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

FMA and Champloo are recent good ones for sure. Last Exile is my favorite and that one was fairly recent. lots of crap to wade thru, but there are still quality shows.
 
Yo man, just stick to the good stuff and mix in lots of other types of tv/movies or you'll get burnt out. Eating cake and cookies all the time seems like a good idea but if you do it you'll get sick and probably die. Do you think it's really respectful towards your family to leave behind a bloated corpse? I mean, they have to buy a bigger casket to stuff your fat ass into and think up all kinds of excuses to make up for the awkward stares at the funeral. So think about other people too ok?
 
Though it might be harder to dig through the masses to find the 'good' titles [ie, those you like], I'm glad there is such variety and selection. I've gone back and watched some of those old sub or dub only VHS ex-rental tapes; yes, there were some good ones--there were some bad ones as well, but if you were into anime, there was so little content that any meal is a feast to a starving man.
I'll agree that most of the 'public' stuff, the shows on Fox Kids or Cartoon Network, are not much more than half hour commercials. I don't watch those.
I did watch Akira a year or so back; it was pretty cool, but it wasn't the earth-shattering event it apparently is for a lot of people.

In the VHS days I was hardcore sub fan; now, however, I'm actually listening to an enjoying many of the dubs; most of them are quite good, and some of the newer titles have 5.1 ENG and 2.0 JAP audio tracks, if the quality is the same, I'd rather listen to multichannel. I still have subtitles on, sometimes i miss dialog, or I like to see what changed [Devil Lady's subs are wildly different from the dubs], but there are a lot of quality voice actors out there.

Availability and pricing is much better nowadays--when a title first comes out, it can be 15-30 bucks for one disk; but wait a while, and it won't be too long before you can catch a series set for a very reasonable price [the recent CCS deal, Best Buy's clearout of anime box sets, ADV's releases of thinpaks, etc].

I just started watching Azumanga Daioh, and while it's not really 'about' much of anything, I am enjoying it quite a bit. I got the thinpak, which is devoid of extras/liner notes, but the only time in the first 5 episodes I was stuck for a minute was when the girls were talking about being 'American" or "Japanese".

A part of it is the bandwagon effect. Pokemon is/was a hit, so now there are hundreds of collection-type anime [note: I do not lump the aforementioned CCS in with this subgenre]. Just like there are runs in Hollywood films, there are runs in anime releases.

Pet Shop of Horrors--that was a good show. Unfortunately, another case of the dub being different from the sub--I think I recall thinking that they made the cop much more of a jerk, and the shopkeeper much more gay, in the dub than the sub.

Planetes- very good 'true' scifi series. Princess Nine--I hate sports, but I enjoyed this series. I quit watching Devil Lady, it got boring. Koi Kaze, a very engaging and interesting series, if a bit 'perverted' [of course, there are also societal differences as well--apparently in Japanese culture people of the same gender can have a stronger relationship than 'like', without it being 'love' or at least sexual-based loved; not to keep harping on it, but CCS has a good example of this].

This is not the only entertainment medium that suffers from similar maladies--how many RPGs have a young boy who is not fully aware of his past, trying to save the world with the help of a young girl, who may not be fully aware of *her* past, casting spells; they are aided by a large person/creature who focuses on physical attacks; etc etc etc. Turn on your tv--how many variations on 'strangers in a house, trying to compete to win a prize' can you find? But even with some similar ideas, some shows/games/anime do them better, so it's not just cookiecutter. And there are the occasional titles that jump right off the board and don't follow anything popular; unfortunately, many times these don't sell as well, so we don't see more imitators [of course, the imitations could be poor, so that could be a good thing].

Howl's Moving Castle--that was based pretty much directly on a Diana Wynne Jones book, wasn't it? I've read a few of her books, and haven't been really impressed. Perhaps the issue there is the source material. I did really like Kiki's Delivery Service, though.

I think it's sort of like food--if you can't find a title you like, you're not looking hard enough. There's a lot of licensed, manufactured, commercialized, crap out there, but there are quality titles hiding off the networks. And luckily, now we have a multitude of sources for reviews, clips, renting a disk to see if you like it, and of course buying them [I love the TRSI catalog].
 
I highly and strongly agree with the OP. I've been so pissed at anime lately for being so generic and people buying into its crap. I really hate to tell people I like some (a very small list, due to anime popularity issues and the fact that I cant stand overly popular stuff most of the time) animes sadly. I've found that alot more unpopular and obscure titles are where the real meat of good anime is.

I just recently have been watching (halfway through, but need to finish) Texhnolyze, Golden Boy (over and over), and King of Fighter Another Day. Other than that, nothing really peaks my interest due to over consumption of garbage franchises.

And yes, I still miss the days when my blockbuster rarely had any anime, and all I could really watch was a small list of titles... right now it's like mounds of anime are all over the place >_
 
[quote name='Mookyjooky']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 find it ironic that the two shows you listed were also my candidates for "Worst shows of the year" in my book ;) Like most other members have said, you're probably not looking in the right place for new material. Cartoon Network is probably the worst place to really look... if anything, try to get recommendations from other fans. Shows like Angel Heart (only available fansubbed... a semi-sequel to City Hunter), Infinite Ryvius, and Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu (Only available fansubbed) are some of the better shows to hit the channels in the past year or so. Also, I'd like to recommend Strawberry Marshmallow. Yes, it's cute, and yes it revolves around a group of fifth graders, but it makes wonderful use of dry humor (an asset if done properly).

