IC Forum Archive

LegatoB · Posts: 1546

I know there's some other people on these forums who enjoy those silly cartoons made by the yellow slant-eyes, so let's talk about them in here.

First, a question - is there anything good this season besides Kamichu?

Ataru · Posts: 295

I've been rewatching Neon Genesis Evangelion for the first time in years, and am surprised by just how much more I like it from start to finish than I did the first time I saw it. The first time through I only really enjoyed it in the second half of the series and the movies.

also recently watched Otaku No Video, which was hilarious (and a little close to home, hah!), and Jungle Wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu, which is also very funny.

Sub · Posts: 696

For this season, Dokuro-chan is alright, but I don't enjoy it as much as I did Guu (directed by same duder).

I for one plan to spend this anime season waiting for Hellsing Ultimate to come out, because damn, son. Damn.

Guardian FINAL · Posts: 1137

Bleach!

DonMarco · Posts: 565

Everything pales compared to Read or Die, and/or Yomiko Readman.

She's everywhere. Like in that picture up there. See her?

jiji · Posts: 780

Kamichu well surpassed whatever already-inflated expectations I had for it. It's lovely. I watched a couple of shows whose names I don't remember, just because their names were unfamiliar and they were marked "episode 1." Both were awful and formulaic. I haven't seen much else new this season, yet, but Honey & Clover is still running (and is awesome), and last season's (still running?) Zettai Shounen is pretty and intriguing after an ep or so.

I need to finish up the last few episodes of Emma. Tide Line Blue sounds interesting, if I recall (and needs watching)...Eien no Aseria looks pretty generic, but I'll give it a shot. Rozen Maiden's (it's good, really!) second season starts airing in the fall, I think.

LegatoB · Posts: 1546

DonMarco wrote:

Everything pales compared to Read or Die, and/or Yomiko Readman.

She's everywhere. Like in that picture up there. See her?

And so you see why I chose that screenshot, from a minute into episode 1. The producers wasted no time with their cameos. There's also what I believe is a subtle reference to Fist of the North Star not too much further into the episode. They know their market, I guess.

piyo · Posts: 14

legatob wrote:

First, a question - is there anything good this season besides Kamichu?

I haven't watched Kamichu yet, I suppose I have to go watch it now.

I like Gun x Sword for my violence fill.

Since I'm one of those gal-game guys, I also like D.C.S.S., Oku-sama wa (both), Pani Poni Dash, Petopetosan, and Shuffle.

I admit the only reason I'm watching Sugar Sugar Rune is that Marika Matsumoto is the lead voice actress. (A fan since her role in Final Fantasy X as Rikku?).

As for the previous seasons (but still live), I'm still watching Speedgrapher (violence fill part 2) and Eureka 7 (violence fill part 3) and Zettai Shonen (upskirt fill 7). I can't make myself watch Fushigi Hoshi no Futago Hime even though I love the opening animation/song. And now I suppose I should watch Honey and Clover.

And now a question from me, what anime have you bought recently after previewing it?

And another question. Can anyone recommend a "Boy's Life" anime?

---
piyo

jiji · Posts: 780

piyo wrote:

And now a question from me, what anime have you bought recently after previewing it?

It's a long wait for me to pick up anime series after I see them, since I prefer to go the R1 route. I just picked up the last volume of Wolf's Rain that I needed, and I'm buying Scrapped Princess as it comes out here. Planetes, Genshiken, Paranoia Agent, and Hyakumonogatari/Requiem from the Darkness are on my to-buy list, but I'm waiting on collected boxes for most. I've been renting as much or more than I've been 'previewing,' and I'm sure it'll result in some purchases (hmm, Millennium Actress, Kino's Journey).

However, I might break my no-R2 stance with the xxxHolic movie...*swoon*

LegatoB · Posts: 1546

piyo wrote:

And now a question from me, what anime have you bought recently after previewing it?

Not as much as I'd like - I bought the Last Exile boxset after watching 8 episodes or so when they were first subbed, my brother has picked up a few volumes of Wolf's Rain, and I've also bought a couple of volumes of ROD the TV, PLANETES, and Scrapped Princess (all R1). Being a student with no real source of income, it's hard to purchase as much as I'd like to, and with some other shows I've quite enjoyed coming out soon (Gankutsuou), I'm going to have to look into getting a... job... sometime.

I think I'm going to have to wait for boxsets on some of the other series I want - I only have one volume of Twelve Kingdoms that I got for $8 because of Media Blasters' habits. And sure enough, a much cheaper boxset for at least part of the series should be coming out soon! I am justified! Of course, then ADV went and announced a Rune Soldier box set which would cost less than buying the remaining two volumes...

