Anime and Manga Thread Vol. 1: Visions of a God

[quote name='blandstalker']There was a lot of text here.[/QUOTE]

The characters never felt realistic to me. There were some moments where the characters felt genuine, but most of the time they felt like caricatures that were known for a specific, cliched trait. I agree that there is a great sense of continuity, but I disagree with your statement about character growth. The characters acted the same way in the beginning of the show and they acted the same way at the end of the show: Tomo was always loud and rowdy; Sakaki was always quiet and gentle, but imposing; Yomi was always getting angry at Tomo and worrying about her diet; Osaka was always zoning out; Kagura was always competitive and good at sports, but less than good at school; and Chiyo was intelligent, but fragile. They never strayed from these traits throughout the whole show. So how is their character growth?

I just never found it that funny. As I said before: most of the time I was left bewildered or indifferent, wondering if the show was expecting me to laugh. Some of the jokes relied on Japanese culture, so I wasn't able to understand them, some were just weird and unfunny, and others just seemed like bad jokes.

The show never captivated me, and I attribute that to the one dimensional characters and how nothing ever happens in the show—also, that nothingness repeats itself over and over again. I think the second half of the show is better at being amusing, but the first half of the show felt like a slog to me. I was wondering why the show had not enthralled me yet, and I was wondering when it was supposed to be grabbing on to me.

I wouldn't say that I was expecting something different than what the show gave me either. I go into each anime without expecting anything because that's the most fair thing to do for the show. I am disappointed that I didn't enjoy it as much as you or Kirin, but that's how it is. Even though I think your assessment is wrong, I can respect people having so much love for it. Maybe I will have a different opinion when I re-watch it a few years from now.
 
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Allow me to offer my expert opinion by saying I have not seen Azumanga Daioh save for one episode, and that episode was enough to dissuade me from ever watching it again. The only memorable thing from that episode was some little girl's hair buns flying off her head, which clashes with:
[quote name='blandstalker']It is the best depiction of ordinary people in high school. Call them types or archetypes if you must, but all the characters are layered and realistic. The humor doesn't arise from one-liners or jokes, but from the natural interactions.[/quote]
Maybe I was just missing out in high-school, but flying hair didn't happen that often to me anymore. Seems more like at attempt at humor by sight-gags ie. a cheap laugh.


That is not to say it is the reason it will stop me from seeing it again, I just now know it is one of those slice-of-life high-school drama super random shows, which I try to avoid at all costs.
 
[quote name='Kirin Lemon']What the fuck is this shit?! YOU LIKE HE IS MY MASTER!![/QUOTE]

Your responses to Razzuel are funnier than any anime could possibly be.
 
i just spent the weekend catching up with reborn. i dig it and my wife is in love with it. one piece is ultimately better, but don't let that dissuade you if you're into shonen stuff.

also there is no word in any language to express the "wrongness" of razzuel. he is a guy that labels utter crap as "phenomenal" and complains of one-dimensional characters. he then goes on to talk about how awesome HAREM anime are, which are the lord god high king of one-dimensions (the up-skirt dimension).

saying azumanga characters are "real" is way wrong. they are clearly cliches. however, it should be pointed out when you're making a 4koma manga cliches are all you have to work with. azumanga ends and a part of me is very sad that there isn't another disc. that means they've accomplished something special.
 
[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']also there is no word in any language to express the "wrongness" of razzuel. he is a guy that labels utter crap as "phenomenal" and complains of one-dimensional characters. he then goes on to talk about how awesome HAREM anime are, which are the lord god high king of one-dimensions (the up-skirt dimension).[/QUOTE]

Haha, I love you.
 
...more than half of Reborn has been the TYL arc. I think it's reaching Bleach proportions of redundacy at this stage of the game. But I like it, regardless of its shortcomings.
 
I started to watch Honey and Clover and I am enjoying it. My only compliant is that they could have made the "loli" look slightly older. Still her expression are pretty cute at times.

[quote name='crystalklear64']Maybe I was just missing out in high-school, but flying hair didn't happen that often to me anymore. Seems more like at attempt at humor by sight-gags ie. a cheap laugh..[/QUOTE]
That was a dream sequence. I've had stranger dreams...

