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ratedgdr
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 10:03 pm
Posts: 324
Location: Northeast Wisconsin
PostPosted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 9:26 pm 
 

Xeogred wrote:
Sadly seems like the largest majority of the anime fanbase can't go back more than a few years. When stuff like Lagann, Bebop, Monster, GITS SAC, or the original Hunter x Hunter are "old"... lord have mercy. Age shouldn't dictate quality.

Bigger fan of cel animation myself. The early 2000's digital era was the absolute worst era by far, just look at any Sunrise show from then, it's disturbing how bad Gundam SEED, Argento Soma, etc look, especially when compared to Outlaw Star, Bebop, Ippo, Hunter x Hunter 99', etc which were late 90's and some of the last cel drawn shows, they look like movies in comparison. Nowadays though, I really have no complaints and studios like Madhouse have some godly looking shows that look like full blown TV OVA's (Hunter x Hunter). But the charm of the cel era and the amazing colors/blacks will probably never be fully replicated again. Animation and art style wise I think the late 80's/early 90's have the coolest looks ever. All those OVA's and stuff like City Hunter or late 80's Sunrise shows, that stuff is perfection.

Discotek recently licensed Giang Gorg. Seriously came out of nowhere, I hope this means they're going to license more classic Sunrise. Either way I want to buy everything from Discotek, they rock!


Only reason I haven't gone into much of the older stuff is because I'm still trying to get through everything I have bought already.

Having said that, how many people have seen any episodes of Amazing Nurse Nanako?

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Mr_TagoMago
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 6:52 pm
Posts: 121
PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 10:55 pm 
 

City Hunter so badass :)

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Kahalachan
Metalhead

Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:46 am
Posts: 573
PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 7:46 pm 
 

I'm really getting into Fairy Tail. It's one of my favorite animes in awhile.

The music is amazing. The theme song is awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIwmrk7LoDk

Also, I adore this violin cover of the theme song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o87hNhgfZvI


What puts it over other similar shows that have fighting with super powers is that it's not really about beating an enemy. Often there is forgiveness of the enemy or rehabilitation involved. And that send a much more positive message. Also Fairy Tail being a guild it has lots of themes of family, friendship, and togetherness.


My favorite character so far is Cana Alberona. I mean she's a sassy and tough girl who drinks all the time. That makes her awesome.

Spoiler: show
Image


Erza Scarlet is cool too. Any episode that has her present in a situation makes me feel safe cause she's such a badass. Being able to equip all those different armors and use different swords based on whatever the situation calls for.

Spoiler: show
Image


Mystogan reminds me of Gilgamesh from Final Fantasy so that's always awesome.

Spoiler: show
Image



It's just a great show that makes me feel like I'm watching a good JRPG or something.

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Xeogred
Thunderbolt from Hell

Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 11:28 pm
Posts: 7154
PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 8:29 pm 
 

I'm a fan too Kaha. Just be forewarned that near the end of the first season, there's a huge filler arc that is disturbingly bad. Almost killed the show for me because that season ends on that filler and when the new season started up, it jumped into one of the weaker official arcs... so it took awhile to recoup for me.

I get the JRPG vibe too. The show never has massive story arcs and stuff or really good villains, but all around it's nonstop fun mostly with a lot of fun characters.

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Kahalachan
Metalhead

Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:46 am
Posts: 573
PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2015 2:01 pm 
 

I like the show so much I can probably forgive filler.

I'm watching Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood on Netflix before it expires this month. I like that so far too. How alchemy works and all that is interesting. It's also pretty morbid and cool.

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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:30 pm
Posts: 7729
Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 9:22 pm 
 

Finally getting started on watching Psycho-Pass. My life's just been keeping me away from my leisurely review duties lately, but I gotta keep truckin'. And man, this show so far seems like it's gonna be awesome. The character art is a little odd at times, but I'm liking the setting quite a bit (getting some serious Philip K. Dick vibes) and the characters are very intriguing. Can't wait to see where this goes.
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Xeogred
Thunderbolt from Hell

Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 11:28 pm
Posts: 7154
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 10:04 pm 
 

Zelkiiro wrote:
Finally getting started on watching Psycho-Pass. My life's just been keeping me away from my leisurely review duties lately, but I gotta keep truckin'. And man, this show so far seems like it's gonna be awesome. The character art is a little odd at times, but I'm liking the setting quite a bit (getting some serious Philip K. Dick vibes) and the characters are very intriguing. Can't wait to see where this goes.