Too bad anime DVDs don't go for shit on eBay, thanks to all those fucking bootlegs.

LW Joestar · Posts: 1358

MARCO!

WHY DID YOU COMPLETELY FAIL TO MENTION HONEY & CLOVER?!

Maztorre · Posts: 1175

Joestar is correct this is one of the best shows I've seen all year.

LegatoB · Posts: 1546

Now I'm curious. Someone explain why I should watch this show!

Maztorre · Posts: 1175

It's a shoujo-ish show set in an art college which means the cast are old enough to get drunk together instead of the usual identikit highschool nonsense. The cast is extremely endearing and there's a decent love triangle too. It's a little like Kare Kano but with zero annoying cast members and its got college age dorama instead of highschool dorama. Oh and the intro has cake shaped like used panties:

Kazu · Posts: 894

jiji wrote:

(hmm, Millennium Actress, Kino's Journey).

agree. "Beyond the clouds" is another film people shouldn't miss, is it going to ship? (i'm not up-2-date with shipping and/or licensing)

LegatoB · Posts: 1546

It's out already, actually - ADV owned up to having it only about a month before the release date, after claiming they just had theatrical rights for a while (and considering they only screened it a couple times, that looked pretty silly). Curiously, they decided to call it "The Place Promised in Our Early Days" or something like that. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but it sure is purdy.

LW Joestar · Posts: 1358

legatob wrote:

Now I'm curious. Someone explain why I should watch this show!

Just read the link I provided.

Kazu · Posts: 894

legatob wrote:

It's out already, actually - ADV owned up to having it only about a month before the release date, after claiming they just had theatrical rights for a while (and considering they only screened it a couple times, that looked pretty silly). Curiously, they decided to call it "The Place Promised in Our Early Days" or something like that. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but it sure is purdy.

now that's surprising, but as i said, i'm not too deep into it right now ... it's a shame. Thanks anyway for info!

Um has anyone mentioned "Okusama ma mahou" yet? For Inoue Kikuko-Fans, i haven't seen the first episode yet, but it should be a bit different like the other mahou-style series. there was a link at Major's News some time ago ... let me see ... official Site.

Talbain · Posts: 628

I know someone told me to watch NGE. So I did. And surprisingly, it was good. The robots didn't seem to have much purpose, they seemed to be more of a "please the fans" kind of thing than having actual purpose. The story of NGE was interesting, but at times I really couldn't understand the message the director was trying to get across. It's almost like he was trying to confuse you at some points. (For example, why does Shinji feel the need to choke the life out of everyone at random points in the series? Anyone wanna explain that to me?)

dark steve · Posts: 3002

WHOA

PLEASE if you explain neon genesis do it in a DIFFERENT THREAD

Shit drives me NUTS.

Sub · Posts: 696

dark steve wrote:

WHOA

PLEASE if you explain neon genesis do it in a DIFFERENT THREAD

Shit drives me NUTS.

Ha, our last The Anime Thread was our last The Eva Thread. Also our last The Gundam Thread but I mean that's part my fault right guys?

Persona-sama · Posts: 1145

I saw the live action Initial D movie last night.

The cinemetography was beautiful. The editor just butchered it a bit by cutting it like a bad music video though. I really liked the characterizations and the way everything unfurled too. The ending makes the movie just screams for a sequel as well.

Oh, and Bunta totally looks like the Advent Children Cid. Badassness!

Ataru · Posts: 295

for all insights into Eva, http://www.evamonkey.com is a very good place to start.

DonMarco · Posts: 565

LW Joestar wrote:

MARCO!

WHY DID YOU COMPLETELY FAIL TO MENTION HONEY & CLOVER?!

I was too distracted by Legato's Gunbuster avatar.

I MEAN LOOK AT IT!!!

yellowlightman · Posts: 359

Sub wrote:

dark steve wrote:

WHOA
PLEASE if you explain neon genesis do it in a DIFFERENT THREAD
Shit drives me NUTS.

Ha, our last The Anime Thread was our last The Eva Thread. Also our last The Gundam Thread but I mean that's part my fault right guys?

There is no shame in more Gundam!

The only anime I've watched recently is Shakotan Boogey. I bought the tapes for 80yen in Ikebukuro last summer and just now got around to watching them. It's kind of like Initial D, if Itsuki and Takumi had spent more time trying to pick up chicks. Lots of crazy Yanky haircuts and bosozoku-style cars with reeeeeeally long tailpipes and such.

Talbain · Posts: 628

DonMarco wrote:

LW Joestar wrote:

MARCO!

WHY DID YOU COMPLETELY FAIL TO MENTION HONEY & CLOVER?!

