly lots of other writers that use similar themes. Stephen King himself is no stranger to ¨Big secret in small town¨-kind of stories, but the influence is very clear to me in this case.
Zovni (10504) on 6/21/2011 5:35 PM · Permalink · Report
BTW: your mention of Akira made me remember another great work of Otomo that I highly recommend: "Domu", aka Nightmares aka Children's Dreams or Children's Nightmares depending on where in the world you live. Many know it as Akira version 0.5 with psychic duels set on a modern-day apartment complex rather than a dystopian future. But its really a more personal tale of everyday horror plus some brushes with the supernatural and deals with some surprisingly mature themes such as the true nature of childhood innocence rather than being a 2000-page apocalyptic sci-fi epic. (its also a self-contained, single tome story, so no filler here ;)
Slug Camargo (583) on 6/24/2011 3:24 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Re: Uzumaki: It's not so much that the standalone stories shoot out on a tangent, but that many of them are really really weak; to the point they not only are not scary or disturbing, they're just plain dumb.
That said, I just finished reading the whole thing and it does get really good towards the ending, and I have to admit it even gives those retarded human snails a reason to be there.
And I also have to hand it to you, you're kinda right about the Lovecraft thing: I was about to retort that during the first two thirds of story it's just as much Stephen King (maybe even more so), but then there is a rather clear Lovecraft connection in the final episodes.
So if you feel like recommending anything on a similar vein, I'm all ears.
Oh, and I do know Domu :D I actually bought the first Spanish edition back in the early years of the Japanese invasions, and indeed it has stood throughout the years as one of the (if not simply the) best mangas/animes I've ever known. In fact, that's part of my problem with all things Japanese: I started with a couple of ridiculously good works, and so every other thing I came to know afterwards was a step down. Or two.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 6/25/2011 12:12 AM · Permalink · Report
That sounds like me. I like to actually own the dvds or books. Some things just feel wrong watching\reading online.
Maw (832) on 9/20/2011 12:04 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I'm late to this party, but I recently became a fairly steady Junji Ito fan myself.
Gyo and Uzumaki were excellent. Amigara Fault was my gateway drug (that "drr...drr...drr..." thing has become an internet meme, check Google), and lots of his other short works deliver the goods too.
Has anyone read Hellstar Remina (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/hellstar_remina/v01/c001/1.html)? It's more of a sci-fi story, although with plenty of classic Junji-style horror (the scenes where they're exploring the planet are solid gold!). Obeying the laws of physics is always a low priority in Junji's stories and this one is even worse than normal, there's at least a couple of moments so implausible that it actually breaks the suspense. Oh well. Still a very good manga.
Somebody bring me Sisko! (8) on 6/17/2011 2:43 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Zovni wrote--]Monster[/Q --end Zovni wrote--] Hmm... Madhouse made this into an anime. OMG, it even features an East German Kinderheim of Horrors! Sold.
Anyway, as connoisseur of quality animation and illustration, here's just what I currently watch or have recently finished, and would therefore recommend:
Sengoku period piece; based on Kyokutei Bakin's thirty years' war with the word. It details the adventures of eight samurai brothers and their struggle for honor and everything else a samurai usually struggles for. 13 episode OVA, '93-'95, click here for the intro.
Another samurai themed work, early Edo days this time. Based on the Yamaguchi manga of same title, itself inspired by a novel. Audio-visual porn from Madhouse, detailing the intrigues of a samurai tournament's participants. Only stay away if you are scared of badass. 12 episodes originally aired in '07, opening sequence here.
Naughty old men rule the world!
Zovni (10504) on 6/21/2011 5:18 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start FrakesJoe (NSDSP) wrote--]
Naughty old men rule the world! [/Q --end FrakesJoe (NSDSP) wrote--] Hehehe. That first Vagina-dentata demon is still a milestone animé moment to this day. Definitely one of the most moody and well developed exploitation/horror title around.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 6/17/2011 2:19 AM · Permalink · Report
Anime sucks. Manga is pretty awesome though.
I hate reading anything that's still ongoing though. If I'm going to read it, I want to read it to the end at my own pace, not wait two-to-ten months for a few more chapters to inch the story forward. Thus, my favorites are mostly stuff from the '90s. I suppose I can list off a few recommendations, though.
Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo) -- Gets no more classic than this. Absolutely epic, full of amazingly detailed depictions of crumbling cities and likably unlikeable characters. Diverges wildly from the plot of the movie, but every bit as good. Domu: A Child's Dream is a smaller story but also quite good.
Blame! (Tsutomu Nihei) -- Rather sparse on plot, but one of the most moody and atmospheric things I've ever read. Nihei's artwork is fantastic, especially as this is from before when he started using CG.
Dragon Half (Ryusuke Mita) -- RPG/swords-n-sorcery send-up where the main character is the daughter of a retired dragon hunter and...a dragon. She's in love with a pop idol who is also a dragon slayer. His name is Dick Saucer. Yeah. It's silly.
Slam Dunk (Takehiko Inoue) -- I don't much care about sports in general, but this is pretty much the perfect example of a shonen manga. Believable progression, likable characters, and great artwork. Even if you don't like basketball, give this one at least a look...it really is fantastic.
Battle Angel Alita (Yukito Kishiro) -- The original cyberpunk manga. One of the fastest-moving manga I've ever read, and the only manga several of my friends have ever liked. The sequel Last Order retcons the original ending and is best avoided.
Outlanders (Joji Manabe) -- A space opera full of love, death, and betrayal. One of the series that got me into manga. A bit dated, but still a great read. If you like it, check out Caravan Kidd by the same author.
If I wasn't limiting myself to stuff I know is available in English, I could easily come up with a much longer list.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 6/17/2011 12:45 PM · Permalink · Report
Why do you think anime sucks? I know there's tons of crap to dig through to get to the good stuff, but there's a lot still worth watching. Until recently I've was always highly inconsistent in watching anime, but I always seemed to find good stuff whenever I did. Ergo Proxy, NGE, Rurouni Kenshin, Gundam Wing, Akira , and anything by Miyazaki. Is there any anime you like?
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 6/18/2011 1:31 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Of course. Akira, Slayers, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, Lupin the Third. Almost everything Studio Ghibli has done. But at my job I get constantly exposed to all the most pandering moe/fanservice/market-tested junk, so I'm just a little bit jaded at this point. :P
I'm still miffed about Ikkitosen going for 3+ seasons while Tenjo Tenge got cut short. Also that Zeroin doesn't seem like it will even get an anime adaptation. :(
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 6/19/2011 3:13 PM · Permalink · Report
Even though I've known of it for a while, I've never really checked out One Piece. I saw a few episodes on Toonami years ago, and wasn't very impressed. I read somewhere the manga was better. Can anybody confirm that? I ask because I'm thinking about buying Shonen Jump, and One Piece always seems like it's on the cover.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 6/19/2011 9:48 PM · Permalink · Report
One Piece falls squarely into the focus-tested category for me. It's ridiculous how popular it is. Most figures we get in at work we get four, maybe six pieces of the big stuff. If it's something hot like Black Rock Shooter or Bakemonogatari, perhaps a dozen. One Piece? 150pcs at minimum. And they sell!
I really don't know what it is. The art style kinda weirds me out, and as a friend of mine put it, it's like a comedy with no straight man to balance things out. I'm also not sure if it's sure how seriously it wants to be taken (or take itself).
I haven't read or watched it myself, but with that big of a fandom, there must be something compelling about it.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 6/20/2011 2:08 AM · Permalink · Report
I just ordered volume one, so I'll find out soon. There aren't any good book stores left around here sadly. And the last one that closed carried manga too! Err.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 6/20/2011 3:03 AM · Permalink · Report
Probably because nobody buys manga in bookstores, they just sit on the floor blocking the aisle, read them all, and then put them back on the wrong shelf. :P
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 6/20/2011 11:59 AM · Permalink · Report
Just like the guys who read graphic novels (Almost always DC ones.), and refuse to move so you can look, even when you ask them. 8D
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 6/25/2011 10:51 PM · Permalink · Report
I finished vol. 1 of One Piece. Man it moves fast! I finished it one sitting! It's pretty over the top. But not so over the top that it turns ridiculous. Perhaps I'm a sucker for nautical themes, but I really love the setting so far. Adventure on the high seas with a dream every body says is impossible I find compelling for some reason. Also, Straw Hat Pirates is really cool name for a band of pirates. 8)
Игги Друге (46653) on 6/25/2011 10:56 PM · Permalink · Report
If you're going to watch anime, your best bet is to try anything from the year 1979, the best year in the anime industry ever.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 6/26/2011 12:02 AM · Permalink · Report
I take it you're a fan of Tomino and Matsumoto?