Man... I should have loved this one, sci-fi is instant good points for me, and at first it gave off some nice GITS vibes...

Definitely didn't last and I have no interest in the sequels. It went nowhere, nobody was cool, the character designs sucked, the GUN was so stupid, and it's absolutely nothing compared to GITS. I can't even remember who the main character was because nobody stood out.

I hope Space Brothers is cool. True Sci-fi's been pretty stinky in anime for years now.

I don't wanna be that guy, there's still tons of modern anime shows I love... but sci-fi/mecha has been pretty terrible for awhile.

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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:30 pm
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Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 10:18 pm 
 

Xeogred wrote:
I don't wanna be that guy, there's still tons of modern anime shows I love... but sci-fi/mecha has been pretty terrible for awhile.

Can't really argue there. Sci-fi's fared a little better than mecha, with Steins;Gate being fucking amazing and Psycho-Pass being awesome so far (though we seem to disagree on that front), whereas mecha's only shining beacon of awesome in the past decade is Gurren Lagann (and, if the later transformations cause it to count, Kill la Kill). Right now, it seems the industry is bogged down with so much moe shit and half-assed self-insert modern urban fantasy garbage, and sci-fi has no room in it. While some of my favorite anime have come from this time period (Fate/Zero, Steins;Gate, Gurren Lagann), on a larger scale it's just been a fucking wasteland. No creativity, no imagination, no high fantasy, no hard sci-fi; just copy K-On! and Bakemonogatari ad infinitum and collect yens.
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Xeogred
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Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 11:28 pm
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PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 10:38 pm 
 

Oh god on that note, I have to go on record and say everything I've seen by the Bakemonogatari director so far I've hated. That dude is trying way too hard to be Hideaki Anno or something. :lol:

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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:30 pm
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Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 10:47 pm 
 

Akiyuki Shinbo is the guy you're thinking of, and he's not even doing a good job of aping Anno, either. Anno's unusual directorial ticks were budget-saving techniques that doubled as effective atmosphere-building, and gave his works a sense of authenticity--a down-to-earth realism that makes his stories feel grounded and not pretentious. Shinbo, on the other hand, clearly saw Anno's work and decided that being artsy for artsiness's sake was what Anno was doing and is thus what he should be doing, having weird angles just because they're weird, changing colors and backgrounds just because it's the artsy thing to do, and having his characters behave like aliens because that's iconoclastic, right?

Really, the only anime Shinbo's directed that I liked (in fact, really liked) was Puella Magi Madoka Magica, because the artsy decisions he made actually worked in the show's favor and built atmosphere (the witches' labyrinths, the unsettling super-polished city structures, etc.). A stopped clock is right twice a day, after all.

EDIT: Might I add how refreshing it is to have an actual conversation on anime? The /r/anime subreddit is just plain awful, if broad discussion is what you're after, and even if you do find such a thread, the place is crawling with fans of the bullshit I was talking about earlier, so people like me get downvoted to hell and back if we even so far as say that the Monogatari series is pretentious garbage or that Kyoto Animation needs to do something fresh and creative like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya again, instead of churning out boring-ass shit like Tamako Market and Chuunibyo.
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Kahalachan
Metalhead

Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:46 am
Posts: 573
PostPosted: Thu May 21, 2015 3:23 am 
 

I watched until Season 5 of Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood and I really got attached to this anime. I think Alphonse is my favorite character and Envy is probably my favorite villain. Sloth looks pretty metal too and is a badass villain. I also like Olivier Armstrong as a badass heroine.