I was too distracted by Legato's Gunbuster avatar.

I MEAN LOOK AT IT!!!

Yes, it is indeed hard to ignore that much sexiness.

piyo · Posts: 14

Valkyrie wrote:

has anyone mentioned "Okusama ma mahou" yet? For Inoue Kikuko-Fans, i haven't seen the first episode yet, but it should be a bit different like the other mahou-style series. there was a link at Major's News some time ago ... let me see ... official Site.

Yeah, I did. (Oku-sama wa (both) == Okusama wa Joshikosei and Okusama wa Maho Shojo)

I like Kikuko Inoue, and she hasn't lost her touch (voice) with this series Okusama wa Maho Shojo ((This) wife's a young witch!) "Only 17 years old + 3570 days!" says the drama CD. Her rendition of the end theme is lovely and beautiful. As for the content itself, it's laughably and frustratingly unrealistic to the point of insulting you intellectually. In other words, it's typical gal-get and fan service (girl transformation sequence bordering on sexual extasy dang I can't spell that word, not enough xxx hahaah). But it's ENTERTAINING, oh yeah. Kikuko Inoue could be my teacher (onegai!) and I wouldn't hesitate to be in her class. hahaha.

What is that other Maho-style series you are talking about? Sugar Sugar Rune? This one is for elementary kids, but it's still interesting. You get your weekly moral message (ep 1 is "collect hearts, collect 'em all, but avoid the yellow ones, they are "piss"), and you get your in-show toy product shot (jeez they 3d animate these things now, wow). What more do you want, subliminal advertising for the related accessories?

While I'm on it, is anybody else shocked that Ayako Kawasumi is doing Okusama wa Joshikosei? (My wife's a high school girl!) This class A voice actress should get better material than this gal-get spunk. Put her back in something like To Heart, Mahoromatic, Piano, or Sister Princess. I'm getting really irritated that she says "danna-sama" ((my) husband) all the time.

Which, BTW reminds me, what is your favorite girl-transform (henshin) sequence? For me it would have to be Mao-chan/Sora-chan/Silvie-chan from Rikujyou Boetaitai Mao-chan (Army Defense Force Mao-chan). Kawaii! "Nihon no heiwa wa, watashi-tachi ga mamoru de arimasu kara, anshin se ya!" (I hope someone will correct my quote)
---
piyo

piyo · Posts: 14

Maztorre wrote:

Oh and the intro has cake shaped like used panties:

Mmm, cheeze cake. As you can see, it's artistically and strategically dipped in honey. Honey is the color of...

ACK!K!K

Must wash out my mind with mental soap.
---
piyo

FocusRambo · Posts: 829

After reading about Mind Game in Fort90's journal, I've decided that it may very well be the only other anime I watch on a regular basis, aside from FLCL and Dead Leaves.

I've yet to watch Dead Leaves inebriated. Supposedly, it is a blast.

Anyways, the question is, should I drop around 50 bucks for it even if I haven't seen it? Or should I hope and pray for a US release sometime?

DonMarco · Posts: 565

piyo wrote:

Maztorre wrote:

Oh and the intro has cake shaped like used panties:

Mmm, cheeze cake. As you can see, it's artistically and strategically dipped in honey. Honey is the color of...

ACK!K!K

Must wash out my mind with mental soap.
---
piyo

The honey is a metaphor. Not be seen as honey, but rather "o-n-e-y" with an "h" in front of it.

H - needs no explaination BUT the interesting thing is what happens to "ho" hen you add the two little dashes above it. You get "bo", or "boney" which has much more sexual innuendo to it. See?

the vinculum gate · Posts: 2868

i have a ton of samurai champloo that i borrowed from my sister waiting here for me to watch, but i haven't done it.

George · Posts: 1656

Recently I've been on a Go Nagai kick. The guy is such a genius. Anime is 99% trash, and quite frankly, Go Nagai makes twice as good trash as anyone else in the business. Mazinkaiser is by far the best super robot show I've ever seen (the 7 episode series is available from ADV, but the 60-minute followup is only available fansubbed - both are brilliant). New Getter Robo, which is just now coming out, is pretty good, although the animation is awful. New Cutey Honey, from 1994 (called Cutey Honey by ADV) is really fun. I've heard the Cutey Honey live action movie and 3-episode anime, both directed by Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno, are both great. You gotta love the fact that Anno directed the Cutey Honey live action movie but not the Evangelion live action one.

If anyone of you have never watched a Go Nagai show: buy/rent Mazinkaiser NOW. Or download fansubs of the new Cutey Honey stuff. Go Nagai has been incredibly popular in Japan lately: they've remade pretty much all of his stuff in the last 3 years.

