Backstage - OOC Forums
General Discussion => The Speakeasy: OOG/Off-topic Discussion => Topic started by: Ember Vykos on 11 May 2011, 18:49
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I know I'm probably not the only anime fan in here so figured I'd start something for everyone to share what we are watching and maybe find some new stuff we haven't seen yet(or at the very least new stuff for me to watch).
Currently watching:
Deadman Wonderland(also where my current avatar comes from)
Hidan no Aria
Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi
Occasionaly watching:
Bleach
Naruto Shippuden
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Have watched and will always love:
- Cowboy Bebop
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Trigun
Still need to watch:
Currently recommending:
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My have watched as will always love list is way long. All those are on it though. Samurai Champloo is awesome if you like the first 3 you listed then you'll like it.
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I am watching Planetes right now and am highly recommending it.
The problem with anime is that you either have this single-run set, so it's easier to get into, (24-26 episodes), watch and enjoy, and then you got a long-running series that has hundreds of episodes over years. It's like fuck that with trying to get into :P
I'm finding the mecha/utopian sci-fi anime as good visual/aesthetic reference points for the Gallente :yar:
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Yeah the longer running series are kinda hard to get into sometimes unless you start at the beginning. My main problem with them is that they have so many filler episodes/story arcs so they can catch up with the main story from the manga.
Might have to check out Planetes. I watched the OP on Youtube and wasn't impressed. It looked alright just not my usual thing, but might check it out anyway.
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I watched Afro Samurai on TV recently, and I really enjoyed it.
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Have Watched, and will always love
Bastard!
Azumnaga Daioh
Darker Than Black
Code Geass
Hellsing
Gundam 00
Chrono Crusade
Trigun
Cowboy Bebop
Perfect Blue
Trinity Blood
Basilisk ~ Kouga Ninpou Chou
Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust
Ninja Scroll
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Lets see..
.Hack/sign
Serial Experiments Lain
Mobile Suit Gundam The 8th MS Team
Ergo Proxy
you can tell where my interests lie :P
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truncated faves list
Berserk
Hellsing
Trigun
Cowboy Beebop
Heroic Age
Chrome Shelled Regios
Perfect Blue
Afro Samurai and the sequel
.hack//sign, roots, legend of the twilight, liminality, and quantum
Neon Genesis Evangelion
To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
High School of the Dead
K-ON
Dragonball - all but mostly Z
Air Gear(where I got Simca's name)
Oreimo
Street Fighter anime movies and the Street Fighter II V series
Break Blade
Gantz
Initial D(also liked the live action movie)
New Dominion Tank Police
Burst Angel
Battle Angel Alita
Seven Samurai
Ninja Scroll
Macross Plus
Eureka 7
Suzuka
Zoids
Big Windup
Bamboo Blade
Air Master
DN Angel
Robotech
Vandread and the second stage
Aquarion
Canaan
Black Lagoon
Tenjou Tenge
Outlaw Star
The Sacrad Blacksmith
Shadow Skill
Thats about all I can think of off the top of my head and with Netflix's help. Ill add more later.
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I recommend watching Welcome To The NHK in english dub because it's like a parody on anime. Other than that I'm not really a fan.
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Only anime really worth mentioning has already been mentioned.
Azumanga Daioh.
Spent a few years in my youth watching all kinds of anime, from the soap opera stuff to the 'classics'.
Two things.
Poor writing is poor writing even in animations.
Let me elaborate. Anime is not immune to the same mind numbing dullness that goes with mass produced entertainment.
Once the series gets approved for several seasons all animes tend to turn into shite.
Bleach, Dragon Ball, the list goes on.
They start off with a compact storyline that almost reaches its logical conclusion.
After that its 200 episodes of posing and stacking the a slightly altered original storyline on top of the old stuff until the scope of the whole thing encompasses the whole known universe where the posturing idiots break planets by their pelvic thrusts.
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Poor writing is poor writing even in animations.
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Dragon Ball
In Dragon Ball, the enemies got more and more extreme. In the first series, they destroyed cities in the climactic battle. In the next the planet. In the next planetS. Then the universe.
To this day, when a series or movie has to keep outdoing its previous finale with increasingly extreme battles, my friends and I refer to this as the Dragon Ball Effect.
Bad writing is bad.
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Favourites:
- Azumanga Daioh - again.
- Read or Die. (British Library Special Forces - what's not to like?)
- Martian Successor Nadesico - "Manual launch means... he runs out of the hangar?"
- Bubblegum Crisis
- Cowboy Bebop - Gosh. With the flock here.
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Poor writing is poor writing even in animations.
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Dragon Ball
In Dragon Ball, the enemies got more and more extreme. In the first series, they destroyed cities in the climactic battle. In the next the planet. In the next planetS. Then the universe.
To this day, when a series or movie has to keep outdoing its previous finale with increasingly extreme battles, my friends and I refer to this as the Dragon Ball Effect.
Bad writing is bad.
I found Naruto actually did a very good job of avoiding this, the bad guys got tougher, but in a more tactical sort of way. The battles were always as much about skill as about power and brute force. It was like playing chess with your body. If it wasn't for the fact that the actual plot of the show just got on my nerves after a while, it'd probably be one of my favourites, as it stands, I'd often watch it over my younger brother's shoulder just for the battles.
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In order of my Fav's
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Princess Mononoke
Ghost in the Shell
Ninja Scroll
I like the escaflowne tv series, but hated the movie.
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Currently watching:
# Naruto Shippuden
Have watched:
# Cowboy Bebop
# Gundam
# Dragonball
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Oh dear god how much anime I watch, I won't be able to list it all. I do prefer the actiony and quicker paced animes. Not really in a particular order.
The Good Stuff:
Ergo Proxy - post apocalyptic sci fi mystery with a scary lady
Seirei No Moribito - Follows the spear fighter Balsa and this kid she has to keep from being killed by his Emperor dad.