Also this theme is awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vx69Pe7Ncs

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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:30 pm
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Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Thu May 21, 2015 9:24 am 
 

Ah, Brotherhood. You appear in this thread so often, but I'm always happy to talk about you. Such a great series. I love its massive, epic scope and its humongous cast of awesome characters. And I love how even minor characters like the chimerae (Jerso, Zampano, Heinkel, and Darius) get plenty of opportunity for a place in the spotlight of badassness.
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hots_towel
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 2:19 am
Posts: 426
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu May 21, 2015 12:11 pm 
 

i personally loved Pyscho pass. it did have a nostalgic blend of death note meets GITS for me, so i might be biased.

thats not to say i didnt have a few gripes with it, but thats the case with every show i watch. yea the gun is pretty goofy looking (like some kind of nerf toy), and Kougami is a bit of an edgy stu. But damn, Makishima is one of my favorite antagonists. he gets more screen time towards the end of the show, but the bread crumbs they leave more towards the beginning really set it all up for him.

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Kahalachan
Metalhead

Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:46 am
Posts: 573
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 6:38 am 
 

I have discovered Death Note and it's one of the most addictive animes out there. I finished episode 15. It has the appeal of Breaking Bad. How a skilled criminal has to eventually face consequences and their oversights. And it leaves you wanting to know what happens next. And like Breaking Bad you sort of agree with what the protagonist is doing at first but then realize it's turned them evil.

I think Ryuk is my favorite character so far. He just seems so wisely detached from all possible conflict and is just in it for his own amusement.

Misa is also a good waifu. I've always had a weakness for crazy bitches.

I think what I like most is the lore behind the Death Note and shinigami itself. It's cool and nice to see a story take some interesting supernatural concept and run wild with all the possible implications.

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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

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Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 10:12 am 
 

Death Note kinda fizzles out after episode 25 (for...reasons), but the final episode does liven things up again and we get a great and fitting ending.
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Kahalachan
Metalhead

Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:46 am
Posts: 573
PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2015 5:35 am 
 

I thought it fizzled out much earlier than episode 25.

Spoiler: show
Light wiped out his memory


So when that happened there was a lot less tension. But then when he gets it back, things skyrocketed to awesome!

But yes I can see why it would fizzle out around that point too. That's when I stopped watching for today. I should be done with the entire anime soon. And then I will probably go back to Fairy Tail or finish Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood.

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BastardHead
Worse than Stalin

Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2005 7:53 pm
Posts: 10857
Location: Oswego, Illinois
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 2015 12:28 pm 
 

I only read the Manga but I cam reasonably guess which point in the story episode 25 is. It sort of reminds me of
Spoiler: show
Luca Blight in Suikoden 2, which makes sense for plenty of reasons but is also a huge bummer for more obvious reasons.


It's still great on the whole and the ending is indeed super good, but yeah it takes a massive dive at the halfway point.
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Kahalachan
Metalhead

Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:46 am
Posts: 573
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2015 9:54 pm 
 

This makes me wonder which anime series has the best pacing? All my favorites have slumps.

Monster has a huge one in the middle. Death Note takes a short but fairly heavy dive in the middle. Ergo Proxy nosedives at the end.

FMA Brotherhood has pretty good pacing. It's not as addictive to me, but it stays consistently badass. Now and Then Here and Now is also consistently good.

The ultimate best anime would have the momentum of Death Note, be consistently good like FMA Brotherhood, has the art style, nice CGI, and realistic look of Ergo Proxy, and have as many episodes as Fairy Tail.

Right now I'm watching Cowboy Bebop and it's pretty cool.

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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

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Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2015 11:05 pm 
 

It may not have a realistic art style, but if you want an anime with breakneck pacing and consistently high quality, and you haven't already seen them, you need to watch Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill right away.
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the_raytownian
Veteran

Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:09 am
Posts: 2562
PostPosted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 4:32 pm 
 

I think describing Cowboy Bebop as "pretty cool" is kind of an understatement, and I'm really not much of an anime person at all.

That said, over the last 3-4 evenings, up until early this morning, I decided to watch the full NGE series up to End of Evangelion in order for the first time.

I think the one thing I gained from the experience was getting off the existential mindfuck-train in a good area for once (which is a really good thing, it's just that the endings are both so ambiguous that I'm not sure what to make of the series as a whole)... I generally just get annoyed with anything dealing with existential concepts like self-determination, but I didn't here for once for some reason. Weirdly enough, it made me feel very positive, reinvigorated and actually receptive to weird notions like "self-respect" and junk. o_O

As for figuring out the overall meaning... the ending and all that... I'm not really sure I feel confident to bust out any half-baked interpretations of my own at this point.