[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']azumanga ends and a part of me is very sad that there isn't another disc. that means they've accomplished something special.[/QUOTE]
Same here, that's not something I can say about other shows. on a slightly related note I still want to see a Yotsuba anime...
 
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Razzuel: Why'd you stop watching Evangelion at episode ten?
the_punisher: i got bored?
Razzuel: What?
Razzuel: At episode ten?
Razzuel: Are you on crack?
Razzuel: The attention to detail in Evangelion is amazing. They really thought out the science and technology, and everything is drawn meticulously. There's no shitty CG; it's all detailed, hand-drawn goodness. The first time you seen an Eva move out is magnificent. There are all these bolts and metal moving. The city can go underground. The Eva's have to have an external power source in order to have constant power, and they can only run off of a batter for five minutes. Super well thought out, awesome science fiction.
Razzuel: Another thing is that the characters are human. All of these characters have their own desires, flaws, and personalities. It's quite realistic.
the_punisher: sorry, but i hated all the characters
the_punisher: the city felt superficial
the_punisher: you approve of things way too easily
Razzuel: No.
the_punisher: u didn't write that in the anime forum yet? tsk tsk
the_punisher: but no, the characters are nowhere near human
the_punisher: first off, the dub BLOWS
the_punisher: second, shinji enters a mecha for basically NO REASON
the_punisher: does basically everything for no reason
the_punisher: his father is an ass for no explained reason
the_punisher: the city is a cliche future city, nothing inherently special about it
Razzuel: That's the first damn episode.
the_punisher: first impressions are everything
Razzuel: That's a cliche.
the_punisher: the next 9 he whines and fights some dudes and get his ass kicked only to save the day later...for no reason...
the_punisher: true that
Razzuel: It's not for no reason, and the English dub is fantastic.
the_punisher: ur an idiot
 
[quote name='the_punisher']Razzuel: Why'd you stop watching Evangelion at episode ten?
the_punisher: i got bored?
Razzuel: What?
Razzuel: At episode ten?
Razzuel: Are you on crack?
Razzuel: The attention to detail in Evangelion is amazing. They really thought out the science and technology, and everything is drawn meticulously. There's no shitty CG; it's all detailed, hand-drawn goodness. The first time you seen an Eva move out is magnificent. There are all these bolts and metal moving. The city can go underground. The Eva's have to have an external power source in order to have constant power, and they can only run off of a batter for five minutes. Super well thought out, awesome science fiction.
Razzuel: Another thing is that the characters are human. All of these characters have their own desires, flaws, and personalities. It's quite realistic.
the_punisher: sorry, but i hated all the characters
the_punisher: the city felt superficial
the_punisher: you approve of things way too easily
Razzuel: No.
the_punisher: u didn't write that in the anime forum yet? tsk tsk
the_punisher: but no, the characters are nowhere near human
the_punisher: first off, the dub BLOWS
the_punisher: second, shinji enters a mecha for basically NO REASON
the_punisher: does basically everything for no reason
the_punisher: his father is an ass for no explained reason
the_punisher: the city is a cliche future city, nothing inherently special about it
Razzuel: That's the first damn episode.
the_punisher: first impressions are everything
Razzuel: That's a cliche.
the_punisher: the next 9 he whines and fights some dudes and get his ass kicked only to save the day later...for no reason...
the_punisher: true that
Razzuel: It's not for no reason, and the English dub is fantastic.
the_punisher: ur an idiot[/QUOTE]
Raz is right(ish), and you're a dumb-dumb head for not liking Eva.
 
I think that's disrespectful of him to post that. I would rather have my thoughts posted at my own discretion. I just haven't written up my post on Evangelion yet.

[quote name='Indignate']I don't get it. Where's the part where he mentions how 'Phenomenal' it is?[/QUOTE]

Cute.
 
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[quote name='Razzuel']I think that's a bit dishonest of him to post that. I would rather have my thoughts posted at my own discretion. I just haven't written up my post on Evangelion yet.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, he was a bit of a douche.
 