Игги Друге (46653) on 6/27/2011 3:28 AM · Permalink · Report
And, above those, of Dezaki.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 6/27/2011 8:08 AM · Permalink · Report
You are truly a man of impeccable taste, good sir.
Donatello (466) on 7/6/2011 6:07 PM · Permalink · Report
On a related note, I finished with Mobile Suit Gundam recently. I thought it was pretty good until and could even forgive the "battle of the week" format, but I thought the ending was quite a cop out. But I heard that's a typical case of mecha series back then because they used to run out of money by the time final episodes came around.
Zovni (10504) on 6/29/2011 3:58 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Игги Друге wrote--]And, above those, of Dezaki. [/Q --end Игги Друге wrote--]
That reminds me: Space Adventure Cobra is one of the coolest animés ever. I really need to watch that again.
PS: looks like they are pitching a live-action movie of Cobra: Kinda like that promo poster actually:
Somebody bring me Sisko! (8) on 6/26/2011 5:03 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Игги Друге wrote--]If you're going to watch anime, your best bet is to try anything from the year 1979, the best year in the anime industry ever. [/Q --end Игги Друге wrote--]
As I've never watched Okabe's TV adaption of Anne Frank's diary I wonder how it compares to the '95 adaption.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 6/27/2011 12:36 AM · Permalink · Report
I came across some clips from Fist of the North Star today on YouTube. It was so depressing and gritty looking I thought it was from the late 70s. Not only was it depressing, it was needlessly gory too. The whole heads exploding stuff was more disturbing than Ralph Bakshi. (To me anyway.) I simply don't understand the appeal of something so completely depressing. Why is it so popular?
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 6/27/2011 12:54 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
I liked Fist of the North Star because you have this horrible, post-apocalyptic world filled with terrible people, and you have one guy beating the hell out of those terrible people trying to make that world a better place. You can't help but root for Kenshiro and his friends as they try to find peace. Though it really is a sign of the times that it was originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. No problem at all having kids reading this stuff.
I mentioned it earlier in this thread, but for some fantastically oppressive atmosphere, check out Blame! by Tsutomu Nihei. It's about as meandering a story as you can get, but I really feel that works in its favor.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 6/27/2011 1:21 AM · Permalink · Report
I find the real world depressing enough sometimes. I tend to avoid stuff like that in general. (Example-Mad Max.) I'm not saying it's bad, just not my thing.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 6/27/2011 8:10 AM · Permalink · Report
In that case, go read Dr. Slump instead. :)
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 6/27/2011 10:46 PM · Permalink · Report
I thought I recognized him from Dragon Ball. I'll have to check it out now! Thanks djsw!
Somebody bring me Sisko! (8) on 6/27/2011 8:58 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
You could also watch hentai and laugh your ass off.
OR...
As a blanket for a tender heart, I suggest Kojika Monogatari, available here as English dub. The first anime I ever watched.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 7/2/2011 11:28 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
The first anime I ever watched was Tom Sawyer. I can't remember who it was by, and that ,bizarrely, it aired on a christian only channel. (My mom was thoroughly convinced that the Rug Rats and anything else on Nick would turn us into little monsters.) Good thing she never watched CN much, or my sister and I might have never seen anything good. :)
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 8/17/2011 2:52 AM · Permalink · Report
It's official. I'm a fan of One Piece! I picked up volume 2 and the last two issues of Shonen Jump recently and I can't get enough! It's still really over the top at times, but it has a certain charm to it. All the characters have heart, and you can't help but root for them. Now if only I had the money for the other 50+ volumes...
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 8/17/2011 3:50 AM · Permalink · Report
I've been watching a different Lupin the Third movie every Friday for the last few months. There's so many of them, and most of them are really good! Even the bad ones are still fun to watch. Plus it's something familiar yet different every time, as it's the same characters but different directors and writers for each movie. Some of them are really out there (seriously, angry nanomachines made of gold dust?) but they're rarely dull.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 8/17/2011 10:52 PM · Permalink · Report
Didn't Miyazaki do a Lupin movie? I seem to remember reading that somewhere. As for me, I've watched Genshiken pretty much every weekend since I got it, to the point where I can watch it in Japanese and not even look at the subtitles to know what's being said. But last weekend I picked up season 3 of Dragon Ball, so I suppose I'll be watching that for a while.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 8/18/2011 5:07 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start DANIEL HAWKS ! wrote--]Didn't Miyazaki do a Lupin movie? I seem to remember reading that somewhere.[/Q --end DANIEL HAWKS ! wrote--]Yeah, Castle of Cagliostro was his directorial debut. Fantastic film.
Игги Друге (46653) on 8/18/2011 2:16 PM · Permalink · Report
My favourite remains Secret of Mamu. It is true to the Lupin mindset and the 70s B-movie tradition.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 8/18/2011 9:51 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I haven't seen that one yet, but I'll put it next in line. I've particularly liked Voyage to Danger, Dead or Alive, and Operation Return the Treasure so far. I find the different takes on the Lupin character to be one of my favorite things about the franchise as a whole: There's no one "true" Lupin, and the character has changed a lot since the '60s.
Edit: Relevant desk shot. Zenigata is awesome. That is all.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 10/4/2011 10:51 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I finished watching season 3 of Dragon Ball. I have to say, it felt rather phoned in at points. Everyone but Goku and Bulma felt as if they were acting like caricatures of themselves early on. I know Roshi is pervy old man! Quit making use of it in every scene he's in! The fight at Babas didn't make much sense. Why would Roshi deliberately send them into danger and then worry about their chances? Especially Goku. He himself said after the fight with the Red Ribbon Army that he was practically invincible, and probably stronger than him. The last fight makes it all worth it though. Near the end it gets good again, but it ends there! Continued until season 4! Err...Still, I thought it was pretty good, but I hope season four is as knock out as the first two.
As for manga, I picked up volumes five, six, and seven of One Piece. Every bookstore I've been to doesn't have volume three and four. Ever! I was going to check out Bakuman and Yotsuba&! but I didn't bring enough money. Drat! Also somewhat related, I tried Pocky for the first time. I wish there was a store locally that sold it, because this stuff is awesome!
Zovni (10504) on 10/5/2011 12:35 PM · Permalink · Report
That's Dragonball for you. I've stayed clear of One Piece, but all sings point to it being Dragon Ball for the post-Naruto crowd. With even more ADD. Believe It!
Since I've gotten a Kindle I've been perusing what I can upload to it so I've been reading 3x3 Eyes. Dig the supernatural vibe so far.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 10/5/2011 11:52 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I watched the first season of Naruto on Toonami when it was still on. It was kinda "meh" for me. I never found it compelling after the first few episodes. Initially, I had the same reaction to One Piece. Little did I know that was the 4Kids version, and that it was extensively censored and mis-translated, so I wrote it off as kiddy stuff. (See this video.)
For what ever reason, I decided to check out the manga. What a world of difference! It's really violent, and pretty bloody at times too, and I've only read a few volumes! The humor is fast paced, and a bit over the top, but not to the point of being absolutely ridiculous. It also has a lot of heart too. That part with the dog in volume two brought tears to my eyes.
I think you might like it you give it a read.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 10/6/2011 5:00 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start DANIEL HAWKS ! wrote--]I finished watching season 3 of Dragon Ball. I have to say, it felt rather phoned in at points. Everyone but Goku and Bulma felt as if they were acting like caricatures of themselves early on. I know Roshi is pervy old man! Quit making use of it in every scene he's in! The fight at Babas didn't make much sense. Why would Roshi deliberately send them into danger and then worry about their chances? Especially Goku. He himself said after the fight with the Red Ribbon Army that he was practically invincible, and probably stronger than him. The last fight makes it all worth it though. Near the end it gets good again, but it ends there! Continued until season 4! Err...Still, I thought it was pretty good, but I hope season four is as knock out as the first two.
As for manga, I picked up volumes five, six, and seven of One Piece. Every bookstore I've been to doesn't have volume three and four. Ever! I was going to check out Bakuman and Yotsuba&! but I didn't bring enough money. Drat! Also somewhat related, I tried Pocky for the first time. I wish there was a store locally that sold it, because this stuff is awesome! [/Q --end DANIEL HAWKS ! wrote--] If you're looking for a good, fun shonen action series that isn't Dragon Ball, I'd recommend checking out Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple. If you can get past the rather ridiculous fanservice (there's approximately three major female characters that don't have at least a D-cup) there's some real interesting characterization and a lot of wacky humor. The main character is described as having "zero natural talent, he just works really hard" and being "highly skilled at getting beat up". The progression follows your standard shonen formula -- fighting tournament here, enemy becoming friendly rival there -- but it's very thoughtfully put-together. At least the manga is, anyway, can't speak for the anime.