PS: CONGRATULATIONS!
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Zelkiiro
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 5:27 pm 
 

Ahhh, Evangelion. If TV execs weren't so shortsighted and Anno Hideaki so unstable, it actually would've been one of the greatest anime of the 90s, but alas, what we ended up with is just a mixed bag. The Rebuild movies are much, much more consistently high-quality than the TV series--not necessarily as mysterious or atmospheric, but way more consistent.
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Currently seeking an agent willing to touch this massive doorstop.

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ratedgdr
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 10:03 pm
Posts: 324
Location: Northeast Wisconsin
PostPosted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 8:45 pm 
 

Zelkiiro wrote:
Ahhh, Evangelion. If TV execs weren't so shortsighted and Anno Hideaki so unstable, it actually would've been one of the greatest anime of the 90s, but alas, what we ended up with is just a mixed bag. The Rebuild movies are much, much more consistently high-quality than the TV series--not necessarily as mysterious or atmospheric, but way more consistent.


I have not (yet) seen the Rebuilds, but I do like the original series (except the last two episodes, which I substitute with End Of). End Of genuinely made me cry for a good chunk of it. As confusing as it is, it is still that powerful.

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Xeogred
Thunderbolt from Hell

Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 11:28 pm
Posts: 7154
PostPosted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 9:21 pm 
 

I think the Rebuild's blow and are pointless. Yay we get to see Anno's talent completely wasted as he milks his franchise for another decade.

Your mileage will probably vary.

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the_raytownian
Veteran

Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:09 am
Posts: 2562
PostPosted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 10:08 pm 
 

I'm willing to give them a shot since I've never seen them, but I'm not one to get my expectations up high enough to really be disappointed when it comes to any reboot (er, rebuild), even if I'm interested in seeing it. Star Wars has taught me well about this sort of thing.

Also, I'm not ashamed to admit I cried a little near the end of, uh, End of myself... even in spite of the fact that it was pretty confusing, and not helped any by the quick pace when trying to follow the subtitles.
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Zelkiiro
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 10:42 pm 
 

Rebuild is kinda what Evangelion was originally supposed to be--a big-budget action extravaganza--but it cuts down on a lot of the slower, introspective moments. Not all of them, but a lot of them. It's basically what you watch if you want great Evangelion action, but didn't care too much (or don't mind the absence of) for the long, quieter stretches.
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Festivus
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2014 4:26 pm
Posts: 1433
Location: Portugal
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 4:59 pm 
 

Xeogred wrote:
Sadly seems like the largest majority of the anime fanbase can't go back more than a few years. When stuff like Lagann, Bebop, Monster, GITS SAC, or the original Hunter x Hunter are "old"... lord have mercy. Age shouldn't dictate quality.

Bigger fan of cel animation myself. The early 2000's digital era was the absolute worst era by far, just look at any Sunrise show from then, it's disturbing how bad Gundam SEED, Argento Soma, etc look, especially when compared to Outlaw Star, Bebop, Ippo, Hunter x Hunter 99', etc which were late 90's and some of the last cel drawn shows, they look like movies in comparison. Nowadays though, I really have no complaints and studios like Madhouse have some godly looking shows that look like full blown TV OVA's (Hunter x Hunter). But the charm of the cel era and the amazing colors/blacks will probably never be fully replicated again. Animation and art style wise I think the late 80's/early 90's have the coolest looks ever. All those OVA's and stuff like City Hunter or late 80's Sunrise shows, that stuff is perfection.

Discotek recently licensed Giang Gorg. Seriously came out of nowhere, I hope this means they're going to license more classic Sunrise. Either way I want to buy everything from Discotek, they rock!

I prefer the times when anime wasn't full of moe shit. I like a lot of 80s/90s anime such as Legend of the Galactic heroes, Cowboy Bebop, Maison Ikkoku, Gunbuster, Trigun, Evangelion, Mobile Suit Gundam(70s), Captain Tsuabsa, Speed Racer(60s), etc. Currently watching Armored Trooper Votoms and it's pretty decent thus far.

Now that isn't saying that I don't enjoy 21st century anime. Kaiji was fantastic, per example. Baccano! was pretty fun as well. And Detroid Metal City and Cromarite were both pretty funny. One Piece(ye, I know it began in the 90s) is my favorite shounen title.
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Hellancholy
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Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2009 10:22 pm
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 6:55 pm 
 

Xeogred wrote:
I think the Rebuild's blow and are pointless. Yay we get to see Anno's talent completely wasted as he milks his franchise for another decade.