Another incredibly fun series is Overman King Gainer from Yoshiyuki Tomino. Tomino is from the same generation as Go Nagai, and he can do goofy stuff too, but he's more known for his serious works. While I agree that the Gundams and maybe Ideon (a very dark show that inspired Evangelion) are his best anime ever, Xabungle and Overman King Gainer have made me really love his comic side. Tomino has said in interviews that he was really trying to do something different with OKG and I think he succeeded. He's also said that he hates all the otakus in the anime industry and wishes that the people who wanted jobs with him had experience doing completely different things.

LegatoB · Posts: 1546

Overman King Gainer is just so delightfully entertaining. I conned my brother into buying volume 1 on a whim a while back, and I'm really sorry I didn't check the series out sooner. It's got amusing characters, well-animated mecha battles, and a lot of genuinly funny moments. It's kinda interesting to see Tomino revisit some of the same themes as his past work (notably the theme of people traveling to the homelands of their ancestors, as seen in Turn A Gundam) but do something quite different with them.

Changing subjects, I watched the first episode of the new Full Metal Panic series today. Now, I'm mostly familiar with the early comedic parts of the manga and Fumoffu, but was the first FMP TV series so chock full of generic mecha battles? The episode had about 15 minutes of mecha action and only a few minutes (at most) with Sousuke and co. at school. I hope it'll pick up a bit more, as the preview for ep 2 seemed to imply, but so far, Kamichu is still the definite winner this season.

Kazu · Posts: 894

piyo wrote:

I like Kikuko Inoue, and she hasn't lost her touch (voice) with this series Okusama wa Maho Shojo ((This) wife's a young witch!) "Only 17 years old + 3570 days!" says the drama CD. Her rendition of the end theme is lovely and beautiful. As for the content itself, it's laughably and frustratingly unrealistic to the point of insulting you intellectually. In other words, it's typical gal-get and fan service (girl transformation sequence bordering on sexual extasy dang I can't spell that word, not enough xxx hahaah). But it's ENTERTAINING, oh yeah. Kikuko Inoue could be my teacher (onegai!) and I wouldn't hesitate to be in her class. hahaha.

That onegai-line wasn't too bad. let me laugh too, hahaha.
But if the content isn't too good, i wonder if i should even care to watch since there is a whole bunch of other series i haven't seen...

George · Posts: 1656

legatob wrote:

Overman King Gainer is just so delightfully entertaining. I conned my brother into buying volume 1 on a whim a while back, and I'm really sorry I didn't check the series out sooner. It's got amusing characters, well-animated mecha battles, and a lot of genuinly funny moments. It's kinda interesting to see Tomino revisit some of the same themes as his past work (notably the theme of people traveling to the homelands of their ancestors, as seen in Turn A Gundam) but do something quite different with them.

Yeah, they brought up Turn A Gundam in the interview on disc 2, although I don't think there's that much of a similiaritiy. Turn A Gundam was basically the anime version of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict (it actually predicted the building of a fence before the Israelis did it!), a really good, serious look at the reasons people fight one another. Overman King Gainer's story is more of a sci-fi/evil government story, kinda like The Island which just opened, but the point of OKG is really the characters. And as far as characters go, OKG reminded me of Zeta Gundam the most, as each series has both a young hero and an old hero. In OKG this is used to great comic effect, with Gain being a sort of parody of the older, suave, seductive type man. OKG episode 3, with the whole bedroom scene between Gain, Adette, and the Princess, is one of the funniest things I've ever seen, and ranks up there with Patlabor episode 12 (where Ohta gets in an arranged marriage) as one of the funniest anime episodes ever. I always appreciate when I find a really funny show that's not your typical romantic comedy.

piyo · Posts: 14

legatob wrote:

First, a question - is there anything good this season besides Kamichu?

That post about "moe" from the ic front page led me to Matthew's anime blog, which seems to be pretty up to date on this season's shows. He gives a thumbs up to Kamichu, FWIW.

It's a starting point to finding something that strokes your ego the bestest.

---
piyo

Jaihson · Posts: 133

legatob wrote:

was the first FMP TV series so chock full of generic mecha battles?

Yes. Shit was all 'Lamda Drive' this and 'Black Technology' that. Then, a short intermission of comic misunderstandings, followed by a resumption of robots punching/shooting each other-style action. Also, the primary antagonist dies and comes back about once every 5 episodes. His mech had a ponytail, I think.

DonMarco · Posts: 565

legatob wrote:

was the first FMP TV series so chock full of generic mecha battles?

