UPDATED (I like Anime again!) - Anime, evolving backwards for total confusion.

Mookyjooky

Mookyjooky

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I've been watching anime and reading manga since the late 80's/early 90's, I used to love watching crappy VHS version of anime and reading Viz mangas. But either I'm getting old, or Anime/Manga has evolved backwards. I'll explain...

Like many, the first Anime that really struck me was Akira. Now, I've seen Speed racer, Astro boy, etc..., etc... But Akira, was it. Akira was the anime that blew open the gates and it was the beginning of what anime is today. Back then, it was called "Japanimation", remember that? You would load your rented copy of Area 88 into your VCR and the first thing to hit your senses was KMFDM blaring and clips from a collection of VHS tapes "coming soon to a video store near you".

Anime was hard to find, usually you couldnt find it at all, or you found the series incomplete. Sometimes you would get lucky and find a crappy Anime discarded in the sale bin at your local blockbuster for $3.99. It was a fun hobby, and the Anime was exciting and nothing like any other animation you've seen before.

The detail, and shadowing in Anime was like none other. It was like Japanese people went to a completely different animation school altogether. The anime was shipped over to america by some US publisher and you would get realistic and fun voice-overs that made sense, and sometimes you could find subbed anime as well.

Now, I could go more into detail, but I think I should stop while I've got your attention still... basically, my point is... Anime was Well done, visually and audibly.

Now, on the other hand... the subtitles are completely too literal most of the time, the voice acting is horrid, and usually done by what seems the same damn 10 people in every series, and the art style is bordering on flash animation. I mean, why do the japanese suddenly believe hand drawn animation and horrific CG looks natural together?

At what point did this go wrong?

When did it become ok to release mounds of garbage to the states? Is there no filtering? Are the japanese even trying anymore?

The last good series I watched was Cowboy Bebop. Everything after that has been flat out horrible for the most part. Wolf's Rain, Ghost in the Shell : SAC, Ghost in the Shell : 2nd Gig and Elfen Lied were "alright". Everything else so far is garbage. FLCL was good, thats about it.

The last good OVA/Movie I watched was "Read or Die", and the series was straight up terrible.

At what point, was it decided for all anime to look like this?

divergence_03.jpg


or this?

211929.jpg


It used to be cool to like anime, now you look like either a homosexual or a pedophile. I'm embarrassed to even walk down an anime isle in a video store.

I just dont understand why 1987's Akira still blows every Anime out of the water, even before they redubbed it. (I like the old dub better actually)
 
Have you watched any of Fullmetal Alchemist? The first half of the series is EXTREMELY well done in my opinion and the second half, while not as great, is still pretty good. Another recent series, though nowhere in the vein of anything else mentioned in the topic, that was amazingly well done in my opinion is The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. There's not a whole lot of action, but the story itself is pretty damn good and the characters are amazing. You can only get fansubs of Haruhi, but it's definitely worth checking out sometime.
 
Have you watched any of Fullmetal Alchemist? The first half of the series is EXTREMELY well done in my opinion and the second half, while not as great, is still pretty good. Another recent series, though nowhere in the vein of anything else mentioned in the topic, that was amazingly well done in my opinion is The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. There's not a whole lot of action, but the story itself is pretty damn good and the characters are amazing. You can only get fansubs of Haruhi, but it's definitely worth checking out sometime.
 
Sounds like you are just going to the wrong places...

There is still a lot of great stuff out there... You are just kinda picking on a case of fan service and well honestly all males in japanese things look largely the same these days...

It honestly kinda seems you are determined to be down on things... Take a look at AnimeonDVD's Recommendations list it has some really good ones that don't typically resort to the anime cliches that are far too common these days.
 
Sounds like you are just going to the wrong places...

There is still a lot of great stuff out there... You are just kinda picking on a case of fan service and well honestly all males in japanese things look largely the same these days...

It honestly kinda seems you are determined to be down on things... Take a look at AnimeonDVD's Recommendations list it has some really good ones that don't typically resort to the anime cliches that are far too common these days.
 
Only anime I've seen the whole thing of is Prince of Tennis, and that's only because I can relate to the game so well.
 
Only anime I've seen the whole thing of is Prince of Tennis, and that's only because I can relate to the game so well.
 