Ghost in the Shell (all of it) - Motoko is the future's Sherlock Holmes
Canaan - Terrorists use scary biological weapon on civilians, the story follows two girls, one a cameraman, the other an assassin.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - You must watch this show. :|
Black Lagoon - Ransoming giant warships with rocket launchers ftw
Darker than Black - Post apoc supernatural mystery anime. Good show.
Last Exile - Steampunk, airships, vanships vanships vanships
Witch Hunter Robin - Setting people on fire with your MIND
Hellsing Ultimate - Over the top vampire action
Vampire Hunter D - Another holycrap awesome vampire anime.
Ga-Rei - Demon fighters or whatnot. Really damn good story, scary scary people. HELLO KAGURA~
Black Rock Shooter - Tis about friendship and fighting in other dimensions. They need to make this an actual series.
Gurren Lagann - How giant robot animes should be. One of the few animes that have an actual male character that acts like a man.
Samurai Shamploo - This girl hires some samurai to help her find a dude that smells like sunflowers.
Ah My Goddess (2005) - Horribly goody goody but still I can't stop myself from watching it. ._.
Full Metal Panic - Giant robot action, a bit of violent comedy, and a mystery~ Epic soundtrack.
Read or Die OVA - It's like a British secret spy action flick. The chick fights with paper. WITH PAPER.
Le Chevalier de Eon - Guy's sister gets killed and he goes to find out why. Sister possesses brother to pwn bad guys. She's scary.
Soul Eater - Pretty stylish anime. School run by a Shinigami, some kids can turn into weapons and fight bad guys.
Battle Angel Alita - Cyberpunk cyborgs ftw. Ended early and they never revived it. :(
Crest of the Stars - Pretty old anime. Space battle action. I still like it.
Banner of the Stars - Sequel to Crest of the Stars.
Slayers - It's fairly old and has lots of different versions. Mostly follows a midget raging sorceress and her shenanigans.
The Funny Good Stuff (and probably nsfw):
Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Angels that got kicked out of heaven, have to kill ghosts to get back. The animators like to troll you.
Deadleaves - It's like an animated comic book. Just as silly as Panty & Stocking.
Cromartie High School - Stuck in a whacked out school for delinquents. Ogodwhat.
Abenobashi - They get stuck in another dimension, parodies happen.
Hare & Guu - Hare meets Guu. Guu destroys his reality without any mercy.
Excel Saga - This one may blow your mind. But this is nothing compared to it's successor...
Puni Puni Poemi - What they couldn't get away with in Excel Saga. You have been warned.
Fooly Cooly - This show. This show parodies things and goes beyond the imagination of wat.
Lucky Star - Bunch of weirdo kids in school doing weirdo things.
Anime Movies:
Anything made by Studio Ghibli (Howl's Moving Castle, etc.)
Appleseed - The movies kinda lacked a bit of story but they were still pretty awesome.
Steamboy - It's freaking awesome. I still don't know who the bad guy is.
Slayers - There are quite a few Slayers movies, I watch them for the lols.
I will list moar as I think of them. My manga list is far far longer.
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Lesseee...there's a lot,
Faves are definately
Ghost in the Shell (movies and S.A.C. TV show).
Battle Angel Alita
Project A-Ko
Akira
Gatchaman
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Oh, forgot Steamboy! Yeah, that one was great, I still have the DVD lying around somewhere.
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Air Gear(where I got Simca's name)
Great list, but this one was what I was looking to see ;)
Air Gear is just fantastic and makes me pine for the days when my rollerblades (http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n153/dangerzone949/250-2.jpg) get tiny fission reactor engines...
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Air Gear(where I got Simca's name)
Great list, but this one was what I was looking to see ;)
Air Gear is just fantastic and makes me pine for the days when my rollerblades (http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n153/dangerzone949/250-2.jpg) get tiny fission reactor engines...
Yeah that would be nice. There's an OVA out for it now that's subbed online. It kinda adds a bit of closure to the series by making you go wtf then opens things up for another season.
A few more that I remembered:
Angel Beats
Blood the Last Vampire and Blood+
Kaleido Star - cute and kinda stupid but I like the circus
Shuffle!
Most of the Tenchi Muyo series
Claymore
Immortal Grand Prix
Gunslinger Girl
Ghost in the Shell - all of em and I cant believe I forgot those
Xam'd Lost Memories
Area 88
Resident Evil Degeneration
Interstella 5555 - Daft Punk in anime ♥
Appleseed and Appleseed Ex Machina
Vexille
Rurouni Kenshin
Pumpkin Scissors
Oban Star-Racers
The Big O
Tokko
Black Heaven
Ergo Proxy
Gai-Rei Zero
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Fooly Cooly - This show. This show parodies things and goes beyond the imagination of wat.
Hah, FLCL is the other animu I like. I remember when it had just gotten fansubbed back in '02 or something, I thought it was so crazy-cool I just had to have the manga. So I have both volumes in Japanese. Then a couple years ago I saw Tokyopop had released them in English, too, but mine are cooler because I can't understand them.
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Some of these I have watched and have not already been cited :
- Tytania : space op with great space battles ala Harrington, with a quite baroque dunesque style here and there, and outlaws/firefly in some other places. Very entertaining with all the usual things you want to see in epic space op sagas. Just watch the first episode and you will have a pretty good idea of the stuff.
- Phantom : Requiem for the phantom. One of the best series I have had the occasion to watch. Setting happening in our real world. Mafia stuff, assassinations, and pretty deep/intense character dramas and original stories. Don't stop to the first episode, it is pretty weird, and just gets awesome starting with the 2nd and the 3rd.
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No mention of The Twelve Kingdoms yet?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mhq1QY46P8&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mhq1QY46P8&feature=related)
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Elfen lied
Gunbuster
Death note
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My wife and I virtually eat and breathe manga, so of course we've gotten sucked into anime as well...just not nearly to the same degree. I think that the hands-down best (as in well-done) I've seen are the first and second seasons of Rorouni Kenshin and Cowboy Beebop. My personal favorite, though, is definitely xxxHolic--it is by far CLAMP's crowning achievement, and they've been responsible for some pretty good stuff.