Also, its tvtropes page is chock full of aversions, subversions, and inversions, which alone makes it an interesting example to me. :)
Also also, Bakuman! Very yes! I love that series. Melodramatic as hell, but you should expect no less from the creators of Death Note.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 10/6/2011 12:50 PM · Permalink · Report
Kenichi looks pretty interesting, so I'll to add it to my reading list. Thanks djsw!
Maw (832) on 10/6/2011 10:47 AM · Permalink · Report
I caught a lot of DBZ when I was a kid. It's a good show, very stylish and entertaining. With that said, man they like to milk things.
I seem to recall that they spent like four sagas killing Frieza...and then at the start of the Trunks Saga he comes back again.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 10/6/2011 12:55 PM · Permalink · Report
DBZ takes forever to move along. I never made it past the first Frieza saga. Quit talking and fight already!
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 10/6/2011 11:44 PM · Permalink · Report
BWAHAHA!
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 10/7/2011 5:44 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start DANIEL HAWKS ! wrote--]DBZ takes forever to move along. I never made it past the first Frieza saga. Quit talking and fight already! [/Q --end DANIEL HAWKS ! wrote--] This is what happens when you have a weekly manga and a weekly anime running side by side. You can fit a lot more content in 20 minutes than you can in 20 pages. See also: Naruto, Bleach, and to a lesser extent One Piece.
Supposedly Dragonball Kai tunes the pace up to be closer to the manga, but the manga is still pretty damn slow. I have no idea if it helps at all.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 10/7/2011 10:03 PM · Permalink · Report
I've been watching DBZ Kai every Saturday on 4Kids. (There's nothing else on during Saturday morning. I apologize for nothing.) It STILL takes forever to move along, but not quite as bad as before.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 10/8/2011 6:49 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start DANIEL HAWKS ! wrote--]I've been watching DBZ Kai every Saturday on 4Kids. (There's nothing else on during Saturday morning. I apologize for nothing.) It STILL takes forever to move along, but not quite as bad as before. [/Q --end DANIEL HAWKS ! wrote--] Man, after a 45+ hour work week, all I want to do on a Saturday morning is sleep. D:
The upshot of Kai is that it strips out the random filler episodes that were often more entertaining than the main storyline. I think my favorite parts of Z were the random side stories with neglected characters like Krillin or Yamcha.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 10/9/2011 5:07 AM · Permalink · Report
Wow. Just watched Lupin the Third: Green vs Red. Good lord, what a complete clustersuck. "Moody" and "introspective" are simply not adjectives that should be used to describe Lupin. The concept should have turned out great -- Lupin vs an army of Lupin imitators -- but it ended up just completely boring and incoherent. Plus Zenigata got to be a mouthpiece for someone's anti-nuclear-weapons rant. It's like a distillation of everything I dislike about modern "serious" anime.
On the flipside, last week I watched The Last Job, which has a similarly hazardous premise, but ended up being massively entertaining. And I say this as a Zenigata fan! Seeing that it was made just last year gives me hope that anime with the same carefree fun-loving spirit that made some of the greats from the '80s and '90s so memorable can still be made. It feels like it was made in 1994, in the best possible way.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 10/20/2011 9:49 PM · Permalink · Report
Apparently Shonen Jump is not making print copies of their magazine anymore next year. Why does everything I take an interest in suddenly get canceled?
Pseudo_Intellectual (66423) on 10/20/2011 10:33 PM · Permalink · Report
Because you are the diametric opposite of a hipster.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 10/21/2011 1:23 AM · Permalink · Report
Meaning I actually care Pseudo baka chan sama? ;)
Pseudo_Intellectual (66423) on 10/21/2011 2:21 AM · Permalink · Report
Hipsters like it BEFORE anyone else likes it. You like it AFTER.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 10/21/2011 2:32 AM · Permalink · Report
Ahh...ok. I purposely try to not investigate hipster culture. LATFH alone scarred me for life. :D
Игги Друге (46653) on 10/22/2011 3:01 AM · Permalink · Report
I thought Last job was just as poor as any Lupin TV special.
Have you seen ルパン対複製人間 yet?
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 10/22/2011 8:13 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Yeah, watched that one a couple months ago. It was definitely a very different style from all the other films. Very, very '70s. Perhaps it's because I'm not that familiar with the original comics (or the TV series for that matter), but it didn't really click with me. Then again, I've never really had the patience for the more deliberate pacing in older Japanese films anyway. An excellent piece of work, but I personally prefer the silliness of the later films.
Today's choice was The Fuma Conspiracy. The story was mindless fluff, the animation was great, though the thing I took away from it was: "Man, it's weird hearing these characters with different voices." Furukawa doesn't pull off a very convincing Lupin.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 11/29/2011 2:27 AM · Permalink · Report
I've thoroughly watched my DB sets to death, so I decided to watch some NGE. I first saw it on Toonami's Giant Robot Week, and until last year, never saw it again. I picked up the first dvd volume last year and only watched it a few times. (Just four episodes.) Over the weekend, I decided to watch it again. All I can say is I MUST see the rest of this series!
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 11/29/2011 4:12 AM · Permalink · Report
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Proof that mixing haphazard biblical references, emotionally disturbed protagonists, and giant fuckin' robots is a surefire formula for Great Art™ that also sells lots of plastic toys.
I liked it well enough in high school, though what I like best about it is that it resulted in the creation of FLCL afterwards because the creators were sick of working on depressing stuff.
Игги Друге (46653) on 11/30/2011 3:18 AM · Permalink · Report
I've seen FLCL two times, and I never understood what's good about it. I'd rather watch a random show from 2011, and that says a lot.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 11/30/2011 4:11 AM · Permalink · Report
It's fun, it knows it's fun, you can tell the people making it had fun, and it doesn't get bogged down in the details. That's pretty much it.
Oh, and The Pillows.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 11/29/2011 1:32 PM · Permalink · Report
They did FLCL? I never knew that! I saw the series collection on sale once, but decided to pass it up for DB. Probably not the best decision I've ever made.
Perfil Falso (774) on 12/5/2011 7:51 PM · Permalink · Report
My new vice is One Piece.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 12/8/2011 3:55 AM · Permalink · Report
Another One Piece fan!
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 12/8/2011 4:13 AM · Permalink · Report
Speaking of which, I saw this go up for preorder a few days ago, and couldn't help but laugh. First time I've ever seen a girlie figure holding a slice of pizza. :P
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 12/8/2011 1:07 PM · Permalink · Report
Hehe, that is kinda funny. Wish I knew who it was, but I haven't gotten that far in the series yet.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 1/9/2012 4:42 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
I intended to play Deus Ex this weekend, but I somehow ended up watching anime. First, I watched Interstella 5555. I knew it wasn't going to be a high budget affair, but wow, there was just some really bad effects in it. The whole thing ran at a somewhat high frame rate, cheesy editing effects, things moving too fast, exct. But for what it is, I enjoyed it. I finally got to see what happened after the fourth Daft Punk video after all these years. :)
Next, I watched the first half of Outlaw Star. I love it! I only watched it once or twice when it was on Toonami, and I can't believe I missed this. It's everything I love about anime! Action, adventure, and just enough seriousness without dragging down the humor.
Then I somehow ended up watching Squid Girl. I have no idea what I was thinking when buying this. After the most annoying theme song I've ever heard, I could only manage a minute or so. I just find the style really off putting. (Moe?) I'll try it again later, but man, what a bad first impression.
Next up is Queen Emeraldas and Zoids Century Zero. Why Zoids? Because I watched it as a kid and I have the compulsive need to re-watch everything from my childhood, plus, it was AWESOME!
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 1/9/2012 7:07 AM · Permalink · Report
I'd say unless you have a personal recommendation from someone or it involves people you already like other work from, avoid any anime made in the last eight years or so.
I started writing a bigass rant about how fansubs have completely destroyed the creative state of the industry, but I'm getting depressed just thinking about it.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 1/9/2012 7:17 AM · Permalink · Report
On a slightly lighter note, I've finished watching pretty much every one of the Lupin III films that my friend has been able to track down. Last night we watched the most recent one which aired last month -- it says something that I already can't remember what it was called.
(Hypocrisy alert: Watched a fansub of it. Justification: Not a lot of other options when nobody else I know speaks Japanese.)