Your mileage will probably vary.

Zelkiiro wrote:
Rebuild is kinda what Evangelion was originally supposed to be--a big-budget action extravaganza--but it cuts down on a lot of the slower, introspective moments. Not all of them, but a lot of them. It's basically what you watch if you want great Evangelion action, but didn't care too much (or don't mind the absence of) for the long, quieter stretches.


I enjoyed this particular analysis of Rebuild:

http://wrongeverytime.com/2014/02/10/on ... vangelion/

It's a bit meta, but holds up pretty well under scrutiny and is more fun than simply assuming that Anno wanted to squeeze a few more dollars out of his cash cow.

Personally I still dislike Rebuild due to its inability to function as a stand-alone work and its failure to meaningfully address any of the themes that made the original series interesting, but after reading the linked argument I was willing to grudgingly acknowledge that Rebuild isn't completely pointless.

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Festivus
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 11:15 pm 
 

Eva is a very polarizing anime. I watched back in 2006 as a teenager and I really enjoyed it. But I know many who don't like it because they find it confusing and hate Shinji's guts.

Anyway, I still prefer the 26 episode TV series after all these years. End of Evangelion whilst fun to watch, I cant' say I was fond of its ending.

As for the Rebuilds... didn't like the first movie. The second one was better but still didn't care much for it and I also didn't care for that new chick.
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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

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PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 12:54 am 
 

Yeah, so far, the inclusion of Mari is at best puzzling and at worst nerd pandering. Unless something really major happens in this final film, she's just a waste of a character slot that could've been filled by someone already established like, say, Touji.
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Xeogred
Thunderbolt from Hell

Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 11:28 pm
Posts: 7154
PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 8:11 am 
 

Mari... The Search for More Merchandise!

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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

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Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 9:37 am 
 

Xeogred wrote:
Mari... The Search for More Merchandise!

I hate being cynical about something I enjoy, but that's probably exactly what Mari is there for.
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Xeogred
Thunderbolt from Hell

Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 11:28 pm
Posts: 7154
PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 10:57 am 
 

Festivus wrote:
Xeogred wrote:
Sadly seems like the largest majority of the anime fanbase can't go back more than a few years. When stuff like Lagann, Bebop, Monster, GITS SAC, or the original Hunter x Hunter are "old"... lord have mercy. Age shouldn't dictate quality.

Bigger fan of cel animation myself. The early 2000's digital era was the absolute worst era by far, just look at any Sunrise show from then, it's disturbing how bad Gundam SEED, Argento Soma, etc look, especially when compared to Outlaw Star, Bebop, Ippo, Hunter x Hunter 99', etc which were late 90's and some of the last cel drawn shows, they look like movies in comparison. Nowadays though, I really have no complaints and studios like Madhouse have some godly looking shows that look like full blown TV OVA's (Hunter x Hunter). But the charm of the cel era and the amazing colors/blacks will probably never be fully replicated again. Animation and art style wise I think the late 80's/early 90's have the coolest looks ever. All those OVA's and stuff like City Hunter or late 80's Sunrise shows, that stuff is perfection.

Discotek recently licensed Giang Gorg. Seriously came out of nowhere, I hope this means they're going to license more classic Sunrise. Either way I want to buy everything from Discotek, they rock!

I prefer the times when anime wasn't full of moe shit. I like a lot of 80s/90s anime such as Legend of the Galactic heroes, Cowboy Bebop, Maison Ikkoku, Gunbuster, Trigun, Evangelion, Mobile Suit Gundam(70s), Captain Tsuabsa, Speed Racer(60s), etc. Currently watching Armored Trooper Votoms and it's pretty decent thus far.

Now that isn't saying that I don't enjoy 21st century anime. Kaiji was fantastic, per example. Baccano! was pretty fun as well. And Detroid Metal City and Cromarite were both pretty funny. One Piece(ye, I know it began in the 90s) is my favorite shounen title.