Sorry man but i totally disagree.

We all miss the days when the shows we liked were new, the nostaligia makes it better than anything else to come regardless of quality.

For instance:
Back when rock came out, it was considered horrible by parents and great by teens right?

Rap is fake now compared to the "better oldschool" days of rap when BIG and Tupac were around.

Wrestling of today sucks compared to the times of Wrestlemania X and before

Games were once quality made and for gamers, now its all about graphics and has gone commercial like hollywood

kids today dont know what good cartoons are, they could use a good dosage of teenage mutant ninja turtles and thundercats am i right?!


....point is, while all of those statements(including yours about anime) may be true, they arent fully true. Yes it does seem like quality does decrease overtime, but only because the original content stole your heart.

They say that people tend to dress the way they did during the best years of their lives. Its not that new fashion sucks, although it can. Its that your preference has been made, and it most likely wont be topped because the flow of time prevents a fair comparison.

As much as games have changed, there is a bunch of junk that comes out every year, but there are also gems which raise the bar for a new era(look at sonic rush compared to the great old school sonic games for instance).

Anime is becoming more and more mainstream. While there is a bunch of junk to watch out for, theres also incredible series out there which alot of people enjoy. Naruto, Bleach, One Piece are just a few of on going series watched by many, and even if its not your cup of tea, remember that just because you dont like it doesnt mean it isnt good.

I personally hated Akira, but forced myself to watch it in full since its loved by many. I respect how far ahead of its time it was when it was made, but i just wasnt into it.

Anime hasnt devolved, you just chose not to evolve in the direction its going. Watch some full metal alchemist, berserk, gungrave, kenshin, samurai champloo, one piece, naruto, or other series and you just might change your mind. Also appreciate the fact that its more available and on dvd so that more people can enjoy it because theres alot of good stuff there.

P.S. sorry if this is choppy i eat dinner, came back and then finished it
 
Sorry man but i totally disagree.

We all miss the days when the shows we liked were new, the nostaligia makes it better than anything else to come regardless of quality.

For instance:
Back when rock came out, it was considered horrible by parents and great by teens right?

Rap is fake now compared to the "better oldschool" days of rap when BIG and Tupac were around.

Wrestling of today sucks compared to the times of Wrestlemania X and before

Games were once quality made and for gamers, now its all about graphics and has gone commercial like hollywood

kids today dont know what good cartoons are, they could use a good dosage of teenage mutant ninja turtles and thundercats am i right?!


....point is, while all of those statements(including yours about anime) may be true, they arent fully true. Yes it does seem like quality does decrease overtime, but only because the original content stole your heart.

They say that people tend to dress the way they did during the best years of their lives. Its not that new fashion sucks, although it can. Its that your preference has been made, and it most likely wont be topped because the flow of time prevents a fair comparison.

As much as games have changed, there is a bunch of junk that comes out every year, but there are also gems which raise the bar for a new era(look at sonic rush compared to the great old school sonic games for instance).

Anime is becoming more and more mainstream. While there is a bunch of junk to watch out for, theres also incredible series out there which alot of people enjoy. Naruto, Bleach, One Piece are just a few of on going series watched by many, and even if its not your cup of tea, remember that just because you dont like it doesnt mean it isnt good.

I personally hated Akira, but forced myself to watch it in full since its loved by many. I respect how far ahead of its time it was when it was made, but i just wasnt into it.

Anime hasnt devolved, you just chose not to evolve in the direction its going. Watch some full metal alchemist, berserk, gungrave, kenshin, samurai champloo, one piece, naruto, or other series and you just might change your mind. Also appreciate the fact that its more available and on dvd so that more people can enjoy it because theres alot of good stuff there.

P.S. sorry if this is choppy i eat dinner, came back and then finished it
 
[quote name='Weedy649']Watch some full metal alchemist, berserk, gungrave, kenshin, samurai champloo, one piece, naruto, or other series and you just might change your mind. Also appreciate the fact that its more available and on dvd so that more people can enjoy it because theres alot of good stuff there.
[/quote]

I'll watch FMA, last time I watched it I saw some muscular military guy acting insanly faggy, and rubbing himself on people.