I didn't like it at all. Several major characters have new voice actors. Fujiko's new VA sounds pretty close to the old one, but Zenigata's...ugh. His lines were painful to listen to. I understand that the original VAs are all getting quite far up there in the years, but they could have cast someone a little closer to Naya.
But beyond that, the animation was subpar, the script was awful and filled with needless exposition, and the general story was completely nonsensical. After The Last Job, which I quite liked, this was a major letdown. Not as outright terrible as Green vs Red, but I think this is the only time I've ever come close to nodding off during one of these films.
Please, Funimation, if you decide to bring more of these films over...don't bring this one.
Игги Друге (46653) on 1/10/2012 3:34 AM · Permalink · Report
Yes, "Eien no mermaid" was quite awful. Stiff animation, cutesy character design and no Gorô Naya as Zenigata. You can pick a Lupin TV episode at random and it will be better-looking and more humorous.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 1/10/2012 4:26 AM · Permalink · Report
Not to mention that extended cameo at the end by The Incredible Hulk. I don't know what the hell they were thinking.
Игги Друге (46653) on 1/10/2012 8:46 PM · Permalink · Report
The only redeeming point was the connection to Lupin I.
Lain Crowley (6629) on 1/12/2012 5:19 AM · Permalink · Report
I don't see what fansubs have to do with the industry becoming an inbred dinosaur designed only to cater towards emotionally stunted fetishists with the unlimited disposable income needed to purchase character goods.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 1/12/2012 6:22 AM · Permalink · Report
Mostly because those emotionally-stunted fetishists are the only only ones who actually put money into the industry. Everyone else downloads 0-day subs and buys knockoff Naruto headbands. The studios go where there's money to be made.
Yes, I know I'm generalizing, and yes, I know this is part of a larger entitlement issue with youth today, but it's still depressing. And, you know, speaking of emotionally-stunted fetishists... ;)
Lain Crowley (6629) on 1/12/2012 7:55 AM · Permalink · Report
The reason why the industry currently caters to its minuscule audience has to do with pocket books, yes, but that not how it got into this mess. Anime was a bubble created by Japan's post-war population boom. When the children of the 70s became the adults of the 80s they had the disposable income to spend on ludicrously expensive OAVs. That generation is directly responsible for the amount of quality content that came out of that time. The problem is that this generation was a one-time deal. The children of the 80s and 90s had video games and the children of the recent decade have the internet. Anime has had its market split, and has not made the attempt necessary to become dominant over its competitors.
Fansubbing could have saved the industry. It brought anime to a global audience, and saved a lot of companies, for a time, in the 90s. But that bubble burst too once the backlog of the 80s had been burned through and japanese companies demanded japanese prices for current series. Every attempt to charge japanese prices in the US, the largest anime market in the world, has failed, universally, and the response to this has never been to learn anything, but to just give up and shut down their american branch.
Manga's in just as bad a spot. The industry has absolutely no idea how to deal with the internet, and instead ignores it almost entirely. Worse than that they have no idea how to keep themselves relevant. When Dragon Ball ended it almost took Shonen Jump, and all the other anthologies, with it. They were miraculously spared by the arrival of One Piece, and bolstered by Naruto and Bleach, but those three tent poles are supporting the entire industry. That is why One Piece will never end.
Somebody bring me Sisko! (8) on 1/12/2012 2:10 PM · Permalink · Report
That's one part. The other is declining talent.
Игги Друге (46653) on 1/13/2012 8:15 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start FrakesJoe (NSDSP) wrote--]That's one part. The other is declining talent. [/Q --end FrakesJoe (NSDSP) wrote--]
You're right in a way, what with entire episodes of Macross F being done even at genga level in Korea, or with more people named Nguyen than Yamada on the staff of recent series.
On the other hand, the number of minutes of animation produced each year is higher now than in any year in the "golden age" of Japanese animation. And even though the industry has a hard time attracting talent, never mind keeping it and feeding it, there are more specialist animation schools now than in the 80s. Of course, those going to those schools are not necessarily talented, and they're certainly not as cheap as Nguyen, but they will do their best to get a work in the industry, even though it turns out to be as animator on "Chû-bra" or "Rô-kyû-bu". Thus you have dozens of forgettable fan-service series with sub-par animation and those with talent go to work for Square-Enix since they won't have to compete for their wages with Nguyen and the otaku graduates from Yoyogi Animation School.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 1/13/2012 6:27 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Lain Crowley wrote--]The reason why the industry currently caters to its minuscule audience has to do with pocket books, yes, but that not how it got into this mess. Anime was a bubble created by Japan's post-war population boom. When the children of the 70s became the adults of the 80s they had the disposable income to spend on ludicrously expensive OAVs. That generation is directly responsible for the amount of quality content that came out of that time. The problem is that this generation was a one-time deal. The children of the 80s and 90s had video games and the children of the recent decade have the internet. Anime has had its market split, and has not made the attempt necessary to become dominant over its competitors. [/Q --end Lain Crowley wrote--] True, this is certainly the root of the problem, but in a decade and a half there's been virtually nothing done to deal with it. The entire culture surrounding the industry has continually gotten more insular to the point where it's virtually impossible to attract talent (as FrakesJoe so eloquently pointed out). Yes, you need money to produce this stuff -- thus the studios pandering to known lucrative niches -- but it's still perfectly possible to create a quality piece of work that's still marketable with a limited budget if you get creative with where you cut your corners.
[Q --start Lain Crowley wrote--]Fansubbing could have saved the industry. It brought anime to a global audience, and saved a lot of companies, for a time, in the 90s. But that bubble burst too once the backlog of the 80s had been burned through and japanese companies demanded japanese prices for current series. Every attempt to charge japanese prices in the US, the largest anime market in the world, has failed, universally, and the response to this has never been to learn anything, but to just give up and shut down their american branch. [/Q --end Lain Crowley wrote--] I don't believe that fansubs could have done any such thing. They created awareness and a fanbase, yes, but they also fostered a culture that views it as "cool stuff you download for free" -- not a viable commercial product by traditional means. You can get creative with advertising and merchandising, but it's not a simple matter, and it takes a lot of money -- not to mention a great deal of cooperation from the Japanese studios (an exceedingly rare commodity) and a strong product to boot -- to get a project like that off the ground. A commercial production simply can't get out the door as fast as a couple basement-dwellers rushing to get a torrent up.
[Q --start Lain Crowley wrote--]Manga's in just as bad a spot. The industry has absolutely no idea how to deal with the internet, and instead ignores it almost entirely. Worse than that they have no idea how to keep themselves relevant. When Dragon Ball ended it almost took Shonen Jump, and all the other anthologies, with it. They were miraculously spared by the arrival of One Piece, and bolstered by Naruto and Bleach, but those three tent poles are supporting the entire industry. That is why One Piece will never end. [/Q --end Lain Crowley wrote--] I would say manga's not anywhere near in as bad shape as anime is today. Sure, it's moving away from the traditional publisher anthology model, but it's an outmoded model that hasn't changed since the '60s anyway. Many publishers, including Shueisha Kadokawa, have their own subscription services that offer new releases digitally, and it's my understanding that they're actually doing pretty well. Not to mention Ken Akamatsu's ad-supported J-Comi, which created quite a buzz when it launched a few years back and consistently has new titles available weekly.
Игги Друге (46653) on 1/13/2012 3:46 AM · Permalink · Report
The anime industry has never relied much on foreign markets, basically since they're impenetrable. In fact, the main problem of the industry as far as I see it, is that it relies on selling dvds or fan service merchandise, combined with too many studios competing for the same market. Gundam wasn't made to sell Gundam dvds (there were no dvd players back then), it was made to sell toys. Berubara wasn't made to sell dvds, it was made to sell soap or something. And Lupin was made to sell razors and alcohol.
Lain Crowley (6629) on 1/13/2012 7:29 AM · Permalink · Report
Anime might be in a better shape if they could make the commercial slots more valuable, but that would require showing it in a different timeslot than 1:30AM!
CalaisianMindthief (8172) on 1/13/2012 1:34 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Ummm, if you guys need suggestions for good anime from the last 7 years or so, just say so, no need to overreact. Despite how horrible is the fanservice industry, there are still more than a few great (episodic) anime that you absolutely have to watch.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 1/13/2012 2:42 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Ergo Proxy is great, but I haven't seen it in forever! I heard Death Note is pretty good too.
Edit-And Genshiken! Can't forget that!
Игги Друге (46653) on 1/13/2012 8:02 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Yay!!! wrote--]Ergo Proxy is great[/Q --end Yay!!! wrote--]
If, by "great", you mean "worthless".
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 1/13/2012 11:38 PM · Permalink · Report
Say what?