As shojo manga readers, though, most of what we watch is along the same lines. Ouran High School Host Club and Skip Beat are ridiculously cute, funny, and rewatchable. NANA is a superbly done, realistic, and relevant story. Wallflower and Princess Tutu are just whacked out and insane...but in an awesome way. :D
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Have watched and will always love:
No need to say anymore.
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Lets see..
.Hack/sign
Serial Experiments Lain
Mobile Suit Gundam The 8th MS Team
Ergo Proxy
you can tell where my interests lie :P
I would have also guessed "Lain". If you havnt seen it, go out and get it NOW!
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The 3 ones i like are:
Cowboy Bebop
Planetes
Moonlight Mile
Not so good, but interesting
Eureka Seven
Heroic Age
Everyone recommeds Ergo Proxy and i have seen the first 5-6 episodes, but to find the whole series without using torrent is a bit difficult :(
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Everyone recommeds Ergo Proxy and i have seen the first 5-6 episodes, but to find the whole series without using torrent is a bit difficult :(
www.zomganime.com
That's where I get most of mine.(the new series anyway) Some other site is redirecting to them while they clean out their database, but iirc they have the whole series. If its a Funimation anime you can go to www.funimation.com they stream most of their stuff unless its really new or extremely popular. Youtube is also a decent place for some series.
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Uncle Senn says, watch Hellsing Ultimate and leave candyass Adult Swim series where they belong.
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While I have watched dozens of shows and own quite a lot of them, the only one I've seen in recent days is Angel Beats! - One I got from a friend of mine, and hold no regret for seeing.
It's likely not the best I've seen, but I'm not to fond of 'ranking' my shows in order or what I believed was best, as this varies with taste and opinion. Still, it's a pretty good show for being only 13 episodes, and well worth watching.
This anime started off, in the first 20 seconds with having me annoyed and rather disappointed. Yay, protagonist suffers from amnesia and arrives in a place he has never seen before. Sounds familiar to me...
After 2 minutes 30 seconds however I had to pause it to finish laughing hysterically at the hilarity and master-stroke of the opening acts. After only that much time, I was totally hooked on seeing the show and the pace kept going from there - seriousness, humor, tragedy, character revelation (not sure I should call it development due to the short episode number and the nature of the show itself) and all the rest made for a though-provoking, saddening, enjoyable and really entertaining show.
Humor manages to be a constant, often subtle, and sometimes a bit less subtle and more obvious, to mix in with the general 'negativity' and tragedy, but also hope and positivity of the plot.
I don't want to spoil people, but here are a few facts about it that you learn inside 10 minutes of the first episode and who might make you want to see this. (Besides my charming resume and because I said so, ofc ^^)
[spoiler]Everyone is dead.
There is a rebellion against God.
There is only one enemy. You need large quantities of gun-fire to stop said enemy and even then...
There are NPC's...[/spoiler]
A couple other factors;
The animation is simple, clean and wonderful. It works perfectly for telling it's intended story.
The music is of excellent quality and made of more win than any of you might realize.
If I tell you to go see it, you should. You should go see it. ^^
Another day I might go into some detail on other shows. Gods know I've seen so damn many...
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I can't believe there's only been two bare mentions of Rurouni Kenshin yet.
Makoto Shishio is easily the finest badass bad guy in the history of Anime. Cool, laid back, doesn't change, doesn't turn back, doesn't hide what or who he is, and he's just logical and well-reasoned enough that he could have been a hero in other shows. Laughing as he burns to death and joining his closest and dearest in Hell, and grinningly moving on to take on the ruler of that place...
Hell, he would have won the fight too, if that bit of combustion hadn't occurred.
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/ramble
The first anime films I saw that impressed me were Akira and Ghost in the Shell - both thematically (cool visions of the future) and in terms of storytelling...I don't know whether it's elements of visual storytelling (i.e adaptation from manga) or if it was due to cultural difference...but I hadn't really been exposed to many films that told their stories in that way before...
i.e didn't give me all the answers or explain things as it was going along...(and yes, now I'm aware there are plenty of films that do this :P)
They had a big influence on me at the time and I still think they're amazing films.
I then saw Patlabor and Roujin Z which impressed me significantly less :P I don't even remember them clearly now.
I enjoyed Ninja Scroll and Monster City (er. despite this on Monster City:
"Hyper's Daniel Wilks criticises the film for having "only vaguely interconnected action scenes punctuated by some rather dull talkiness marred by horrible accents (the heroine is unconvincingly British and the childish sidekick speaks with a mangled Mexican drawl)".[1] Ironically, as the film was dubbed in Britain, the aforementioned heroine is a genuine British person."
though the dub was probably not an issue as, apart from Cowboy Bebop, I always prefer subs...
...though Ninja Scroll did irritate me somehwat with the improbable speed that the relationship between the central characters develops. "Oh Jubei!" goddammit... :bash:)
Most of the above I watched as a child/teenager. Also, 3x3 eyes which I enjoyed at the time and also enjoyed as an adult. Wiki cites the genre as "Adventure, Fantasy, Horror" - it has the typical fantasy anime mainstay of LOTS AND LOTS OF DEMONS :P but doesn't do the filler-battle shite...stuff happens for a reason, and the characters are engaging. Wouldn't mind watching it again actually.
Perfect Blue was a pretty cool film...plenty of wtfness going on and is the only psychological thriller anime I've seen. Though I've seen better psychological thrillers in general.
I caught some of Fist of the North Star late night on channel 4. It was hilariously awful.
An unpopular choice, but I enjoyed Dragon Ball Z initially - it was amusing and had charm; I mainly enjoyed the characters and the interactions between them. But as previously mentioned, the ever increasing threat of THE WORLD IS IN DANGER...er...THE UNIVERSE IS IN DANGER...er...and ever increasing power levels just got boring. And the sagas dragged on and on only to be concluded by Goku arriving in the nick of time and saving the day. (since I have found the same thing in Naruto, Bleach and probably countless other shows I haven't seen. I do not like this method of story progression).