Beserk and Kenshin are old school. I've seen them, and they're awesome. Proof of my devolving theory. By the way, I met the guy who created Beserk and he didnt even know people liked Beserk in the US. His house is way small too.

Champloo is good... probably the best this gen has to offer, but at times irritating. And seems to drag on.

I like Naurto, but the english dub is terrible. I cant even watch it in english

One peice, I've only seen on Cartoon Network and its retarded. I guess if you're 8, its cool... otherwise its pretty bad.

Also, I'd rather have quality control, and buy more good stuff, than buy a shit title every other dvd.
 
Although, I haven't been watching for years, I prety much agree. I had a short fling with anime earlier this year and I watched almost all the requisite classics.

Once I watched those, I pretty much gave up since there's TOO much out there and it's VERY VERY hard to separate the good from the shit. There are still some movies I want to see, mostly Miyazaki stuff, but I ignore most of what I hear about.

I enjoyed Elfen Lied, GITS:SAC and 2nd Gig and FLCL. I feel that those are on a whole different level. Even higher up is Monster, which is some of the best mystery/drama I've seen, live or animated. Not a dull episode in all 76 eps (or however many it is.) Those shows are definitely the cream of the modern crop.

other than that, I hate Inuyasha, Naruto, Bleach, Dragonball blah blah blah etc. etc. etc. It's all aimed directly at a teen audience, with no real enjoyment for anyone over 15.

okay, I'll admit though, Shin-chan is my new guilty pleasure :lol:
 
[quote name='Mookyjooky']I've been watching anime and reading manga since the late 80's/early 90's, I used to love watching crappy VHS version of anime and reading Viz mangas. But either I'm getting old, or Anime/Manga has evolved backwards. I'll explain...

Like many, the first Anime that really struck me was Akira. Now, I've seen Speed racer, Astro boy, etc..., etc... But Akira, was it. Akira was the anime that blew open the gates and it was the beginning of what anime is today. Back then, it was called "Japanimation", remember that? You would load your rented copy of Area 88 into your VCR and the first thing to hit your senses was KMFDM blaring and clips from a collection of VHS tapes "coming soon to a video store near you".

Anime was hard to find, usually you couldnt find it at all, or you found the series incomplete. Sometimes you would get lucky and find a crappy Anime discarded in the sale bin at your local blockbuster for $3.99. It was a fun hobby, and the Anime was exciting and nothing like any other animation you've seen before.

The detail, and shadowing in Anime was like none other. It was like Japanese people went to a completely different animation school altogether. The anime was shipped over to america by some US publisher and you would get realistic and fun voice-overs that made sense, and sometimes you could find subbed anime as well.

Now, I could go more into detail, but I think I should stop while I've got your attention still... basically, my point is... Anime was Well done, visually and audibly.

Now, on the other hand... the subtitles are completely too literal most of the time, the voice acting is horrid, and usually done by what seems the same damn 10 people in every series, and the art style is bordering on flash animation. I mean, why do the japanese suddenly believe hand drawn animation and horrific CG looks natural together?

At what point did this go wrong?

When did it become ok to release mounds of garbage to the states? Is there no filtering? Are the japanese even trying anymore?

The last good series I watched was Cowboy Bebop. Everything after that has been flat out horrible for the most part. Wolf's Rain, Ghost in the Shell : SAC, Ghost in the Shell : 2nd Gig and Elfen Lied were "alright". Everything else so far is garbage. FLCL was good, thats about it.

The last good OVA/Movie I watched was "Read or Die", and the series was straight up terrible.

At what point, was it decided for all anime to look like this?

divergence_03.jpg


or this?

211929.jpg


It used to be cool to like anime, now you look like either a homosexual or a pedophile. I'm embarrassed to even walk down an anime isle in a video store.

I just dont understand why 1987's Akira still blows every Anime out of the water, even before they redubbed it. (I like the old dub better actually)[/QUOTE]

I'll tell you why: money. It's simply about what makes money, about catering to the people who will shell out the money, and the people who don't mind spending the money. Anime for serious minded, thoughtful fans can't be made on a constant basis, because while we will pay any cost for properly released DVD's and even the music, we won't spend hundreds of dollars on plushies and lenticular pencil boards.