Lain Crowley (6629) on 1/14/2012 7:09 PM · Permalink · Report
If you can enjoy that then more power to you, but when people say that anime from the past decade is crap, then things like ergo proxy and genshiken are the kinds of shows they are trying to avoid.
Somebody bring me Sisko! (8) on 1/15/2012 2:34 AM · Permalink · Report
What's the word on Texhnolyze, anyone here seen it?
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 1/15/2012 3:15 AM · Permalink · Report
It really bugs me when somebody says everything was better in decade\year\era x when that's not true at all. This mindsets blinds them to the gems waiting to be found. Music is a good analogy I think. There is literally tons of shit to wade through, but the gems you find are worth all the relentless searching. Anyway, I just finished watching Outlaw Star, and WOW. The "cyberspace element was kinda cheesy, but I practically held my breath through the whole ending! Probably my favorite series now. :) I also watched Zoids Century Zero. (First volume.) Not really as great as I remembered, but nostalgic nonetheless. Pretty good as a series essentially designed to sell toys I think.
Игги Друге (46653) on 1/16/2012 2:55 AM · Permalink · Report
It really bugs me when someone says that there are a lot of gems to be found in a specific area and then goes on to recommend what is essentially manure from that era.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 1/16/2012 3:20 AM · Permalink · Report
You know what else bugs me? Unnecessarily negative people.
Lain Crowley (6629) on 1/15/2012 7:52 PM · Permalink · Report
I bought the soundtrack just for the cover and it's pretty ace. I have no idea what the show is about.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 1/15/2012 8:15 PM · Permalink · Report
Is that Yoshitoshi ABe?
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 1/16/2012 4:44 AM · Permalink · Report
So yeah, I'm sure some of you guys know this already but i read a lot of untranslated manga raws mostly to keep my reading ability up. Sometimes I find good stuff, sometimes I find some abysmally bad stuff. I keep a list of everything I've read, along with a rating. Figured I'd might as well comment on a few of the ones I've finished recently.
Just today, I finished Jiraiya (Satoru Sao, 2005) which is about a Japanese expat working in "post-war" Afghanistan as a landmine remover. I picked this up along with the rest of Sao's work because I really loved Conveni DMZ. Pretty much everything else he's written has been a military-themed comedy (except Nagisa which was about a lifeguard team), so I was surprised when I started reading this and it turned out to be a pretty serious story. It deals with the tribal infighting and civilian cost of war in the middle east, and though it gets a little preachy I found it was actually quite compelling and even gave a pretty fair treatment to all sides involved. Not the kind of material an American publisher would ever dare to touch. Recommended!
Also read Reisenkikou Shiva (Iku Sakaguchi, 1993) which is...terrible. It tries to be a fanservice battle manga but fails on pretty much all fronts due to the questionable artwork and terrible pacing. The plot relies on deus ex machina an impressive number of times for only lasting three volumes, and there's never really any weight to the proceedings. Things get randomly violent in the last few chapters for no real reason. Avoid!
And last, a few days ago I finished up Atori-shou (Takuya Tashiro, 2005), which is about a half-demon half-human high-schooler who makes a living fighting demons part time. It's not the best thing ever, but it's well-paced and the art is slick, with appropriately grotesque (or sexy (or both)) demons, though many characters' eyes look kind of strange. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of closure for some of the characters, but overall that's a minor complaint. If you're looking for a light supernatural action story, you could do a lot worse. Recommended!
Somebody bring me Sisko! (8) on 1/16/2012 6:18 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start jotaro.raido wrote--]Just today, I finished Jiraiya (Satoru Sao, 2005) which is about a Japanese expat working in "post-war" Afghanistan as a landmine remover. [/Q --end jotaro.raido wrote--] Thanks, that sounds indeed very interesting; was just reading articles about Japanese economical entanglements in Karzai's Afghanistan. Guess this won't be translated soon; may I trouble you about posting some art, and expanding a bit more on the preachy bits?
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 1/16/2012 7:19 AM · Permalink · Report
Mostly it comes from those twinges of naive romanticism that can be found in a lot of Japanese-made military fiction. The author is a self-admitted military otaku, and there are short segments between chapters where he debunks various myths about landmines, but there's also lines like "There are enough landmines out there to blow the legs of every person in Japan!"
Unfortunately, I don't have a scanner anymore, or I'd scan a few pages of it for you.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 1/17/2012 9:01 AM · Permalink · Report
Just finished up Viva Usagi Kozō (Jōji Manabe, 1993) and it's very much a Manabe work. Which is to say: It's fast-paced, action-packed, hilarious, has great characters, slick and detailed art, and a slightly off-kilter conclusion. Maybe not quite as good as Outlanders, but definitely on par with Caravan Kidd and Capricorn. I'm a total Manabe fanboy, so I may be a bit biased, but I swear the guy just doesn't get the respect he deserves.
As for the story itself, it's a comical take on the famous Journey to the West. Son Goku (Sun Wukong) gets partnered with Usagi Kozō, an overweight rabbit who is also the most disgusting, vile, self-centered jerkass you could possibly imagine, and Eilin, a cute and perky tough-gal type whose dragon tattoo hides a pretty big secret. I'm not intimately familiar with the original story, but it seems to follow the general pattern I've seen elsewhere: Goku and his companions are heading towards Tenjiku and encounter endless ranks of friends, foes, and innocent bystanders. Explosions ensue either way. Recommended!
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 1/20/2012 12:37 AM · Permalink · Report
I see you've read the manga version of Outlaw Star. How does it compare to the anime?
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 1/20/2012 4:30 AM · Permalink · Report
It's kinda like a prologue to the main story. It sets up a bunch of stuff but doesn't resolve any of it, and then it ends with "okay now go buy the novels!" as soon as stuff starts really happening. Not worth tracking down unless you're a huge Outlaw Star or Takehiko Ito fan. Ito's art characteristically great, though.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 2/2/2012 3:37 AM · Permalink · Report
Aww, that's kinda disappointing. Still a great series though. I plan on watching it again this weekend.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 1/24/2012 7:58 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Just finished Kūsō Kagaku Edison (Tetsurō Kasahara & Rikao Yanagita, 2000) and wow, this one is really great! It's a light-hearted adventure in the tradition of Studio Ghibli about a girl who leaves her isolated village to find a missing childhood friend, and learn the truth about a mysterious sentient sphere that is found at the bottom of a lake. There's a colorful cast of characters (my favorite is the Dr. Eggman-ish Hawking, a portly pirate dressed in a black suit, bowler hat, and crooked smile) and always something interesting going on. Some of the contraptions the characters come up with are pretty damn inventive. The art is a little crude sometimes, but it's a very pleasing mixture of Hayao Miyazaki and European comic art. Recommended!
CalaisianMindthief (8172) on 1/16/2012 6:52 PM · Permalink · Report
The criticism towards Ergo Proxy and Genshiken really baffles me. They're bad compared to what and what period? I'm not even sure if you guys consider the Blue Gender/Trigun era great or the original MSG era great or maybe the manly era of Hokuto no Ken. I'm also not sure if you guys watched TV series like City Hunter, Kimagure Orange Road or Space Adventure Cobra, to understand that in a lot of way TV anime evolved for the better.
Игги Друге (46653) on 1/18/2012 4:31 PM · Permalink · Report
How did you know that Orange Road and Cobra are some of my favourite series?
CalaisianMindthief (8172) on 1/18/2012 5:52 PM · Permalink · Report
Lol, if you're serious that would be a neat coincidence. I don't really think they're bad. I actually like Space Adventure Cobra, mainly because of the Psychogun and the antagonists. I feel that both Cobra and Kimagure Orange Road are outdated because of their episodic format, where every episode is a story in itself and there's no continuity between them. As for specifically Kimagure Orange Road I also hated the main character, so there might also be a matter of personal preference.
Anyways, now I see why you wouldn't like something like Ergo Proxy, but then again you probably also hate something like Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Hmmm...
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 2/20/2012 3:46 AM · Permalink · Report
I got around to watching Queen Emeraldas today. I thought it was four episodes, but two of them were only released in Japan. SO I paid 30 bucks for a dvd that not only had less episodes than I thought, I didn't care that much for it. The animation and design is amazing, but the story is almost non existent. It's basically just about a boy meeting Emeraldas, getting captured along with the town drunks, escaping, getting a pistol from Emeralsdas and starting to work on his own ship. It's great to look at, but come on! Interstella 5555 had a better story than that! And then there's the voice acting. It's all horribly stilted and mismatched. Some of the female villains would have been a better match for Emeraldas than the actress that ended up voicing her. Sigh
I also watched the complete Genshiken series. I love it even more now than ever! I can't really say why without spoiling anything though. Next up on my list of unwatched anime is DB season 4, and Squid Girl. I want to like SG, but I just can't stand the "moe" style. Stupid squid puns, silly antics, and lots of blue? I'm there! Why moe? The only one I like is Kujubiki Unbalance, and that's only because it's a spin off from Genshiken. Perhaps I'll save it for last.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 2/20/2012 8:07 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Why moe indeed.