Excellent stuff, if you like Votoms I would highly recommend Dougram, which feels like one of the closest things to LOGH. Ryosuke Takahashi is one of my favorite directors. I think Tomino had brilliant ideas and concepts, but his directing is questionable at times hehe. Then there's Blue Comet SPT Layzner, which while sadly canceled, is still amazing. The second half is Hokuto no Ken Mecha, it's such a crazy combination and works. Both directors tried fantasy in the 80's, but I feel that both Panzer World Galient and Aura Battler Dunbine are some of their weaker shows.

When Tomino was good though, it's incredible. My top favorites of his are: Mobile Suit Gundam 1979, Zeta Gundam, Heavy Metal L-Gaim, Combat Mecha Xabungle, Daitarn 3, and Ideon.

Votoms is one of my all time favorites though and I love all the sequel OVA's. Hard sci-fi mecha done very well.

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Festivus
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2014 4:26 pm
Posts: 1433
Location: Portugal
PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 2:47 pm 
 

Is amazing how the internet made LoGH so well-known among many anime and even non-anime fans. I also have helped spread the message and have successfully gotten a few people into it. Regardless of all the morons and trolls that the world wide web attracts, the positives still out weight the negatives and it really shows in examples like this. A great unknown show being made well-known by a small group of people.

I'm kinda behind on Votoms. Been watching it on and off. Sometimes I go through spells where I don't feel like watching anime and would rather just read books or listen to music or play video games. I kinda go through phases.

Btw, ever watched Macross? The first one ever is from the 80s, I believe. I personally wasn't very fond of it. When it comes to classic mecha I prefer Gundam. Although I've only watched the original Gundam thus far and have had Zeta on my backlog for a couple of years now.
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Zelkiiro
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 3:17 pm 
 

My favorite Gundam has always been New Century Gundam X, but the original, Zeta, and 08th MS Team aren't too far behind.
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Schmengie
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Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2012 12:14 am
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2015 9:13 pm 
 

When you find that you're having trouble getting into any completely new properties of late, is it an indication that you're losing interest in the medium as a whole, that the general quality of the recent material recognised as part of that medium is subpar, or both?

This past season, I decided to follow through on but one show, and that was The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan. But it's not a "new" property in the sense that it is an adaptation of a spinoff of what is, for me, one of many classics (and, comparatively speaking, one of the more recent ones, even if the prolific nature of anime makes it feel old as shit by now). I like it because I have no beef with the moe slice-of-life format, much as it's not really my calling. It seems fundamentally less interesting than Haruhi proper because it falls within that umbrella while eschewing Haruhi's science fantasy elements. But I still like it. I'm eagerly waiting on the final episode to be posted on Hulu because I won't buy a Funimation subscription when nearly all of it finds its way on Hulu anyway. The question that inevitably comes up is, "Would I even bother with this show if none of the characters were reimaginings of characters from an existing good property? Would I even care if I wasn't, for some reason and to be particular, interested in the novelty of Nagato Yuki being an ordinary, shy, adolescent girl?"

I mean, to be real, I'm not having some crisis: I'm content with liking Nagato Yuki-chan by all means. But like I said, I didn't pick up anything unarguably "new". Thinking about it, the last "new" thing I can remember seeing all the way through were the two seasons of Chaika. It could be that I just have less time to spend really immersing myself since leaving Hawaii, but I gotta wonder.

If it helps, I'm yet another in the "late 90's/early 00's" camp, who was raised on Toonami and Adult Swim, with scant exceptions. So what's good these days? Is the perception that there are no more Cowboy Bebop's, Fullmetal Alchemist's, Ghost in the Shell's, and the like, truly accurate, or is that just the common cold of the aging (as 23-year-olds go...*cough*) anime fan?
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Zelkiiro
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2015 9:36 pm 
 

To be perfectly fair to the current anime climate, there are just more titles being pumped out than there were back then, so it only makes sense that there's more crap to wade through. You have to look even harder than before, but there are still plenty of great titles being released. In the past 5 years alone, we've gotten great anime like:

Fate/Zero
Kill la Kill
Steins;Gate
Chihayafuru
Psycho-Pass
Carnival Phantasm
Wolf Children
Children Who Chase Lost Voices
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
When Marnie was There + The Secret World of Arrietty + everything else Studio Ghibli's done that isn't Earthsea and Ponyo
Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt
Bunny Drop
AnoHana
Hajime no Ippo: Rising (it counts!)