Still, it does contain one of my favourite quotes from anything ever:
[Vegeta while in Buu's stomach] I will not suffer the same fate as cream filling!
Ok, they're pretty much pitching for under 12s here, but I find toilet humour immensely amusing >.>
I did enjoy Blood, but it was almost like watching a game demo (or, I guess literally an art demo). It was absolutely gorgeous. But somewhat lacking in substance other than being a technical accomplishment. Which by now is probably dated anyway.
I started watching Cowboy Bebop when I was in college and have obtained the box set in recent years :D After the first episode I was lukewarm about it for a variety of reasons...I was concerned it would be like some sort of cop-show; the format would be predictable and formulaic - Spike and Jet would tour the universe, catching a bad guy per self-contained episode. It didn't interest me.
I was so, so wrong. Probably the wrongest I've ever been :P After episode 5 or so, when more characters were introduced and Spike's backstory began to develop, I was thoroughly hooked. There are many things I love about Cowboy Bebop (far too numerous to name in an already extensive post) but it's anything but formulaic - it's very imaginative and I enjoy the extent it incorporates musical genres, as well as exploiting genre boundaries themselves...it takes risks by changing tack from one episode to the next, but is also a very controlled and contained story with a clear beginning and an end, that through rewatching, you can see the end in the beginning. I.e, it was always meant to end how it ended, and isn't drawn out. In fact, the creators refused to do any more of the series despite demand as that is where it was supposed to end.
I wish more people would take that line instead of drawing things out long after they've reached a conclusion for $$$ :evil:
Anyway, Cowboy Bebop is absolutely my favourite anime show, but it's also one of my favourite tv shows ever.
T.H.E.M Anime Reviews said the series has "sophistication and subtlety that is practically one-of-a-kind", touting it as a masterpiece that "puts most anime...and Hollywood, to shame."
I concurr.
I caught Full Metal Alchemist which I think can be easily underrated and dismissed due to it's colourful and childish presentation. If anything, the juxtaposition between the saturday morning cartoon style and the themes it tackles makes the story all the more powerful and poignant. One episode fairly early on had me rocking back on my seat wondering what they just did to me (I'm specifically thinking of episodes 6 and 7). Certain things you expect to be sacrosanct - such as children and innocence - are dealt with fairly harshly and uncompromisingly. Maybe gratuitously in some respects - the premise alone is fairly horrific.
I found Elfen Lied enjoyable though it did seem somewhat over-the-top and gratutious.
I liked Ergo Proxy (hm, just remembered from looking at the wiki that the outro was Radiohead's Paranoid Android - it's been too long since I've seen it) it was genuinely engaging and interesting. Though at times maybe it wobbled a bit too near pretentious, I dunno.
I saw bits of Samurai Champloo after loving Cowboy Bebop, but it didn't make as much of an impression. This could be because I only caught an episode here and there though; it could well be a different experience if watched from start to finish.
Grave of the Fireflies was probably the first Studio Ghibli film I saw, as I came into them late. It was bleak and a devastating (anti) war film told from the perspective of children. I can't say I love it for the aforementioned reason, but I certainly admire it - anything that can make me feel deeply has done it's job well imo. I suffered less on subsequent rewatch (I avowed not to watch it again after the first time given the funk it put me into, but bought it in order to subject it on other people :P my mum cried buckets and my dad was angry that I'd made him watch "a nasty film")
The other Ghibli works I've seen have been by Miyazaki who I greatly admire. These are Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Nausicaa and the Valley of Winds, Princess Mononoke and Ponyo. I enjoy his storytelling for a variety of reasons...they tend to look at environmental themes but not in simplistic ways...the central characters are often complex and resourceful and the worlds created imaginative. I absolutely loved Princess Mononoke, but thoroughly enjoyed the other films too (though Ponyo less, tbh).
Hare & Guu - Hare meets Guu. Guu destroys his reality without any mercy.
I've been watching Hare + Guu again recently and it's quirkyness amuses me. Guu is a fantastic character - she's like, epic troll :D
Anyway! There's probably more I've watched over the years and forgotten about.
I kind of agree with Lallara's point here (though I'm going to use it to talk about something else :P)
Spent a few years in my youth watching all kinds of anime, from the soap opera stuff to the 'classics'.
Two things.
Poor writing is poor writing even in animations.
Let me elaborate. Anime is not immune to the same mind numbing dullness that goes with mass produced entertainment.
And I think this is absolutely true - because anime is incredibly broad and not in a sacrosanct bubble...I would hesitate to call myself an anime fan (despite the extremely long post above) because some things I've really enjoyed and other things I've thought are utter crap. I'm not going to like something simply because it's anime, because the scope in that is huge. It's almost like saying "I like films." The fact that it's animated really doesn't tell you anything else - sure there are trends and tropes and things that are massively popular, but there are also some really individual works. And it's also like saying "I don't like films" which is why it kind of irritates me when people make blanket statements about the whole of anime - I think generally it's a matter of catching some kids show or seeing an apallingly bad anime intro with dancing and j-pop and thinking ... :s It's an extension of equating everything animated as a child's cartoon, or, conversely, someone seeing some tentacle hentai and thinking all anime is porn.
:bash:
Which to me seems a little silly as I've barely dipped my toe into the water, and yet I've seen and enjoyed things meant for kids, things for adults, and things that should never be shown to kids. I've watched a variety of genres; fantasy, comedy, horror, sci-fi, war-film, psychological thriller, and some that cross genre boundaries in interesting ways (Cowboy Bebop, I look at you). I've seen things which I've thought have been pretty good compared to other anime I've watched, and I've seen things that have been pretty good compared to anything I've watched.
And things that've totally sucked.
So to paint it all with the same brush is just...madness. Madness I tell you.
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I've been downloading Legend of Galatic Heroes......it has me in awe.....a really old anime, with really bad animation to whatever lowest standards would be today.....BUT GODDAMN INCREDIBLE political plots and strategic turnarounds.
The most interesting thing is it was never released on TV, so its considered an OVA, the longest running ever so far with 110 episodes....