However, at the same time I have a conflict with you, in that you say the last good anime you watched was "Cowboy Bebop", which leads me to believe your taste in anime is quite different than mine, as I find anime like "Cowboy Bebop" quite possibly atrocious. Everything it was praised for I just found underwhelming, especially the characters and the music. I feel the same way about pretty much everything by Watanabe and even Sunrise as a whole.

I'll be honest to you though, and say you are right, THERE is NO GOOD ANIME these days. Even Miyazaki's latest [Howl's Moving Castle] was abyssmal. I still find myself watching Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, and Spirited Away. And Grave of the Fireflies and Akira are indeed still some of the best anime films of all time, and pretty much after Akira, even Otomo can't touch his own work: Steamboy and Metropolis are absolute crap, especially if you compare them to Akira.

I did find myself swept away by Fullmetal Alchemist, during the first half [around up until episode 40] I found myself praising it as the "best anime of all time" and dared to put it up above some of my most beloved series. And I will say once again, it is GOOD, it is so wonderfully written up until a certain point and the first two seasons are definitely excellent, the tone and writing is just out of this world that it demands to be loved. In fact, my only problem with it was the ending and the movie. I would have preferred for them not to make a movie, and leave the ending as is.

But for now it's pretty much over, I always keep an eye out for new series, but these days are dominated by 200 plus episode series where fan service is the only thing that matters: Naruto, One Piece, Inuyasha, etc. And it's not that I have a problem with LONG series, one of my favorite anime of all time is the original Sailor Moon, it might be my favorite, but simply with the commercialism and unoriginality today, it's impossible to enjoy a series longer than 26 episodes.

I'm probably under the assumption you've seen everything that matters made before 1998, and can only tell you to cherish what you've seen, finish collecting any DVD's you might not own: boxsets, movies, etc. And simply give every new "major" series a three episode chance, you'll either like a series or you'll hate it. I knew after my first two episodes of Naruto I did not like at all, so it's a proven method.

And if there's older series you haven't seen, WATCH THEM. Don't be a cynic, if you never watched "Sailor Moon" because you're only into shonen or mecha, then watch the original with an open mind. And if you were strictly into "shojo", then watch a shonen series you would have never watched like "Lupin" or even "Tekkaman", etc. Anime is weird like that, you think you won't like it, but you find yourself enjoying it tremendously. Give series that have a bad reputation among fanboys a chance, like Blue Seed or Utena, or watch some of the lesser appreciated Ghibli films [Whisper of the Heart and Castle of Calistagoro are EXCELLENT]
 
[quote name='Cracka']anime was gay before and its gay now. your just in shock because your just now realizing how gay it is.[/QUOTE]

You're thinking of yaoi, which is a specific type of anime. You might have only watched that type; it's not the only one.
 
Mooky if you think the english dub ruins naruto for you, im almost certain you didnt like One Piece for the same reason. Give the Japanese with subs a try and it wont be so bad.

As for meeting the creator of Berserk, grats! I love berserk, even imported the game for ps2. If you like Berserk i highly highly highly recommend Gungrave. They are alike in quite a few ways, but i like Gungrave just as much.
 
[quote name='Mookyjooky']I'll watch FMA, last time I watched it I saw some muscular military guy acting insanly faggy, and rubbing himself on people.[/QUOTE]

:rofl: x10
 
Wah, wah, wah. Dubs are better now than they've ever been in the past. Sure, there are still some mediocre dubs being made, but those are now in the minority. And thanks to the anime boom a few years back, we're getting a ton of stellar shows that may have never seen the light of day domestically a ten years ago. If you've missed out on R.O.D The TV, Nana, Mushishi, Monster, Glass Mask, Haruhi Suzumiya, Gankutsuou, Jubei-chan 2, Honey & Clover, Princess Tutu, Fullmetal Alchemist, Kaleido Star, Ah! My Goddess, Kamichu! (I think I've proved my point), then you're doing a disservice to yourself as an "anime fan."

Of course, as the amount of domestic anime increases, the amount of crap will also increase. Even these titles are on the decline, however, now that companies are scaling back on their releases due to the flooding of the market. Oh, and get this - you're under no obligation to buy them, either! Lord knows I don't. Seeing a crappy title on the shelf next to a gem like Princess Tutu is a small price to pay.