I'll admit that there's a few guilty pleasures for me (Zero no Tsukaima and To LOVE-ru, to be specific) but the abundance of moe stylings in so-called "mainstream" anime is a big part of why I've simply stopped bothering to keep up with new releases. Every series has completely interchangeable characters that are often far too sexualized for their given ages. Its continuing popularity proves once again that there is no accounting for taste.
That said, one of my favorite series right now is Zettai Karen Children by Takashi Shiina. Pretty much the entire cast is interesting and fleshed out (beyond the obnoxious American team), the young characters are used in a way that actually supports the story and concept (teenagers are already confused enough without having psychic powers and being responsible for protecting the country), and it takes itself seriously enough to not come across as pandering. Yes, there's panty shots and yes, it's a shonen manga with everything that entails, but it's far more intelligent and well-written than you'd expect. There's not even any exploitative merchandising!
Getting off the moe thread, one of my other favorites right now is Hallelujah Overdrive! by Kotaro Takata, which is about some high school kids that play in bands, and all the rivalries and melodrama that entails. It's overdone in the best way, and I really hope it picks up enough popularity to get an anime adaption. I'd actually watch that!
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 2/22/2012 3:31 AM · Permalink · Report
Everything you said about moe is why I don't like it. Too bad it's so prevalent. Sigh... Onto manga, I FINALLY got volumes 2-4 of Genshiken! I'm only reading one a night though. It's a little wordy at times and takes me longer to go through. One Piece on the other hand, I got around to reading volumes 3-7 a few days ago, and I finished them all in one night. It moves so fast, and keeps you on the edge craving what comes next. There's some filler to be sure, but it never feels boring. Now if only I had more money to get the rest...
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 3/22/2012 9:52 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I finished watching the entire original DB series. The ending was a bit of a let down, but I still liked it. I also picked up a couple standalone dvds. First was Gundam Wing. Funny, I don't remember it being that poorly acted! The action was still great, and there were even 5 episodes on the disk instead of the usual four! Still, that acting. I hope the Japanese audio is better.
The other was Cosmo Warrior Zero. I'm becoming a big fan of Leiji Matsumoto, and this looked like a sure thing. It's a little mixed. The opening animation is a directionless mess, but the music is great. The voice acting is good too. (Steven Jay Blum as Captain Harlock was a huge surprise!) The style is great as always, but the animation is only decent. There are still a lot of cheap effects for the spaceship battles, and things still move too fast sometimes, but it's overall style is good enough to make up for it.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 3/23/2012 2:37 AM · Permalink · Report
Just finished Mahō Tsukai Kurohime (Masanori Katakura, 2000) a few days ago. The basic concept is that the most powerful sorceress in the world (who wields, quite literally, magic bullets) has had her powers and her memories stripped from her for angering the gods, and it follows her journey to find love and kick ass and all that stuff. I really, really liked this one. Despite the blatantly fanservicey character designs (my friend described Kurohime as "Bayonetta if she were actually attractive"), it turns into a sublimely melodramatic and touching story with some unexpected twists. Not to mention there's a lot of great gun action sequences. It's like the ancient Chinese epics mixed with spaghetti westerns viewed through the lens of 2000s-era anime.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 3/23/2012 3:14 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
I know it's kinda late to ask now, but what themes do you look for in anime and manga djsw? I love anything that's a grand adventure, even if it doesn't last long. Outlaw Star, Dragon Ball, Castle in the Sky and One Piece. It also goes to other things like the "Leijiverse". There's just something about it that really captivates me. Perhaps the common theme of self sacrifice, is what I like about it. I also really love slice of life. Perhaps it's a bit voyeuristic, but I just like watching a small group of characters grow, see what direction life takes them in, and get all sad at the end. Genshiken is the only one I've seen or read, but it's left me enamored.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 3/24/2012 3:25 AM · Permalink · Report
Hmm... That's a bit tough for me to pin down. I like adventure, I like action, I like comedy, I like drama, I like a bit of sex and then a bit of drama and/or comedy around the sex, I like innocent fantasy with sprawling imaginative worlds. I like fantasy/sci-fi fusion in the vein of classic Phantasy Star. I like the brash, over-the top visuals common in '80s and '90s works, but I also like more grounded, traditional styles when it suits the story. Even if it doesn't look to my taste, I'll often give just about anything a shot if I've liked something else by the author.
I'm trying to narrow things down in my mind, but I just can't. The series I've been reading recently include slice-of-life melodrama (Hallelujah Overdrive!), over-the-top gun action (Maho Tsukai Kurohime), zombie horror (I Am A Hero), moe psychic battle action (Zettai Karen Children), a relationship drama about anthropomorphic bounty hunters (Hyper Police), a military-themed comedy (Konbini DMZ), and a fanservice-parody historical drama (Manyu Hikencho). Try to sort all that out.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 3/24/2012 3:25 PM · Permalink · Report
I'm not a big horror fan. There a few games and movies I like, but I tend to steer clear of it in general. It either makes me feel really depressed or disgusted. I never understood the appeal. Some other themes that I like are aquatic or mountainous settings. That's why Aria and Shrine of the Morning Mist are what I'm getting next as far as manga goes. I got Welcome to the NHK in the mail yesterday, and I'm probably going to watch it today. It seems just a bit darker than what the description said, but I'll still give it a go. I might as well try watching Squid Girl again too. I suppose it's impossible to avoid moe for ever.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 3/25/2012 12:34 AM · Permalink · Report
I generally don't like horror at all, but I Am A Hero has very strong psychological and social commentary elements to it, too. It's still depressing, but there's a lot of mind trickery at work apart from just the zombies.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 3/25/2012 12:58 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
None
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 3/31/2012 2:55 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
None
CalaisianMindthief (8172) on 3/24/2012 8:37 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Daniel, have you read the Genshiken manga beyond chapter 55? XD
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 3/24/2012 3:26 PM · Permalink · Report
I've seen the anime so I know what happens, but I'm only on volume 5 of the manga. It's a bit more fleshed out, so no spoilers please!
CalaisianMindthief (8172) on 3/24/2012 3:34 PM · Permalink · Report
Well the manga goes beyond the anime. When you'll reach that part, you'll understand why I asked. :D
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 3/24/2012 3:45 PM · Permalink · Report
Hmm... I remember hearing something about that once.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 4/3/2012 12:13 PM · Permalink · Report
I read the first volume of Aria last night. AHHH I love it! I smiled the whole time! Everything about is so relaxed. I really love the art too. Everything has lots of fluid motion, and Akari's expressions when she's excited or shocked are hilarious. I can't wait to get the next volume!
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 4/28/2012 3:25 PM · Permalink · Report
I picked up and watched Cowboy Bebop last weekend. Holy. Freaking. Crap. That was perhaps one of the best shows I've ever seen, anime or not! The animation, the music, the acting, (How can you not love Steven Jay Blum?), everything was excellent! I'm not really sure what to make of the ending though. Anyway, I'm not sure what to get next. I was thinking either Tri Gun or Big-O. Any advice?
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 5/1/2012 4:45 AM · Permalink · Report
I read a lot of '80s manga and that's one thing I find particularly fascinating about exploring different eras of a given cultural thread. There's a lot of parallels with modern stuff, but at the same time there's noticeable differences in tone, outlook, philosophy... Came into possession of some '60s manga recently -- Monkey Punch's original Lupin the Third, as well as Mikiya Mochizuki's Secret Agent JA and Wild Seven -- and I can't wait to find some time to really dig in to them.
For recent reading, I finished up Hyper Police (MEE, 1993) which started out promising and then proceeded to minimize the elements I found interesting. The artist has a very unique style -- almost like anime mixed with European comic art. Shame he only draws porn nowadays. Also read Lucky Raccoon (Yu Kinutani, 1995) which was a wholly unremarkable action series.
Currently working on Aqua Knight (Yukito Kishiro, 1998) which is an incredibly silly little action series from the author of Battle Angel Alita. It's a lot of fun, though I've heard it went on hiatus for Last Order...guess I'll find out soon enough. If we're lucky, he'll come back to this one once he wraps up that trainwreck.
Also reading You & Me (Hiroshi Aro, 1985) which is...also quite silly. Aro has one hell of a knack for stupid gags that are nevertheless hilarious. Shame he only draws porn nowadays (doesn't that sound familiar?).