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It is so annoying to somehow managing to lose one's whole nearly-finished post and having to re-type it. While the re-typed one is not likely to be worded as well the content is still the same, mostly.
It's an extension of equating everything animated as a child's cartoon, or, conversely, someone seeing some tentacle hentai and thinking all anime is porn.
Ignorance. How tiresome.
I've had to explain this to quite a few when the subject came up and by now have a nice 5-paragraph explanation for anyone thinking this.
“Anime is short for 'animation' and in this case refers to Japanese animation, specifically. Simply put, animation is another medium, like live-action movies or western animation like the works of Pixar studios etc. One of it's iconic styles includes the well-known and oft-though about 'huge eyes' style of animation – inspired, ironically, by Disney characters like Bambi and Betty Bopp(sp?) - beyond this animation styles can vary quite a lot, good examples are Neon genesis Evangelion, Pokemon and Spirited Away – quite different from one-another I animation, plot and tone. The things to keep in mind with anime however, are 3-fold.
Firstly, animation requires no live-actors, no settings, no locations. It only needs the animation studios and the voice-actors and the imagination of the makers. This means it's cheaper and faster to make, and can grant nearly limitless artistic freedom for the makers to exploit. Any plot they can think of, they can likely realize. Results... may wary.
Secondly,This artistic freedom can lead to at times absurd ideas being realized and rather unrealistic events taking place. It's generally a good idea to keep an open mind and accept that what the show treats as doable, is doable – though you may wish to do this with a grain of salt for when/if the show starts to get more absurd than normal... (I'm looking at you, Bleach fighting scenes...)
Thirdly, There is a sharp separation between 'normal' anime and hentai – Hentai is the Japanese word for 'perverse/perverted' and refers to pornographic content in animation, among other things (In Japan they simply use the designation 'H' for content of this nature, but the wider world still use the full word specifically to separate anime from anime porn.) and as such, hentai is merely anime's answer to porn movies. The only problem is just that, as anime requires no live-actors and can realize any idea the makers may have, nearly without fail, any fetish under the sun and then some, can be realized in hentai. This is why a lot of people end up thinking of the infamous tentacle rape fetish when the word 'hentai' or at times even 'anime' comes up – it crosses a border live-acting simply can't cross.
All this simply mean that people who enjoy an evening watching anime is no more weird then the next guy enjoying an evening watching any live-action flick you can imagine – it only means that he/she might end up watching a porno slightly more weird than you may be used to, if he/she wants to do that. Keep in mind finally that shitty writing and narration can and will ruin an animated show just as any crappy live-action movie will. If you are watching a crappy anime, or think you are, you might want to look for a better one before deciding animation in general is not worth seeing. And, even if you find out animated works really are not your thing, keeping an open mind for those who do is generally a good idea anyway.”
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Well it is mainly a western culture thing to usually consider animation for children. It concerns mostly our parents and older generations.
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I've had to explain this to quite a few when the subject came up and by now have a nice 5-paragraph explanation for anyone thinking this.
I agree with your 5-paragraph explanation :)
Well it is mainly a western culture thing to usually consider animation for children. It concerns mostly our parents and older generations.
Mm. Same with video games and comics.
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I've had to explain this to quite a few when the subject came up and by now have a nice 5-paragraph explanation for anyone thinking this.
I agree with your 5-paragraph explanation :)
Well it is mainly a western culture thing to usually consider animation for children. It concerns mostly our parents and older generations.
Mm. Same with video games and comics.
Totally unrelated to the thread, but I read who wrote this and thought "wat... I didn't write this.." :eek:
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Crazy alts are crazy :D
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"wat... I didn't write this.." :eek:
You certainly did not! I'd never mix red dreads with blue tats and lipstick :P
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I am currently enjoying a short 23 episode show called Ergo Proxy.
I've only reatched episode 10 so far but will have problems setting it aside before I'm done.
The show is, simply put a sci fi story about a distant future earth and a few people living in the world. A bit of a mind-fuck story, it makes no attempt to answer in detail anything you wonder about - there will be many questions.
The first few episodes are likely to be filled with alot of 'wth' 'what's going on' and much of 'hell is this stuff, what are they doing' and frankly, I love it. Answers and revelations are slowly revealed putting the past events into scope and connects the dots together, in a managable and enjoyable way. It's a show that will engage you to pay attention and think, and rewards you for your patience and curiosity.
I'm half-way soon. I've allready commited to memory a number of memorable events and enjoyable characters. Despite how bleak the story can be, it has it's up-sides and a few outbursts of laughter and smiles. Anyone who enjoyed appleSeed, Neon Genesis Evangelion and/or Ghost in the Shell, is likely to enjoy this, alot.
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Seen plenty of other shows as well. Might share about those at some other time.
*EDIT* I forgot, I wanted to leave you with some great fan-art.
(http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Terenin_Amatiril/NxA%20Avatar%20Album/Random%20stuff/Ergo_Proxy_by_batangbatugan.jpg)
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One more thing. For those who wonder about where you can get good shows as your somehow unable to buy DVD's or whatever where you live - like me - there are sites out there that are both legit and good at what they do.
http://www.bakabt.com/ (http://www.bakabt.com/) http://bakabt.me/ (http://bakabt.me/) <- New adress for BakaBT, old don't work anymore.
BakaBT has a simple deal: Register one account (ONLY one per PERSON per LIFE) and your get to DL what you want. However... there is a DL/UL ratio that you are not only encouraged to keep in mind, you are compelled to keep in mind. DL a show you want to see, and let it sit there, seeding until your DL/UL ratio is in the positive. Then DL some more, if you want, or just keep seeding stuff to help your fellows out. Long as you do this and don't violate any regulations your good.
http://www.anime-access.com/ (http://www.anime-access.com/) Now known as www.tokyoinsider.com/ (https://tokyoinsider.com/)
It's been quite a while since I used Anime-access but they have their own rules an such for users. Registration is free, but a prime account will cost you. If you DON'T get a prime account you get a basic DL speed and a max of size of files - ergo likely no movies etc. but episodes for shows are good - and number; Only 5 every day. If however you wanted to get into a show like, say, Bleach, 5 episodes every day is a fair deal. PLUSS membership don't seem to be expensive but I've so far seen no need to pay for an account myself. YMMV however.