[quote name='tehweezner']The dub in Eva does not suck. It's pretty decent.[/QUOTE]

As far as early-ish anime dubs go, yeah, Eva was done very well. There were a couple awkward characters, but for the most part, it's a solid dub. And a damn good show.

[quote name='the_punisher']the_punisher: ur an idiot[/QUOTE]

This speaks volumes. :lol:
 
[quote name='the_punisher']Razzuel: Why'd you stop watching Evangelion at episode ten?
the_punisher: i got bored?
Razzuel: What?
Razzuel: At episode ten?
Razzuel: Are you on crack?
Razzuel: The attention to detail in Evangelion is amazing. They really thought out the science and technology, and everything is drawn meticulously. There's no shitty CG; it's all detailed, hand-drawn goodness. The first time you seen an Eva move out is magnificent. There are all these bolts and metal moving. The city can go underground. The Eva's have to have an external power source in order to have constant power, and they can only run off of a batter for five minutes. Super well thought out, awesome science fiction.
Razzuel: Another thing is that the characters are human. All of these characters have their own desires, flaws, and personalities. It's quite realistic.
the_punisher: sorry, but i hated all the characters
the_punisher: the city felt superficial
the_punisher: you approve of things way too easily
Razzuel: No.
the_punisher: u didn't write that in the anime forum yet? tsk tsk
the_punisher: but no, the characters are nowhere near human
the_punisher: first off, the dub BLOWS
the_punisher: second, shinji enters a mecha for basically NO REASON
the_punisher: does basically everything for no reason
the_punisher: his father is an ass for no explained reason
the_punisher: the city is a cliche future city, nothing inherently special about it
Razzuel: That's the first damn episode.
the_punisher: first impressions are everything
Razzuel: That's a cliche.
the_punisher: the next 9 he whines and fights some dudes and get his ass kicked only to save the day later...for no reason...
the_punisher: true that
Razzuel: It's not for no reason, and the English dub is fantastic.
the_punisher: ur an idiot[/QUOTE]

Shinji hops in the Eva because he seems them carting a seriously injured girl in to pilot it for him. Gendo is an asshole because he lost his wife.
And why is the dub a problem when subs are available?
 
[quote name='pete5883'] And why is the dub a problem when subs are available?[/QUOTE]
Some people don't know how to read and do other things at the same time.
 
[quote name='Chibi_Kaji']Only if you want a doll. Now Mistao on the other hand...[/QUOTE]

When I first watched Eva over ten years ago, I liked Asuka the most. Now that I'm older, I think I prefer Misato. Her hangups were a lot more subtle and mature, and I think that's what makes her feel more like a real person. Plus, she's not damaged beyond repair like psycho-bitch Asuka.
 
Same here. Still that psycho-bitch will always hold a special place in my heart. All this NGE talk reminds me that the next volume of The Shinji Ikari Raising Project should be out...
 
Man, I miss psycho-bitch Asuka. Can't wait for that next Eva movie.

I can't believe America has basically caught up on Berserk. I think we'll be caught up next month.
 
I can't wait for Funi to actually release the 1st movie on Blu-ray. It seems it should be coming out in March(Along wtih another version of the DVD). I wonder how they'll handle the ending this time around... and I also wonder how much I'll hate it.
 
I guess we'l agree to disagree on Eva (and yes, i am a douche for posting that, but at least it goes with my persona).

persona4_group.jpg


Sorry.

[quote name='pete5883']I can't believe America has basically caught up on Berserk. I think we'll be caught up next month.[/QUOTE]

Have you been keeping up to date on the manga? I saw the anime awhile ago and loved it, maybe even enough to really get into the manga, and i'm not really a manga reader. I just loved the characters and the world they created, i wish they'd make a sequel, or better yet a re-make like FMA did and really follow the manga this time. I heard it's great.
 
[quote name='the_punisher']Have you been keeping up to date on the manga? I saw the anime awhile ago and loved it, maybe even enough to really get into the manga, and i'm not really a manga reader. I just loved the characters and the world they created, i wish they'd make a sequel, or better yet a re-make like FMA did and really follow the manga this time. I heard it's great.[/QUOTE]
I've been buying it, but I haven't been reading. I stopped reading about vol 24, I figured I'd wait til we caught up and read them all at once.
 