And those are only the ones I've managed to find. I'm sure there are others out there waiting to be discovered in between the shitty otaku-bait K-On ripoff bullshit that's being churned out ad nauseam.

Also, on a completely unrelated note, my review of The Big O is a thing that just happened. :V
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Kahalachan
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Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:46 am
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 2:31 am 
 

I finished watching Cowboy Bebop and it's one of my favorite animes now. I like the Mad Pierrot episode the best.

Image

Honky Tonk Woman would be a good second favorite episode.

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Schmengie
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:40 pm 
 

Zelkiiro wrote:
Fate/Zero
Kill la Kill
Steins;Gate

Chihayafuru
Psycho-Pass
Carnival Phantasm
Wolf Children
Children Who Chase Lost Voices
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
When Marnie was There + The Secret World of Arrietty + everything else Studio Ghibli's done that isn't Earthsea and Ponyo
Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt
Bunny Drop
AnoHana
Hajime no Ippo: Rising (it counts!)


Titles I've seen (and in these cases, own) bolded.

I might give Psycho-Pass another try. There was nothing wrong with it; I just kept getting sidetracked by other things. Perhaps its inability to become a priority for me is telling, but who knows?

I've heard good things about Chihayafuru.

I was very uninterested in Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, in spite of its amusing title, because it felt less like an anime made for Americans, and more like one made based on a Japanese stereotype of what Americans ostensibly like. In other words, it's overblown, and not in the typically good way in which Gainax properties are overblown.

I heard that AnoHana was tragic as fuck, but for some reason, I just could not get into it. I tried an episode or two, and I could tell that someone, somewhere, sometime, had died, but...I dunno, it just didn't grab me.

I suppose I should be fair and add a few more things to the list that I've watched and really liked from the past couple of years:

Chaika (Both seasons. It had an anticlimactic ending, though, and I'm not sure it was good enough to move me towards a buy down the road.)
From the New World (Didn't finish it at the time due to, once again, getting sidetracked, but got through a third of it and knew it was good enough to buy. It's just a matter of getting around to it.)
The Future Diary (The main character is pretty much complete shit, but the whole show is saved and carried by Yuno fucking Gasai anyway.)
Hyōka (I really don't get how this escaped a licence. It's almost unique in that it deals with everyday mysteries. I really liked it, but I'm not sure I'll get to own it anytime soon. :( )
Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions
Mysterious Girlfriend X
No Game, No Life
Robotics;Notes (Doesn't come close to the utter brilliance that was Steins;Gate, though.)
Terror in Resonance (It was one of those shows that felt like it was cut short, but it was otherwise as powerful as anything Shinchiro Watanabe makes.)

On the other hand, there are a couple of properties I watched in that time, and thought to be great enough to buy, only to find that I probably would never pick them up again. I've had a growing urge to resell these:

Another (Great atmosphere, and generally compelling as a horror mystery, but its big reveal was a copout, and was basically the same concept as the Final Destination films, but lacking Rube Goldberg machines.)
Blood-C (This is one of those shows that I really appreciated more for its concept than its execution: it was basically anime's extremely violent answer to The Truman Show. Thing is, while I'm by no means squeamish by this point, I'm not terribly interested in products that obviously stress gratuitous ultraviolence as a selling point (which is why I have no interest in stuff like Corpse Party and its ilk). It's also one of those shows whose rewatch value feels diminished once you already know how the mystery unravels.)
Chaos;Head (Honestly, I blind-bought this for completionist reasons because I was certain that the rave reviews of Steins;Gate were ample indication that I would adore that property, and therefore, this one shouldn't even really be in this list, but fuck it. I was by no means wrong, but this, itself...was really rather terrible. The main character was such a delusional, paranoid, otaku nutcase that he was practically impossible to relate to or be invested in, and its cosmic science fiction themes had a lot more intrigue going for them in concept than actual execution. Overall, it was just a dumb story.)