This is the same shit I've seen you spout in numerous anime threads beforehand. You're clearly looking for something to whine about, but your arguments are largely without basis. Don't like the great new shows being released these days? Too bad. Maybe you're afraid to try a new show, but that certainly doesn't make all new anime bad.

Oh, one last thing - Berserk isn't "oldschool." Kimagure Orange Road is oldschool. Piss off.
 
First anime I ever watched was Golgo 13: The Professional back in about 94/95. It was on some really bad local TV station that ran it at about 2 or 3 in the morning. That got me kinda hooked. It did take them fucking long enough to finally release that on DVD here. Which was last Sept/Oct (picked it up a few weeks after release). But its hard for me get interested in most animes. I fuckin love FMA (have yet to watch past ep 37, I need to finish that soon), but I totally hate those cutesy wootsey ones.
 
[quote name='Kirin Lemon']Wah, wah, wah. Dubs are better now than they've ever been in the past. Sure, there are still some mediocre dubs being made, but those are now in the minority. And thanks to the anime boom a few years back, we're getting a ton of stellar shows that may have never seen the light of day domestically a ten years ago. If you've missed out on R.O.D The TV, Nana, Mushishi, Monster, Glass Mask, Haruhi Suzumiya, Gankutsuou, Jubei-chan 2, Honey & Clover, Princess Tutu, Fullmetal Alchemist, Kaleido Star, Ah! My Goddess, Kamichu! (I think I've proved my point), then you're doing a disservice to yourself as an "anime fan."

Of course, as the amount of domestic anime increases, the amount of crap will also increase. Even these titles are on the decline, however, now that companies are scaling back on their releases due to the flooding of the market. Oh, and get this - you're under no obligation to buy them, either! Lord knows I don't. Seeing a crappy title on the shelf next to a gem like Princess Tutu is a small price to pay.

This is the same shit I've seen you spout in numerous anime threads beforehand. You're clearly looking for something to whine about, but your arguments are largely without basis. Don't like the great new shows being released these days? Too bad. Maybe you're afraid to try a new show, but that certainly doesn't make all new anime bad.

Oh, one last thing - Berserk isn't "oldschool." Kimagure Orange Road is oldschool. Piss off.[/QUOTE]

Well said...

Kirin's comments aside though, Mooky I think your perceptions are extremely clouded by two things: your overly-nostalsagic (sp?) memories of the past and your tastes in anime in general. Both seem to limit what you watch and even how you feel about it, that is to say your (and apparently a couple other's) opinions seem to be more like assumptions based on a small fraction of what's really out there rather than anime as a whole. There are some bad trends we see now due to massive distribution being readily available and big business being on both sides of the sea, yet I don't think that in any way means the whole industry is terrible now and is "evolving backwards."
 
Weird, most of the anime I've watched over the past few years doesn't look like the stereotyped examples in the OP. It seems like you're just not looking in the right place. I've enjoyed stuff like BECK, Planetes, Yakitate! Japan, Prince of Tennis (though that's largely just shonen action in tennis form), and there's probably others I've either not seen or just can't remember. I find it hard to accept that someone can discredit all of anime and not find one thing to like if you haven't seen everything.

As for the English Naruto dub, I find it to be really well done. Nobody really has a bad voice and I've been surprised by the quality of the dub. If you're an anal Japanese dub fan, I can't really help that as it's more of your problem.
 
Whoa, I didn't mention Kimagure out of sheer fear no one would no what I was talking about

Kimagure Orange Road
Little Princess Sara
Ranma 1/2

Now that's old school.
 
That more angular style showed up around 95 and i've hated it ever since, it makes way too many shows extremly hard to take seriously. But besides the art style things have only gotten better, prices came down, techno 80's music disappeared and dubs have gotten much, much better. I think really the only problem and the thing the OP doesn't get is simply that there was always mounds of garbage anime in Japan, companies just didn't bother bringing the stuff here, now that it is more popular they are shoveling much more crap down our throats. Doesn't bother me much, just something to pick up at bargin bin prices off ebay at some point.
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']

As for the English Naruto dub, I find it to be really well done. Nobody really has a bad voice and I've been surprised by the quality of the dub. If you're an anal Japanese dub fan, I can't really help that as it's more of your problem.[/QUOTE]


I kinda agree with that, but everytime Naruto says believe it, it send a shiver down my spine, its like scratchin a chalk board.
 