Berserk was the most disappointing anime ever.
Why? I came in at ep2. I had no idea the whole thing was a FLASHBACK!!!

However, I will concur that Eva is pretty underwhelming. It seemed like it was "trying to be deep" instead of actually being a great story. I hated the characters and found the whole "deconstruction" rather trite.
 
[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']Berserk was the most disappointing anime ever.
Why? I came in at ep2. I had no idea the whole thing was a FLASHBACK!!!

However, I will concur that Eva is pretty underwhelming. It seemed like it was "trying to be deep" instead of actually being a great story. I hated the characters and found the whole "deconstruction" rather trite.[/QUOTE]

You have no right to complain about a show's depth and triteness when you're a shonen action fan. No right. ;)
 
Shonen anime at least know what they are. Eva kept trying to be something it never achieved. My friend likes to tell me stories how the creator shaved all the hair on his body off and went insane during production. I always found that believable...is it true?
 
[quote name='the_punisher']Have you been keeping up to date on the manga? I saw the anime awhile ago and loved it, maybe even enough to really get into the manga, and i'm not really a manga reader. I just loved the characters and the world they created, i wish they'd make a sequel, or better yet a re-make like FMA did and really follow the manga this time. I heard it's great.[/QUOTE]
You should definitely read Berserk, the anime really does stop just as its starting to get good. The very next chapter has him slaughtering children and demons left and right.

However, as the series progresses, it seems to be getting worse as he builds his new "party." Especially the little kids and the fairy. Little kids ruin everything! However, its still bad ass through and through.
 
[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']Shonen anime at least know what they are. Eva kept trying to be something it never achieved. My friend likes to tell me stories how the creator shaved all the hair on his body off and went insane during production. I always found that believable...is it true?[/QUOTE]

Heh, I never heard that one. But it's pretty clear he had (still has?) some serious baggage to work through.
 
Looking for opinions on Rental Magica and Nabari no Ou. Both seem to have been released (America) in the last couple months and was thinking about grabbing them off of rightstuf.
 
[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']Berserk was the most disappointing anime ever.
Why? I came in at ep2. I had no idea the whole thing was a FLASHBACK!!![/QUOTE]
...so what? I don't see why that would affect your enjoyment at all. Watching the first episode last might make it better, even.

[quote name='Kuroi Kaze']My friend likes to tell me stories how the creator shaved all the hair on his body off and went insane during production. I always found that believable...is it true?[/QUOTE]
I heard he shaved his head to show he was sorry/embarrassed about how he ended the series. I guess End of Evangelion was supposed to make up for it.
 
I thought Berserk was kinda dis appointing but that was mitigated mightly by the fact that I'd heard it was incomplete. In spite of that it's still pretty good so there's that.

My new pet peeve is when I'm reading manga and the mac resource forks keep breaking my CDisplay. It can't be that hard to pack up a scanlation without it. It's been so very annoying and so few people are capable of understanding what I'm saying so I'm complaining here.
 
[quote name='Indignate']Looking for opinions on Rental Magica and Nabari no Ou. Both seem to have been released (America) in the last couple months and was thinking about grabbing them off of rightstuf.[/QUOTE]

They're both pretty bad. Nabari no Ou starts out promising, but goes down the toilet quickly. Rental Magica starts in the toilet, and stays there. Neither are worth owning.
 
Alright, so I finished Evangelion a few days ago. I thought it was pretty damn awesome. The only things that I didn't enjoy were the last two episodes. I'm not even sure if I dislike them because I didn't even understand what was happening. However, it did feel like a cheap ending. The last two episodes barely had any animation, some of the art was crudely drawn, and whatever the hell they were talking about was completely nonsensical. It reminds me of the ending of Kare Kano, which was directed by the same director as Evangelion—that can't be a coincidence.