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Wow, old thread brought back to life. :eek:
When I was a bit younger, anime caught my attentions more. When I first started to watch it, all I had access to was, unfortunately, what they had on Cartoon Network. It wasn't all that bad, just I've sense learned that (imo) that subtitles are usually better. Things tend to get lost in translation when dubbed to English. :s
I don't watch as much now as I use to, but since getting Netflix, I've start watching a bit more when the kids are asleep. Not too long ago, I finished Blood +, which I did enjoy. I tried watching Trinity Blood, but couldn't get into it. :x Right now, slowly working on the Hell Girl series when my husband and myself have time to sit down to watch it together.
Some faves from my past that I've watched from start to end are.... Trigun, Cowboy Bebop (yay Ed and Ein!), Record of Lodoss Wars, and Full Metal Alchemist.
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Have been watching a lot of different anime recently, or more correctly acquainting myself. Berserk, NGE, Full Metal Panic, Ghost in the Shell SAC, Chrono Crusade, etc.
I am really enjoying Gundam 00. About 1/4 of the way through, nice real shades-of-grey universe, inhabited by characters with sincere motivations. Quite EVE-like in that regard.
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On the topic of Evangelion, after having a hate/love relationship with it 10 years ago, I'm watching it all anew in the new, re-animated movie-length ones they're doing. I'm extremely impressed so far.
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On the topic of Evangelion, after having a hate/love relationship with it 10 years ago, I'm watching it all anew in the new, re-animated movie-length ones they're doing. I'm extremely impressed so far.
Was going to suggest the re-build of Evangelion for Seri myself, but you beat me to it. Suffice to say Seri, if you enjoy the series, your likely going to enjoy this as well. Currently only two out of 3 or 4 parts are out, but I'm sure I read somewhere part 3 will be out in 2012 or early 2013.
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Yeah, beat you to it Bloodbird, watched both :3c
Incidentally hated episode 25 and 26 (last two) of original NGE. Found myself skipping entire chunks just to see if anything happen. It literally came across as "Seriously, we have no money left. Like, nothing, not even joking". Liked End of Evangelion, though.
[spoiler]Episode 18 where the dummy plug in Unit 01 decimates Unit 03 and almost kills Toji stuck out to me as the most intense and gruesome scene I've ever witnesssed, and I absolutely loved it. Uncomfortable and splendid viewing[/spoiler]
I made the mistake of watching the last 10 episodes of NGE on one Sunday afternoon. Unsurprisingly, I spent the rest of that day and Monday feeling like my brain was violated.
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REVIVE.
Since the last few posts was about Rebuild Evangelion...the third one was crap.
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Booo. Berserker!Shinji was epic, I was hoping it would stay okay.
In other news, I have recently rediscovered the 08th MS Team, and am currently rather enjoying it. Liking the gritty 'everyman soldier' viewpoint, loving the realistic treatment of giant mechs - in a particular skirmish, one is taken out by a single guerrilla with an RPG attacking an open cockpit hatch; a second is destroyed by another mecha firing at a distance via forward observer, and a third is crippled through inventive use of cover and another RPG fired into thin underside armor. The guerrillas promptly get cocky and emerge into the open... at which point the mecha reasserts itself by firing several airburst fragmentation rounds and wiping them out.
Unfortunately, they couldn't avoid adding a few painful cliches (lovers across the battlefield, the uptight higher officer, etc).
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Haven't been watching as much anime as I used to or would like to lol, but did watch Dance in the Vampire Bund and thought it was really good. Also on a slightly weirder note Girls Und Panzer remindsme waaaaay to much of a bunch of girls playing World of Tanks yet its still pretty interesting for some reason.
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Haven't been watching as much anime as I used to or would like to lol, but did watch Dance in the Vampire Bund and thought it was really good. Also on a slightly weirder note Girls Und Panzer remindsme waaaaay to much of a bunch of girls playing World of Tanks yet its still pretty interesting for some reason.
Girls und Panzer is essentially WOT: The Anime. The similarity is so uncanny that Wargaming.net actually collaborated with the studio that animated Girls und Panzer to market WOT in Japan.
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I have started watching non-Ghibli anime for the first time ever.
So far, in the last week I have finished Sword Art Online and Btooom and started Ergo Proxy and Claymore.
Love it all ^_^
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I stumbled recently on Psycho-Pass, a dystopian anime that touches to a lot of new technology related stuff in a futuristic settings. Reminded me a lot of the themes set in Deus Ex and the likes. More than anything, everything is grey, and that alone is awesome.
Season 2 is finally planned starting the end of the year \o/
Added summary :
Psycho-Pass is set in 2113. The Sibyl System is actively measuring the populace's mental states, personalities, and the probability that individuals will commit crimes, using a "cymatic scan" of the brain. The resulting assessment is called a Psycho-Pass. When the probability of a person engaging in crimes measured by the Crime Coefficient index exceeds a certain level in an individual, he or she is pursued, apprehended, and killed if necessary.
Psycho-Pass explores societal and psychological themes, such as the price of living without stress. Since those who think of actions that might cause stress to others are quickly punished by the Sibyl System, the concept of punishing someone because they have the potential to do something considered wrong is explored.
Emotional repression is also explored in Psycho-Pass. The identification of latent criminals is partially based around the avoidance of emotions that society judges to be negative, such as sadness or anger. To avoid being identified as a latent criminal, one must not feel these emotions heavily outside, where their Psycho-Pass can be scanned.
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They need a Girls und Spaceships anime based on Eve, where after two episodes they become bittervets.
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I have but one recommendation for everyone: a little-known anime called Gankutsuou. Little known not because it is of poor quality, but because it is a fine wine that only the elite are allowed to know about. Feast your eyes on some promo art for it:
http://static.zerochan.net/Gankutsuou.full.1476867.jpg
http://images.alphacoders.com/299/299503.jpg
The story is based on the Count of Monte Cristo just after the count arrives in Paris to exact his revenge. The main differences are that it is told from Albert's point of view rather than the counts, and is set in a sci-fi setting instead of Napoleonic France. The art style is shit-your-pants gorgeous, though it might take a little bit to get used to.