And then, there's the stuff I watched and outright didn't, or won't, buy because it doesn't make the cut for me:

Beyond the Boundary (I'm actually borderline on this one. It was gorgeously-animated in everything from its quiet moments to its action scenes, and its characters were generally compelling--Kuriyama is the kind of moe blob I have a weakness for. On the other hand, it felt like it had no backstory to its setting: there were Warriors, and Yōmu, and all this awesome supernatural shit just...happening. It's just there, and I'm supposed to accept it. I guess I do, but I really prefer when my (serious) properties have proper universe exposition. Also, "Beyond the Boundary" being a titular being was annoying. "Beyond the Boundary", taken literally, is a phrase referring to a relative location, and really should not be the proper noun of an entity.)
Brynhildr in the Darkness (Let me address the elephant in the room: it's basically a rushed, watered-down Elfen Lied with no psychological significance whatsoever. Some people have a problem with Elfen Lied for basically being an excuse to torture and terrorise hapless teenage girls, but this is generally overlooked in light of its themes. Brynhildr only retains the brutality, while adding plot holes and pseudo-scientific nonsense. Bullshit, basically.)
Freezing (Both seasons. It's interesting for an ecchi in that it isn't afraid to be a little more visceral, or to give its female leads more personality and purpose than simply being pairs of walking, jiggly tits. On the other hand, it suffered from a rather extreme case of meandering and misdirection, featuring so many Pandora-on-Pandora fights, often over the most contrived of reasons, that it pretty much derailed itself much of the time from the main threat of the Nova (who, by the way, are camp as fuck and very...anime). Also, its second season had the worst and most offensive arc in anime that I can name off the top of my head--worse, even, than all the pervasive filler arcs that plague long-running shōnen series.)
Galilei Donna (Three girls become internationally wanted criminals, and one of them is a child genius whose personality suggests nothing of the sort. Honestly, it was banal enough that I don't remember nearly anything about it, save that it was wrapped up rather abruptly.)
A Lull in the Sea (This was one of those shows that anime fans almost uniformly swore by, and indeed, its animation quality really brought out its sea-bound themes. I got all the way through it, and I guess I could say it was enjoyable enough to occupy me, but in the end, I found that it was essentially love polygon-ridden slice-of-life drama combined with a weak piece of nautical fantasy to make it "unique". Also, lots of typical anime faux-philosophical trippy shit going on here ("feelings resonating through the sea", or...whatever).)
One Week Friends (Another one that anime fans by-and-large ate right up. There's actually nothing really wrong with it: its main conflict is ridiculously contrived, but it's not like it isn't used well. I guess I simply didn't find it compelling enough to give it another look, much less a buy.)
Red Data Girl (Like Galilei Donna, it was utterly forgettable. Really, I looked it up because the implied themes invoked by the phrase, "Red Data Girl", seemed intriguing. Otherwise, I remember even less about it than Galilei Donna. Something about the main character housing some matriarchal spirit or something. I have no idea anymore.)
Say, "I love you." (It was a shōjo romance drama. And...that's really it. I remember both praising and criticising it for one thing: that its characters were realistically sensible people and approached their conflicts with caution and forethought, barring the occasional weakness associated with teen angst. Unfortunately, this led to the show itself not having much of a compelling conflict at all.)
Sword Art Online (The most polarising goddamn anime in recent memory, both seasons of this show suffered from a recurring mishap: their first halves are awesome in almost every way; but then, their second halves are just...really? I didn't even finish the second half of season II. Also, it features too many sexually depraved villains. Kayaba was the only significant one who somehow managed to pull off a balance of megalomania and calculating intelligence. Of course, as is the problem with a lot of anime, the atrocities he commits, directly or indirectly, are brushed aside and forgiven because...I dunno, he's "cool", or something? I considered a buy, but decided that I didn't want to own a show that was shit for half of its runtime.)
WATAMOTE (This show belongs on The Cringe Channel. Rather amusing, I'll admit, but its format prevents its main character from developing in any meaningful fashion, leaving me rather unsatisfied by the end.)
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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:30 pm
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 3:22 pm 
 

I was actually really tempted to add WataMote to my list. Really, really funny shit, but I decided not to add it because I know a lot of people find it extremely uncomfortable.
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ratedgdr
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 10:03 pm
Posts: 324
Location: Northeast Wisconsin
PostPosted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 11:41 pm 
 

How come REDLINE is not in any "must watch" lists? It's insanely awesome and is one of my favorite movies of the last decade.

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