My favorite part of Evangelion was the setting. I thought the technology that they employed was realistically portrayed, and I love how all of it was meticulously drawn and animated. One of the coolest scenes was when Unit 01 was launched for the first time. There was great care in showing all of the stages that an Evangelion went through during a launch. Another awesome thing was the external power source that the Evangelions used. I enjoyed it so much because it seems grounded in a realistic future. The other great part was the battery that the Evangelions used when the external power source was no longer available. Again, this fits in with this realistic future theme. There are a lot more cool science things in Evangelion, but I'll refrain from going on any longer.

Some other things that I enjoyed were the characters. I liked how each character had their own distinct personality; they had desires, flaws, and other realistic human traits. Asuka is my favorite character of the cast, and Misato would probably be in second place. I liked Asuka the best because I enjoyed how funny and ridiculous she was, and I am a sucker for tragic characters. At the end of the show, I felt really bad for Asuka. She never got a break during the whole show; she was always trying to prove that she could be successful as an individual, but she failed in the end. I thought it was really sad.

Something else that I wanted to mention is that the English dub is really damn good. I thought that all of the voice actors totally pulled off their characters. I could list some examples, but I might end up listing most of the cast, haha. I'll just settle for this: Tiffany Grant was amazing like she always is.

Now I need to look into buying End of Evangelion.
 
[quote name='Chronis']Tiffany Grant is also amazingly hot. :hot:[/QUOTE]

What?! Ew, no. I've been her guest liason at numerous cons, and... no. It's not that she's ugly, but she's pretty average. And old.
 
Woo hoo! I just finished watching Erin The Beast Player. I loved it. It is a masterpiece. The show is now sitting alongside Kurau as one of my favorites—well, it's been sitting there since I got about halfway through the series. I was completely surprised at the quality of Erin. I had an idea that I was going to like it before I started watching it, but the show continually exceeded my expectations.

Everything about Erin The Beast Player is magnificent. It has one of the most unique art styles that I have seen. I'm not sure how to describe the art style, but the backgrounds have this painterly appearance to them, and the characters are drawn normally. I love the look of the backgrounds, and the contrast between the backgrounds and the characters is great. Another thing is that there are a lot of times when folk drawings are used—at least that's how I would describe it—and I love it. Also, the show is set in this medieval European/Asian fantasy world, which is really interesting.

Other beautiful things include the music. I adore the music in this series. I am actually getting ready to order all of the soundtracks and singles. Not only is the music evocative of the emotions that the show is trying to evoke, but they always play the right music at the right time.

This is another show that has gotten me to cry, and on numerous occasions. There are plenty of tragic scenes, but there are also plenty of beautiful scenes that had my crying. One of the most important things to me is that I want to feel an emotional connection with the characters, and crying for beauty is one of the most difficult things any media like shows, books, movies, or games can achieve—at least that's what I think.

Here's a quote, in reference to Kurau, from the scriptwriter of Kurau, Aya Yoshinaga, that describes what I am trying to say: "As a scriptwriter, I can describe the story using only words, but I want you to feel something you can't describe. If you think that this anime reminds you of something or makes you cry, I think it is successful. This might not be the highlight of the show but I hope you can enjoy this show and it affects you."

Erin, the main character, is now one of my favorite characters. She is a strong woman that cares about the well being of others. She also cares a great deal about the nature and its inhabitants, which I respect. Also, I love her relationships with some of the characters. Her voice actor—who hasn't had any other roles as far as I can tell—does an amazing job. Actually, all of the voice actors do a wonderful job.

I really, really hope that someone licenses this for a DVD or Blu-ray release during this coming year. Everyone needs to watch this. Erin The Beast Player is absolutely captivating and beautiful.
 
I've never even heard of that one. According to wikipedia, it's ongoing though.
You just finished Eva which was 26 episodes yesterday and today you finish a series that is allegedly 50 episodes? Slow down.
 
[quote name='ChibiJosh']I've never even heard of that one. According to wikipedia, it's ongoing though.
You just finished Eva which was 26 episodes yesterday and today you finish a series that is allegedly 50 episodes? Slow down.[/QUOTE]

Yes, it is 50 episodes long, but I didn't just finish 50 episodes in one day. I have been watching Erin on Crunchyroll, as it has been airing, since September. The last episode of Erin aired this morning, and I watched the last four episodes of Erin when I woke up this morning.
 
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