Classic story, sci-fi setting, glorious art, great music (done by a French guy instead of Moonspeakers), anime. How can you go wrong? Do be warned however, it's not action-packed, with intrigue and character relations taking the forefront.
Here's the first episode on YouTube! The whole thing is on there, but only in 480p, which is not really enough to fully enjoy it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrH7Z2It3RI
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They need a Girls und Spaceships anime based on Eve, where after two episodes they become bittervets.
Oh, nah. It should be about some carebear corp run by girls whose CEO wants to fight for Sov and forces one of the members, who is a bittervet who left the nullsec scene for personal reason, to FC.
And while trying to herd carebears to fly PVP fleets properly she will learn to drop the bittervet-ness and the corp will be exposed to Dastardy Metagame Tactics (for example being a corp-spy for a day) while still trying to figure out how to align for fleet warp.
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I pretty much gave up on anime after the 90s, but there are a couple from the past 15 years that I have liked.
RD 潜脳調査室 (http://www.nosub.tv/watch/5671.html)
2061 AD. Fifty years have passed since mankind developed the Network society. It was anticipated that this new infrastructure would realize a utopia where people connected with each other at the level of consciousness. However, new social problems such as personal data leaks and proliferation of manipulated information began to surface. Nevertheless, people still relied on the Network to exchange information, and proved unable to opt to abandon it.
In due course, a new Network realm with more effective security measures was developed. This was called Meta Real Network, usually abbreviated as "the Metal."
The Metal accommodated personal memory data within protected virtual stand-alone organic cyber enclaves called bubble shells and eventually pervaded the everyday lives of people.
However, people gradually learned to release and explode their instincts within the secure environment of the Metal. The unleashed instincts pushed each individual's consciousness to drown in the sea of information and to be exposed to the pressures of desire. Meanwhile, norms and regulations continued to bind their real world lives. Thus, strange friction between the two worlds began to manifest themselves as aberrations beyond the bounds of the imaginable.
Experts who challenged the deep sea of the Metal to investigate and decipher such aberrations were called cyber divers.
This is a story of a cyber diver, Masamichi Haru, who investigates the incidents that lie between Reality and the Metal.
ΠΛΆΝΗΤΕΣ (http://www.nosub.tv/watch/31374.html)
The story of Planetes follows the crew of the DS-12 "Toy Box" of the Space Debris Section, a unit of Technora Corporation. Debris Section's purpose is to prevent the damage or destruction of satellites, space stations and spacecraft from collision with debris in Earth's and the Moon's orbits. They use a number of methods to dispose of the debris (mainly by burning it via atmospheric reentry or through salvage), accomplished through the use of EVA suits.
The episodes sometimes revolve around debris collection itself, but more often the concept of collecting "trash" in space is merely a storytelling method for building character development. The members of the Debris Section are looked down upon as the lowest members of the company and they must work hard to prove their worth to others and accomplish their dreams.
Ongoing plot elements include an upcoming exploratory mission to Jupiter on the new fusion powered ship, Von Braun, and the lead character's decision to join the mission, no matter the cost. Many other plot threads are also developed throughout the series that help to explain each character's motivations and personalities. The Space Defense Front is a terrorist organization that believes mankind is exploiting space without first curing global problems such as mass famine and the widened socio-economic divide on Earth.
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Those two seem intriguing, i'll put them on my list :3
I have but one recommendation for everyone: a little-known anime called Gankutsuou. Little known not because it is of poor quality, but because it is a fine wine that only the elite are allowed to know about. Feast your eyes on some promo art for it:
http://static.zerochan.net/Gankutsuou.full.1476867.jpg
http://images.alphacoders.com/299/299503.jpg
The story is based on the Count of Monte Cristo just after the count arrives in Paris to exact his revenge. The main differences are that it is told from Albert's point of view rather than the counts, and is set in a sci-fi setting instead of Napoleonic France. The art style is shit-your-pants gorgeous, though it might take a little bit to get used to.
Classic story, sci-fi setting, glorious art, great music (done by a French guy instead of Moonspeakers), anime. How can you go wrong? Do be warned however, it's not action-packed, with intrigue and character relations taking the forefront.
Here's the first episode on YouTube! The whole thing is on there, but only in 480p, which is not really enough to fully enjoy it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrH7Z2It3RI
Ogawdowant.
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Haven't been watching as much anime as I used to or would like to lol, but did watch Dance in the Vampire Bund and thought it was really good. Also on a slightly weirder note Girls Und Panzer remindsme waaaaay to much of a bunch of girls playing World of Tanks yet its still pretty interesting for some reason.
Girls und Panzer is essentially WOT: The Anime. The similarity is so uncanny that Wargaming.net actually collaborated with the studio that animated Girls und Panzer to market WOT in Japan.
At least they know how to capitalize on a great opportunity when it presents itself.
... and now I feel like I should go watch the show. Damn it, I'm not done with Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood yet. :bash:
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The boys and I are rewatching off an oldie but a goodie, seasons one and two of "Star Blazers". Any resemblance between Nova and Luna is strictly coincidental ;)
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The boys and I are rewatching off an oldie but a goodie, seasons one and two of "Star Blazers".
This was a fun series, and the second 'japanimation' I ever watched. Something that was linked in my mumble not long ago, in case anyone is not acquainted:
DYKA? - Star Blazers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEKsYgGtUJ0)
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I was pleasantly surprised by Netflix' first venture into anime licensing, Knights of Sidonia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Sidonia). Based on a manga by Tsutomu Nihei, it's got a lovely contrast between the traditional mecha anime tropes and Nihei's usual mix of (semi-)hard sci-fi, biological horror, and Brutalist art design. Highly recommended. Should be available just about anywhere.