Klaster_1 (57610) on 5/1/2012 5:32 AM · Permalink · Report
Recently, I've been reading Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken.
Quite an experience, watching series evolve over 25 years and 100+ volumes, when each arc takes different approach in storytelling and pace. With well though battles, live characters, unusual style and crazy abilities it's one of the best shounen manga I've seen yet.
Sadly, you get a little bit exhausted of nonstop action and repeating plot structure. For me, this time came around Stone Ocean (volume 67). Guess I'll have to wait until later parts are fully translated and continue later.
leilei (343) on 5/3/2012 2:13 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
I wonder if theres' anyone otaku enough in this thread to 'recognize' this character i'm doing
because I want to avoid resemblances for legal reasons
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 5/3/2012 4:17 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
My first thought was the Dark Magician Girl from Yu-Gi-Oh. Which isn't really all that close.
Lain Crowley (6629) on 5/6/2012 9:51 PM · Permalink · Report
The bastard child of Zelgadis and Naga?
I've been ignoring anime for awhile, but started watching Zipang on the recommendation of a friend (It's part of a time travel kick which has also gotten me reading SM Stirling and watching The Final Countdown (a movie that wastes its premise but is OK if you want a solid 20 minutes of aircraft carrier porn)). I am really liking it, but I think I might just transition into the manga because the anime does not have the budget to do much with its medium (although that first opening shot of the Yamato was damned terrifying). The show is thankfully aimed squarely at military nerds and spends its time on the characters of military officers rather than romantic triangles or teen angst. For that reason I think it would also work better than many shows for a western audience.
Something else about the show I really like is how all the Americans and British have Japanese dialogue. The show would have just been embarrassing if they'd tried to do those parts in English.
maria lombardo on 5/11/2012 12:45 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
spam
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 5/12/2012 6:50 AM · Permalink · Report
I finished You & Me (Hiroshi Aro, 1984) yesterday, and man... Aro deserves a heck of a lot more respect than he gets. He managed to take a ridiculous gag-a-week concept full of hilariously stupid puns and sight gags, and weave it into a coherent and surprisingly touching relationship story without losing sight of what made it entertaining in the first place. It's a goddamn shame that a whopping three chapters were published in English, and then we got the pandering (though still entertaining) Futaba-kun Change instead. This is easily one of the funniest comics I've ever read, too.
I would LOVE to do an English translation of this one, even though the large number of untranslatable puns (including pretty much every name in the entire series) is alone a daunting proposition.
Pseudo_Intellectual (66423) on 5/12/2012 3:13 PM · Permalink · Report
That never stopped Asterix!
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 6/9/2012 11:35 PM · Permalink · Report
I haven't watched much anime lately, but I did pick up a dvd called Tsukikage Ran. I never heard of it, and it was only 11 bucks, so I went for it. It's goofy and cool at the same time, and I love it! My only mistake was I picked up the last volume, and now I know how it ends before it begins. :/
maria lombardo on 6/15/2012 9:46 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
spam
Donatello (466) on 6/15/2012 9:19 PM · Permalink · Report
I started reading Gantz as well after seeing the live action movies. I'm still in the beginning and pretty much seen all of it in the movie, but boy the characters sure are quite different, especially the main character. In the movie he is sort of indecisive, if a bit confused guy and in the manga he is such an asshole that it's scary. While it features quite a lot of nudity, I don't think it's in terribly bad taste and it's not like every shot is intentionally drawn to feature pantyshots.
All in all, very excited to continue. Really hope to get to the point where the manga starts deviating from the movies, as I read that one of the weaknesses of the movies compared to the manga was that in order to conclude the story they had to make some major changes, some of which are pretty unsatisfying.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 6/17/2012 2:38 PM · Permalink · Report
I finally got a chance to see some of the new Toonami last night. It reuses some stuff from the Tom 3 era, but it's still pretty cool. I have to say though, I don't get the lineup. Full Metal Alchemist, Ghost in the Shell and Cowboy Bebop were already airing, and they only added two new shows. And of the two new shows, one of them was rather horrifying. I found Casshern Sins to pretty interesting though. Still, it's nice to see Toonami back on the air at all.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 6/17/2012 10:16 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start DANIEL HAWKS ! wrote--]And of the two new shows, one of them was rather horrifying.[/Q --end DANIEL HAWKS ! wrote--] I've read the first volume of this series. It's basically a poor man's Gantz with a bit of Battle Royale mixed in. Rather disheartening to hear it was popular enough to get an anime version.
Though I may be a bit biased since a certain psychotic ex-roommate of mine liked it a lot. :P
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 6/17/2012 11:14 PM · Permalink · Report
It also didn't help that Funmation used a lot of the voice actors from DBZK for it. It was weird to hear Vegeta swearing so much. :D
Lain Crowley (6629) on 6/26/2012 2:38 PM · Permalink · Report
You know what I've been watching for the past two months? I've been watching AKB0048.
It is amazing.
It is what every Macross show for the past 20 years has failed to be. It is perhaps the ultimate culmination of the entire Japanese pop culture engine.
It's also a crass marketing ploy, but I don't think its even possible for me to purchase AKB songs in America, so I should be safe.
The elevator pitch: In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only no entertainment. But one group of semi-talented girls with unusual hair colors will fight back against the forces, and giant robots, of oppression using only their hearts, their songs, and synchronized dance.
The best part is I don't even have to say it "gets good" after a few episodes. The first episode starts out crazy, the second episode gets crazier, and the third episode is unbelievable. The show's only failing is that its huge cast (about 15 girls, all protagonists) makes for very little time being able to be spent on individual personalities. They all kind of get merged into a general group personality, which I guess is true of the real AKB too.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 6/26/2012 4:19 PM · Permalink · Report
AKB48 already scares me, this sounds downright frightening.
Donatello (466) on 6/28/2012 9:40 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start 雷堂譲太郎 -jotaro.raido- wrote--]AKB48 already scares me, this sounds downright frightening. [/Q --end 雷堂譲太郎 -jotaro.raido- wrote--]
True that. I happened to see some episodes of a Japanese television drama about math school featuring AKB48 and it was just...just...superbad. I don't mind pop groups if they're done well (South Korea's Girls Generation comes to mind), but from what I've seen, AKB48 is less about the music and more about having a wide array of girls that fanboys (or old men) can pick & choose as their fantasy lover (pet). It's just plain creepy.
CalaisianMindthief (8172) on 6/26/2012 5:21 PM · Permalink · Report
Out of the new animes I'm more interested in Phi Brain. So far I've liked the weirder stuff that came out lately (House of the Five Leaves, Un-Go etc.) and this has puzzle-solving which is right up my alley. First however, I must finish watching Sailor Moon.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 8/12/2012 6:33 PM · Permalink · Report
I've come to love this new Toonami. It's finally getting some better shows starting next week. (Samurai 7 and Eureka 7) And Dead Man Wonderland won't be there anymore. That show had a messy direction and moved way too fast. Cashern Sins is just amazing. There's not been episode I've seen so far I didn't like! Now if they could only air the whole block at a more reasonable set of hours, it would be perfect.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 8/19/2012 9:18 PM · Permalink · Report
The new Toonami is really getting into great shape! Samurai 7 and Eureka 7 were pretty cool. Cashern Sins continues to amaze as well. As for other anime, I've been watching Initial D this weekend and I love it! With the subtitles on that is. :D I guess the Funi dub is ok, but I still prefer the sub version.
Rola (8482) on 10/3/2012 3:17 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Those who know me can attest I'm an ardent opponent of manga/anime. (and I got divorced with Maya the Bee, my first love...)
There's Rule 34, and what's the rule number for "there must be manga version of it"?
I won't comment on the style (see: #1: I hate manga...), but doesn't it look like regular productions that run on TV? As in, technical level? At least on par with that official thing made by Tatarkovsky. Or "Starcom".
To think it's just unfinished hobby project preview...
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 10/3/2012 4:51 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Certainly looks better than the real Star Wars manga, at any rate. Unfortunately, I can't find any good images. =\ The US covers are not representative (though they're also pretty bad).
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 10/3/2012 6:01 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Rola wrote--]You mean there is licensed one? [/Q --end Rola wrote--]Yep, the original trilogy was adapted by three different artists around 2000, and I think the prequels got adaptations as well. Shinichi Hiromoto was the only respectable figure involved, though his style isn't really what I'd consider... appropriate... for Star Wars.