Anime is terrible these days.

I blame the companies making money of the legions of braindead fans who buy the same crap over and over and over and over and pretend that it's new and original.

Every box of anime these days is plastered with fan service, gigantic breasts, and a feminine guy with a big sweat drop on his head.

About the time I realized there was no super power that was interesting anymore (sometime after seeing the X movie and a guy running up a chain with his toes in Soceress Hunters) and that all the stories tend to be FF7 ripoffs, with their respective Tenchi and DBZ cliched patterns intermixed, I got really, really sick of anime.

I'll watch a series now and then, but if it hasn't captured the fuck out of me after 3-4 episodes, then it's just another derivative POS that's marketed to cosplayers who jackoff over every anime character ever devised.
 
[quote name='Ikohn4ever']I kinda agree with that, but everytime Naruto says believe it, it send a shiver down my spine, its like scratchin a chalk board.[/quote]
I don't really even notice it anymore, so I'm not bothered by it.
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']I don't really even notice it anymore, so I'm not bothered by it.[/quote]

Just from hearing it during XPlay's review of Ultimate NInja Clash or whatever, I got annoyed by it...
 
[quote name='HumanSnatcher']First anime I ever watched was Golgo 13: The Professional back in about 94/95. It was on some really bad local TV station that ran it at about 2 or 3 in the morning. That got me kinda hooked. It did take them fucking long enough to finally release that on DVD here. Which was last Sept/Oct (picked it up a few weeks after release). But its hard for me get interested in most animes. I fuckin love FMA (have yet to watch past ep 37, I need to finish that soon), but I totally hate those cutesy wootsey ones.[/quote]

Another person who saw the magnificent beauty that is Goglo 13 or Mr. Duke Togo? HUZZAH! That anime is pretty tits. Especially the ending. I've never seen a ending surprise me like that. The ending is so damn surreal......
 
[quote name='Paco']Another person who saw the magnificent beauty that is Goglo 13 or Mr. Duke Togo? HUZZAH! That anime is pretty tits. Especially the ending. I've never seen a ending surprise me like that. The ending is so damn surreal......[/quote]

Yeah, buddy. I hate how people trash on it because "it looks so old and the animation sucks, and that helicopter scene is horrindous" Uh, newflash, it was made in 83, and obviously at that time CGI animation was in its early infantcy(sp?)
 
Comic Book Guy: This Anime is HORRIBLE but Otomo made it so I'll only watch it 20 more times.
I can agree with the "Howls Moving Castle" complaint and see the ripoff. I mean the tie in near the end once again is there except we're talking war.
I also can sympathize with Mooky's bitching but then I consider Cartoon Network a cesspool in terms of Anime because of the dubbing and the fact "One Piece" is being watered down to cater to kids just because it features Pirates even though it's the Anime equivalent of "Secret Of Monkey Island". I wish for ONCE the funny perverted Anime shit would be left alone, the stuff besides "Ranma 1/2" I mean.
Now the Dub issue could be fixed if Cartoon Network would cut the shit and do SAP for all their Animes. I know I'd watch Adult Swim all the time if it were unedited as well. The funny thing is the two channels that do Anime subbed, one is free if you have a C-Band Sat and features "Hikaru No Go" which is suppose to be some big one. You can just pick it up FTA. It's called ImaginAsian and the other is AznTV.
For one of my Anime recommendations I'd suggest "Fate Stay Night" which Karsh's Avatar is. That's a newer series. Only thing that really pisses me off is how short each episode is, 22 minutes a piece, add into that the intro, ending and recap and I'm NOT happy in the least.
As for Utena griping I once watched one of the DVD sets the whole way through(first American set I'm pretty sure) which I'm sure colored my opinion but all the filler genuinely pissed me off.
Now Mooky for the Flash Animation comment if they did it convincingly would you mind because I think it's a great idea if you can do it reliably. If so you should be ablee to save a good deal of money.
Anime in general, old and new some of my suggestions would be: Nightstalkker: Midnight Detective, Haunted Junction first disc(more perverted than Ranma 1/2 and may be too much to stomach for some people), Love Hina though Akamatsu-san's obssession with his product is disturbing, Galaxy Express 999, Megazone 51 or whatever it's called and Vampire Princess Miyu. "Armageddeon" I would vehemently say no to, it's a genuine piece of shit.
 