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(http://tianweiliu.net/CGT353/Project1/zoomImages/Gundam_Unicorn_02.jpg)
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn also finished up recently, and I very much enjoyed it.
Pros:
- Absolutely gorgeous animation, with numerous scenes featuring large numbers of mecha designs and an excellent mix of CGI and drawn animation that prevents either from seeming too "obvious". I've repeatedly seen this described as "mecha porn", and it's entirely accurate.
- Engaging story with a deep history and complexity. Characters are generally well-written and understandable, with numerous charismatic villains. It's a heavily political series (though not mirroring RL politics, thankfully) but there is a lot of discussion about why people fight and whether that is right.
- Beautifully scored; Sawano definitely gets the idea of a leitmotif and develops them for individual characters as well as the different conflicts presented in the series. I personally found myself listening to the soundtrack long after I'd finished the series.
Cons:
- Remember that deep and complex story? It's because MSG:UC is the 6th contiguous entry in the Universal Century Gundam metaseries, representing around 30 years of various shows and OVAs. As a result, the plot will be deeply confusing if you just step into the show without having seen (or at least read up on) the other entries in the series; I personally recommend actually watching as merely reading a plot summary won't really let you understand why certain characters do what they do.
- MSG:UC suffers from some adaption issues; the story was actually a novel before being converted to a manga and then the OVA. As a result, the OVA had to condense some of the story and while it isn't to badly rushed, certain individual episodes and characters can seem confusing or ollogical because they were not given time to develop correctly.
- The ending relies a bit heavily on what is referred to as "space hippie magic" by Gundam fans. This can seem jarring in comparison to the rest of the show, particularly if you prefer your mecha harder and more solidly grounded as I do. I really leave this one up to personal taste, as some people thought it was an excellent show of the triumph of man over machine.
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Started rewatching Last Exile now that I'm a bit older and can understand the nuances of the series more. Hadn't seen it in a long time. Like almost 10 years long. I can only say one thing.
Wow.
Great show, check it out.
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Started rewatching Last Exile now that I'm a bit older and can understand the nuances of the series more. Hadn't seen it in a long time. Like almost 10 years long. I can only say one thing.
Wow.
Great show, check it out.
You should watch the sequel, Fam of the Silver Wing, which barely anyone seems to know exists.
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Fam was definitely enjoyable too, though the chibi and less serious aspect of it was a bit of a let down... But still great you will find back what made the first show good.
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Anyone here watch Aldnoah Zero?
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Aldnoah Zero is the Code Geass of 2014-15.
I don't intend that as a compliment.
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Aldnoah Zero is the Code Geass of 2014-15.
I don't intend that as a compliment.
SHOTS
FIRED
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I quite enjoyed Aldnoah Zero as a "I have literally nothing better to do with my time" kind of anime. There are some gaping plot holes, and the main character is a walking deus ex machina, but if you turn off your brain it's not bad.
The ending is the only time an anime has ever made me actually angry.
:mad:
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Aldnoah Zero is the Code Geass of 2014-15.
I don't intend that as a compliment.
Too bad, for a moment i thought i had a new anime prospect that i didnt know of... Sill looking eagerly for good animes :|
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Aldnoah Zero is the Code Geass of 2014-15.
I don't intend that as a compliment.
I enjoyed Aldnoah Zero very much. For some reason season 1 reminds me of Armored Core, except Inaho's in a Normal and every other Vers Orbital Knight is in a NEXT.
Season 2...well, my reaction is mixed.
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I have started watching non-Ghibli anime for the first time ever.
So far, in the last week I have finished Sword Art Online and Btooom and started Ergo Proxy and Claymore.
Love it all ^_^
COWBOY BEBOP, COWBOY BEBOP!
/Stomps all over the place like a transformer*
*uh. not that Cowboy Bebop has transformers, I'm just stomping like a big vehicular robot.
Too bad, for a moment i thought i had a new anime prospect that i didnt know of... Sill looking eagerly for good animes :|
Have you seen Stein's Gate? I only saw the first episode (and...wasn't too taken, tbh) but a friend watched a whole thing and was uncharacteristically enthused.
This guy also seems to quite like it:
"I’m not speaking in hyperbole when I say that Steins;Gate might be the best anime I have ever seen. It is well constructed and emotionally resonant. Moreover, it is pretty much the perfect time travel story with the concepts it explores and the world it builds. I recommend this anime to absolutely anyone who is even remotely interested after reading this review. You won’t be disappointed."
(Though there's spoilers in the review (http://kotaku.com/steins-gate-might-be-the-best-anime-i-have-ever-seen-476397964))
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Lolwtf the CERN are the bad guys ? :lol:
Will keep it in mind thx!
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Started rewatching Last Exile now that I'm a bit older and can understand the nuances of the series more. Hadn't seen it in a long time. Like almost 10 years long. I can only say one thing.
Wow.
Great show, check it out.
You should watch the sequel, Fam of the Silver Wing, which barely anyone seems to know exists.
But no Alex Rowe... :cry:
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Maybe nsfw?
[spoiler](http://i.imgur.com/Ii2l1zL.png)[/spoiler]
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I have to basically put this in every anime thread I ever see because of how much I love this show.
Eureka Seven
And if you liked Last exile you will like E7.
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Watched E7. Loved it.
Also screw Fam the Silver Wing. Totally different feel. And Dio's voice...so wrong.
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Generally anything by Production IG / http://www.productionig.com/ (http://www.productionig.com/). Which is to say, GitS, GitS:SAC , SAC2, etc. For better or worse, I haven't followed an anime series in quite a while. Typically i enjoy slow information drop, brain candy series which include bite sized episodic story elements in each episode while forwarding an over-arcing larger plot.
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Tokyo Ghoul dunno if its been linked earlier but this anime is amazing
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Yeah I tried watching Ep2 of Last Exile Fam the Silver Wing....so...hard to watch. They just jump from reveal to reveal like it's nothing. Last Exile built up very artistically. This is just rushrushrush. And hooooooly crap Fam is annoying and so is her little van ship. WTB original, big, powerful van ships that had class pls k thx.