Donatello (466) on 10/15/2012 5:59 PM · Permalink · Report
Been watching a bit of Space Runaway Ideon these days. A few episodes in and so far it seems like a derivative of Mobile Suit Gundam 0079, but with less appealing characters, lame conflict (as opposed to the political differences in MSG) and the same old "blow up shit of the week". It put me off in Mobile Suit Gundam by the end of it, but with the lack of any other elements, it's even worse here. I'll continue watching it, though, because I'm slightly intrigued how it ends.
Игги Друге (46653) on 10/16/2012 1:31 PM · Permalink · Report
You can skip the first 20 episodes if you like.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 11/6/2012 1:21 AM · Permalink · Report
I'm back! And I finally finished Evangelion. (Except EoE. Seller sent me the wrong disk. Err.) I can't believe I've waited so long to see it all the way to the end. It was amazing !. I think the best part was when Eva 1 went berserk. That face was just so f****d up and yet eerily human. Definitely the most dramatic part. Towards the end, I loved the existential themes. I can kinda get why the ending pissed people off though. It was good, but didn't really explain anything. After I get my refund, EoE is next.
Other than that, the only other anime I've been watching is Toonami. Cashern Sins has ended, and I felt like the ending was a bit rushed and unfinished. Or was there more that Toonami didn't air? I'm a bit surprised by how good Samurai 7 is. It's a fairly faithful (In a steampunk-ish\scifi sorta way.) to the original.
Claude Marine on 11/12/2012 12:33 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
spam
Rola (8482) on 12/16/2012 9:41 PM · Permalink · Report
One of my gripes about manga is its ubiquitous popularity, infesting cultural zones that don't mix well with it. It's one thing if the Japanese see the rest of the world manga-ized, but I smirk when I see Euro-otaku who tries to be more kawaii than Japanese themselves...
Anyway, here's a free jRPG playable in a web browser, developed by a guy from UK who most likely has Polish origins:
http://www.kongregate.com/games/kupo707/epic-battle-fantasy-3
It has all the cliches of an early jRPG you could ask for. And cuddly kats. Big enough to warrant an entry to MG.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 12/24/2012 5:28 PM · Permalink · Report
I got around to watching EoE a few weeks ago. All I can really is say is that I don't think I'll ever see anything like it again. It really does wrap up everything (In a really messed up sort of way.) and explains a lot. Still, I don't get why some people write off the original ending. All it is a slightly different version of events in Third Impact that focuses mainly on Shinji. I don't get it. Anyway, I decided to try something new, and watched the first few episodes of Paradise Kiss. I never thought a show about fashion students could actually be entertaining, but it is. Weird. :D
Mr. Tae (63) on 12/31/2012 11:53 AM · Permalink · Report
Wow, and there is ANIME NEWS NETWORK which is an animation database. It allows you to add staff and cast into the selected animation, and however you have been banned in the ANIME NEWS NETWORK forums. Many persons have non-animation credits. Every time he will try to post some nonsense content the moderators have to edit his post.
CalaisianMindthief (8172) on 1/4/2013 5:13 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/house-of-1000-manga/2013-01-03#C4C5ITVCyHRCsmQz.01 - Censorship in manga. I already knew about some of them, but was still interesting. The Snake Arm is priceless.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 1/6/2013 3:38 AM · Permalink · Report
America apparently can't handle things like cleavage. Uhhg... Anyway, I finally finished reading all of Genshiken! I freaking love it more than ever now! I also started Second Season. It picks up where the original left off, and starts a rather interesting new story with Madarame, even though he graduated. (Not sure how much of a spoiler that is.) I like it, and hope the next one comes out soon. On a somewhat anime related note, I tried my hand at building a real grade Zaku II model. It's a lot harder than I though it'd be, but still a lot of fun! I still have to add the decals and build the weapons, but I'm happy with it. I just wish I had bought some actual model tools, because my old side cutters and pocket knife just don't work that well on stuff that small.
Indra was here (20752) on 1/6/2013 3:18 PM · Permalink · Report
Any recommended harem + romance anime? Anything similar to To Love Ru. Need something to watch or else I'll start to watch South American soap operas while threatening to publish indecent pictures of a Chirinea, Dr. Katze, and Zovni threesomes on Facebook. :p
Donatello (466) on 1/6/2013 3:31 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Indra was here wrote--]Any recommended harem + romance anime? Anything similar to To Love Ru. Need something to watch or else I'll start to watch South American soap operas while threatening to publish indecent pictures of a Chirinea, Dr. Katze, and Zovni threesomes on Facebook. :p [/Q --end Indra was here wrote--]
In terms of harem, you can't go wrong with Love Hina. Mind you, the anime version is not as satisfying as the manga, it's still good enough for a watch. I'm not entirely sure which anime/manga can be seen as the originator of the harem concept, but I'm confident when I say that this is the anime that started the whole harem genre boom, and as such, is a classic. I'm not really into harem animes myself, but this is an exception.
Or well, there's also School Days anime which is pretty harem-ish. It's based on the visual novel that gained notoriety for its violent endings. The anime itself is short (only 12 episodes) and while it starts off usual, the main character soon spirals into an abyss of wrong, wrong choices. :P
Indra was here (20752) on 1/6/2013 3:37 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Love Hina? If you're sure. I'm somehow convinced that Love Hina was a hentai manga or something, for some odd reason...but I'll check it out nonetheless.
Indra was here (20752) on 1/6/2013 3:39 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
BTW, Rurouni Kenshin BRRip (2012) is out. Score 10/10.
Donatello (466) on 1/6/2013 4:05 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Indra was here wrote--]Love Hina? If you're sure. I'm somehow convinced that Love Hina was a hentai manga or something, for some odd reason...but I'll check it out nonetheless. [/Q --end Indra was here wrote--]
Well, there's hentai fancomics of every single series out there, I'm afraid. :P
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 1/6/2013 5:48 PM · Permalink · Report
Dojinshi, the pre-internet rule 34. :D
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 3/5/2013 3:17 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Don't die on me thread! You must live on! Living on then, I watched Tri-Gun and Naidesco last weekend. I've always consider Tri-Gun, Outlaw Star, and Cowboy Bebop to be the essential 90s space\action series. Having seen them all now though, I have to say Tri-Gun is the second best animated and funniest. However, it did feel like it got a bit too serious towards the end. It was good, but seemed a bit awkward when compared to the earlier episodes. Nadesico on the other hand stayed consistent all the way through. I couldn't stop laughing! Especially when everybody is trying to talk to Akito at once. Spike Spencer does a good job at portraying frustration, which makes it unbearably funny. The ova though, was..odd. I'm not sure what the point was except to show what happened to the crew a few years after the show. I'm very confused. :\
CalaisianMindthief (8172) on 3/6/2013 7:27 PM · Permalink · Report
Watched Mirai Nikki (Future Diary). A load of everything and nothing at the same time. It has fan service, serious plot, whiny main character, fillers, you name it. For starters, I am getting really sick of these whiny protagonists. Secondly, insanity as art has been done and overdone. There is honestly too much emphasis put on the insane girl and her relation with the main character. What we got is a broken tandem. Still, if you manage to sleep off the fillers, it gets more interesting at the end, when most of the secrets are uncovered. The premise instantly grabs the attention, but unfortunately similarly to other time manipulation stories (see Looper movie) there are a lot of inconsistencies.
Started watching Seikai no Monshou (Crest of the Stars). So far I like the premise of elves in space. Seems to be focused on characters, but don't expect a new Legend of the Galactic Heroes.
leilei (343) on 3/21/2013 1:33 AM · Permalink · Report
Here comes another "am i infringing anything" post. I'm making some sort of naga character. This is the top half of her. The design is something that clicked and I did in a whim within hours without any prior research. Does this hit any familiarity to anything existing?
lilalurl (733) on 3/21/2013 5:19 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Not per se. But I could think of a mix between Shantae and Orochi:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/gameboy-color/shantae/screenshots/gameShotId,131691/
http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/warriors-orochi/screenshots/gameShotId,400928/
Ears reminding me of the design of elves ears in Lodoss.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (100156) on 3/21/2013 5:40 AM · Permalink · Report
I'm getting a .hack vibe from it, personally.
leilei (343) on 3/22/2013 12:12 AM · Permalink · Report
Thanks
Here's a crappy and unrefined sketch I did of her before modeling
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 4/19/2013 2:00 PM · Permalink · Report
I finished watching Samurai Shamploo the other day. In one way it is like Cowboy Bebop in samurai era Japan. In another, it really has a strange, but cool flavor I can't quite put my finger on. Hip hop rhythms and and swords fights seem like they wouldn't mix, but they do! It's really cool and yet I can't exactly pinpoint what makes it cool. Weird. :P