Like... every... other... giant mech series. It is anime, afterall. FMP went a pretty realistic path. Not so severe as parts, PARTS, of Gasaraki.

The appeal of FMP, to me, was the gun-nut ultra-marine Sasuke. As for the first series, it tried to balance having him in kicking ass in a mech on a battlefield and him as a fish out of water in a Japanese high school. It was pretty decent up to the end of that great desert arc. The last 4-6 after that are totally awful. They had this great enemy and they just blow him on a predictible plot that could have been done in 2 episodes.

The second series, was more light-hearted and went to establish the characters more in the ultra-generic high school of Anime Land. Fumoffu also has one of the top 10 last episodes in anime.

Then we have the mechs in the new OVAs are too jumpy. I miss them not carrying knikes in their teeth, too. I'll be watching it, I guess. After the crappy spring we just had, I'll need it.

Rud13 · Posts: 3277

I recently watched Evangelion all the way through.

Any questions about the series can be solved by this: *insert character in question* has a serious mental disorder.

Persona-sama · Posts: 1145

You would too if you were living in a post-apocalyptic, war-effaced, battle city.

And if you piloted giant robots against giant aliens every week.

Kazu · Posts: 894

Persona-sama wrote:

You would too if you were living in a post-apocalyptic, war-effaced, battle city.

And if you piloted giant robots against giant aliens every week.

not necessarily. that depends on the skills of the runner.

*ZOE2 really had a whole bunch of memorable lines*

DonMarco · Posts: 565

Persona-sama wrote:

And if you piloted giant robots against giant aliens every week.

There was only one robot on that show. And no aliens.

Persona, did you even watch Evangelion?

LegatoB · Posts: 1546

I felt like bumping this, but I don't really have anything to say.

...So, um, Honey and Clover changed from the funky stop motion food stuff intro to a more traditional opening thingy, with a poodle. That makes me sad. And Morita needs to not stay away for long. He's awesome.

Yeah.

Edit: It just occured to me that Honey & Clover is the only real shoujo/romance series that's appealed to me in years. I don't know what exactly to make of that. Am I becoming a teenage girl?

George · Posts: 1656

Speaking of shoujo, I liked Kannaduki no Miko, which was a combination of lesbian romance, the King of Fighters Orochi Saga, and giant robots. The first episode is a fairly standard shoujo-ish story about a shy girl who happens to be the object of affection of both the most popular guy and girl at her school (who are rumored to be a couple), until 17 minutes in when Orochi awakens, and the popular boy ends up being one of the 8 heads of Orochi and summons a giant robot. Of course, he recovers his senses before killing the girl he has a crush on, and instead defends her from another Orochi with a robot. The next 11 episodes focus on their love triangle, with a fairly major twist occuring two thirds of the way through the series.

Kannaduki no Miko is a good example of both the strengths and weaknesses of anime. On the one hand, in live action you wouldn't need to add giant robos and Orochi mythology to a story about high school girls in love. There have been a number of movies about that recently. On the other hand, in live action you couldn't add giant robos and Orochi mythology to a lesbian romance. And quite frankly, it's rather entertaining. There's something strangely poignant about a boy who is willing to pilot a giant robot for a girl who might just be a lesbian. And the 8 Orochis are a pretty colorful bunch that make the show more entertaining. None of the extra elements end up interefering with the basic story, at least until the last episode, in which practically every story decision ended up disappointing me. In fact, I thought the whole last third could have been executed better, although I liked the basic idea of it. Still, the majority of this anime is very good, and I would advise people to watch it.[/i]

IIOIOOIOO · Posts: 91

jiji wrote:

Scrapped Princess

One of the two Anime series I ever watched through to the end.

Fantastic.

Takashi · Posts: 820

I'm watching Eureka 7. The story is still uncertain, in that sort of Last Exile way, but the characters are completelly off the ball... It's something like the theme of FLCL without the animation wackiness, mixed with a bit of Xtreme Sports and well, skysurfing, car-transforming, mechas.

FortNinety · Posts: 4591

... so maybe this is a questionable question to ask because of the legal mumbo jumbo, but what's a good place to get anime?

DonMarco · Posts: 565

FortNinety wrote:

... so maybe this is a questionable question to ask because of the legal mumbo jumbo, but what's a good place to get anime?

animesuki.com and boxtorrents.com work well enough for me. The former being more fansubs. Other fansub sites are around, but I can't remember them now.
TOP POST!
Boxtorrents carries anything except stuff under the ADV name. So older series and even DVD rips ("dual-language") animes can be found there. They use something of an honor system, so be sure to share and you won't have any trouble. They usually carry full sesons or the full series. Not individual episodes. They also have anime OSTs.