[quote name='HumanSnatcher']First anime I ever watched was Golgo 13: The Professional back in about 94/95. [/QUOTE]

Same here, I rented Akira, Golgo 13, fist of the northstar. All within the same week! I was hooked on anime, for quite awhile, but then droped of around 2000. I try to watch anime sometimes, and I can't just get into it that much anymore.
 
If you stop treating it like a genre you can filter through the garbage.

Cartoons are cartoons, Japan has been making some poor shows lately, but there are still decent cartoons out there. I am positive there is some sort of new series that appeals to you, just check out a video store or online catalogue. TV is not the place to find high quality eastern series (although Paranoia Agent was flavorful).
 
Anime doesn't suck today, its just that you've changed.

1) G-Force, Star Blazers, Robotech and Akira: Those are like the 4 anime shows that everyone grew up on if you're, say, in your late 20's to late 30's today. They were all very "adult" for cartoons aimed at kids, Akira of course being a movie and aimed at adults. Akira put Anime on the map here in the States. Look at all of these shows..they were all very cool. Very "adult" for a 13 year old to bite into, definately not Scooby Doo.

2) Japanimation used to be cool and exotic. Today its common place.

3) As we got more and more Anime translated and brought to these shores, we began to see lots of the same themes and stereotypes develop, which in turn makes each Anime series seem more and more similar. At the same time, the storylines began to get more and more convoluted, many times just for the sake of being convoluted..and not making any real "sense". This is an example of something the Japanese appreciate more than we do, I think.

If you think Anime sucks today (as I do), its probably because what was once new and exciting is now common and blaze'. The last Anime that excited me, which also happened to excite a lot of other people...like Akira did...was Evangelion, which I enjoyed for its quasi-religious aspects. But even I will admit it suffered from tons of the stereotypical crap that makes Anime "ghey as all hell" today.....some examples

- Brooding Anti-Heros. Seriously, enough with the "star of the show whos miserable and so introspective half the episodes involve him having conversations with..himself". Are you a strong, silent type? Are you constantly looking down? Are you always thinking about the right and wrong of everything you do? YOU TOO COULD BE AN ASIAN ANIME ANTI-HERO!!

- Androdgenous GuyGirls.......ARe you a man? A woman? A man who looks an awful lot like a woman? ARe you a big burly woman who beats up men? Are you a big fat guy who does nothing but fart and tell jokes? HAHAHAHAAH YOU TOO COULD BE ANIME CHARACTER, GRASSHOPPER!

- WOuld it be possible to have an Anime storyline that doesn't involve Magic, Demons, Samurai, Mecha, The Destruction and Rebuilding of Tokyo for the 278th time and Vampires...ALL IN THE SAME GOD DAMN STORYLINE.?
Anime stories long ago reached absurdity.......today trying to find one that is entertaining without being either inappropriately comedic or deep into the brooding-anti-hero silliness is tough.

But the worst part is definately that Anime is now the realm of 40 year old guys wearing GUYVER t-shirts that are 2 sizes too tight, trying to hit on the overweight Cosplayer at some Comic Book convention. Its become all about the FanBoy.
 
Its become all about the FanBoy.
Click to expand...


Guess that brings in the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

and the people who indiscrimately like shows and movies with good storylines (i.e. animation etc. comes second) suffer. which is my major gripe with anime and video games, for that matter.

It's rare that someone breaks the mold in a real and exciting way (incest hentai doesn't count) and writes a truly original story with its own plot elements, its own themes, its own characters and its own atmosphere.

as an example, I don't want to just see "a mech-anime." I want to see a good show and if it has mechs, so be it.
 
[quote name='HeadRusch']Anime doesn't suck today, its just that you've changed.

1) G-Force, Star Blazers, Robotech and Akira: Those are like the 4 anime shows that everyone grew up on if you're, say, in your late 20's to late 30's today. They were all very "adult" for cartoons aimed at kids, Akira of course being a movie and aimed at adults. Akira put Anime on the map here in the States. Look at all of these shows..they were all very cool. Very "adult" for a 13 year old to bite into, definately not Scooby Doo.

2) Japanimation used to be cool and exotic. Today its common place.

3) As we got more and more Anime translated and brought to these shores, we began to see lots of the same themes and stereotypes develop, which in turn makes each Anime series seem more and more similar. At the same time, the storylines began to get more and more convoluted, many times just for the sake of being convoluted..and not making any real "sense". This is an example of something the Japanese appreciate more than we do, I think.

If you think Anime sucks today (as I do), its probably because what was once new and exciting is now common and blaze'. The last Anime that excited me, which also happened to excite a lot of other people...like Akira did...was Evangelion, which I enjoyed for its quasi-religious aspects. But even I will admit it suffered from tons of the stereotypical crap that makes Anime "ghey as all hell" today.....some examples

- Brooding Anti-Heros. Seriously, enough with the "star of the show whos miserable and so introspective half the episodes involve him having conversations with..himself". Are you a strong, silent type? Are you constantly looking down? Are you always thinking about the right and wrong of everything you do? YOU TOO COULD BE AN ASIAN ANIME ANTI-HERO!!

- Androdgenous GuyGirls.......ARe you a man? A woman? A man who looks an awful lot like a woman? ARe you a big burly woman who beats up men? Are you a big fat guy who does nothing but fart and tell jokes? HAHAHAHAAH YOU TOO COULD BE ANIME CHARACTER, GRASSHOPPER!

- WOuld it be possible to have an Anime storyline that doesn't involve Magic, Demons, Samurai, Mecha, The Destruction and Rebuilding of Tokyo for the 278th time and Vampires...ALL IN THE SAME GOD DAMN STORYLINE.?
Anime stories long ago reached absurdity.......today trying to find one that is entertaining without being either inappropriately comedic or deep into the brooding-anti-hero silliness is tough.

But the worst part is definately that Anime is now the realm of 40 year old guys wearing GUYVER t-shirts that are 2 sizes too tight, trying to hit on the overweight Cosplayer at some Comic Book convention. Its become all about the FanBoy.[/QUOTE]

Personally I'd just like to see more "Pet Shop Of Horrors" product. I mean if someone can consistently make GOOD "Outer Limits" and TZ type product which this is suppose to be I'm all for it in Anime. Shit we have little enough of that shit as is.
As for the guy saying cartoon don't be an ass. Call it Animation since the word cartoon is widely thought of in a derogatory context in terms of being suited to children at least IMO. Good Anime can be on par with any great movie or tv show.
 
[quote name='Sarang01']As for the guy saying cartoon don't be an ass. [/quote]

I just think it's dumb to use a different word for it because it's from Japan.

We don't call games from Japan Japanagames or French cartoons Franime.
 
That's why I said Animation willard. That word is not specific to Japanese derived animated product.
"Heavy Metal", "Titan AE", "Batman: The Animated Series" and "Batman Beyond" are easy examples of ANIMATION, not cartoon.
 
[quote name='Sarang01']That's why I said Animation willard. That word is not specific to Japanese derived animated product.
"Heavy Metal", "Titan AE", "Batman: The Animated Series" and "Batman Beyond" are easy examples of ANIMATION, not cartoon.[/quote]

Animation sounds too hoity toity for me, I see nothing wrong with the word cartoon, different strokes I guess.
 
I think the best advice would be to stay as far away as possible from Cartoon Network, and Adult Swim. 90% of the anime series' shown on tv are licensed for exactly what you hate. No story, stereotypical charachters, and flashy action scenes. Kids eat the shit up.

Animes with charachter development, good stories, and such, are licensed less often. For the same reason as said above, kids eat up shit. The majority of people don't want a storyline. They want to turn on the tv, watch a fight, and just be able to switch it off.
I'd suggest looking at some subbed series' such as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Also, if you like manga, definitely check out Death Note.
 
[quote name='Every Last Goddamn Otaku']The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya[/QUOTE]

I swear to god. If I watch this and it sucks....
 
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