[quote name='Sarang01']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]

The only problems with your choices are the fact that Nightwalker and Haunted Junction have been out of print for a few years (and are fairly tough to find as a result), and Galaxy Express 999 is damned near impossible to find - retail or fansubbed. Great choices otherwise, though... and I agree that Harmagedon sucked something fierce. :p
 
I wish I could head an anime. If I got control, I'd want to make the story of Dan Hibiki's life. He's one of Capcoms best characters ever invented. It'd go something like this.

8:00 am school time

Dan: Hmmmm. Lets get in a fight. HEY YOU GANGSTER! LETS BRAWL!

Sure dumbass. "dan tosses a signed picture at him" WTF WAS THAT?!

Dan: I'm so great that you're standing in awe at my magnificent splendor! YAHOO!

Dan is Japanese for ADVENTURE! Hibiki is Japanese for SECKS WITH SAKURA! And Dan Hibiki put together is a MOUNTAIN OF EVERYTHING GOOD.

Yeah.....
 
Try Gokusen. It's the same type of show, only the main character is a female yakuza boss instead of a biker.
 
[quote name='help1']Can any of u reccomend a anime like GTO? Im not sure I wanna rewatch it again, or atleast not yet.[/QUOTE]

Golden Boy, but only if you prefer the silly perverted humor. Plus golden boy has the best voice acting for a male lead in any anime ever... EVER!

but yeah, i forgot to mention GTO, but that was a good series. I still wish the show had more focus on Onizuka and a bit less of the students.
 
well i like anything done by the studio Bones. Their anime usually has good scripts ,storylines, and animation. Im watching Ouran High School right now which is really funny but also has a good script and story. hell even for a quick laugh i would go old school and watch The Ping Pong Club again which i do have the old dvds to think about. anyway i only think that anime either sucks or scores depending on what you like. hell i bet you there are people who like Divergence Eve and Mirage of Blaze. hell the studio for divergence eve went on and produced the misaki chronicles for it so guess it has a large fan base.
 
[quote name='RPGuy']I find it ironic that the two shows you listed were also my candidates for "Worst shows of the year" in my book ;) Like most other members have said, you're probably not looking in the right place for new material. Cartoon Network is probably the worst place to really look... if anything, try to get recommendations from other fans. Shows like Angel Heart (only available fansubbed... a semi-sequel to City Hunter), Infinite Ryvius, and Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu (Only available fansubbed) are some of the better shows to hit the channels in the past year or so. Also, I'd like to recommend Strawberry Marshmallow. Yes, it's cute, and yes it revolves around a group of fifth graders, but it makes wonderful use of dry humor (an asset if done properly).



The only problems with your choices are the fact that Nightwalker and Haunted Junction have been out of print for a few years (and are fairly tough to find as a result), and Galaxy Express 999 is damned near impossible to find - retail or fansubbed. Great choices otherwise, though... and I agree that Harmagedon sucked something fierce. :p[/QUOTE]

We talking the series or show? You can find the series though the collections are expensive as fuck. It's outrageous. I'm waiting till the Collections hit HD-DVD since I'm hoping they were filmed with good cameras like 35 mm. As for the movies you can just buy the Korean or Japanese version and I know one has English subs and IS on DVD. Bummer about the former two since I haven't finished watching the first.
 
[quote name='help1']Can any of u reccomend a anime like GTO? Im not sure I wanna rewatch it again, or atleast not yet.[/quote]

If you haven't watched it, check out the live (j-drama) GTO. In my opinion, it's 20x better.
Also, Gokusen is great as said above.
 
[quote name='Sarang01']We talking the series or show? You can find the series though the collections are expensive as fuck. It's outrageous. I'm waiting till the Collections hit HD-DVD since I'm hoping they were filmed with good cameras like 35 mm. As for the movies you can just buy the Korean or Japanese version and I know one has English subs and IS on DVD. Bummer about the former two since I haven't finished watching the first.[/QUOTE]

I'm assuming that you're asking about Galaxy Express, which has never been licensed for US release. The only way to obtain a subtitled release is through bootlegs, or fansub downloads [or, if you want to go retro, tape traders are still around] at the moment. It's a shame, really. The series is definitely one of Leiji Matsumoto's best.

As for Haunted Junction and Nightwalker: it IS a crying shame. Haunted Junction's delisting came from the fact that the company Bandai licensed the show from, well... no longer exists. Therefore, a renewal couldn't be obtained. Nightwalker's story is currently unknown at the moment, but I'm guessing that CPM is going to reprice them (again), considering that the company hasn't lost the license to the show.
 
[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]

Personally, I've never liked you, or your dickhead comments. But lets look at your collection of anime to watch.

1. R.O.D The TV : Watched the whole thing, it was terrible. The OVA was amazing, it was pretty much a masterpeice. The set design, the characters, the development, the music.... Then the TV show took that and flipped it all upside down, and it plainly sucked.

2. Nana : I've actually seen the first few episodes. It was ok, not bad, not good... very... ok. I personally think that animation is an ability to make something your wouldnt have the budget to do otherwise. But Nana decided to be made into a 80's american sitcom in the likes of "Perfect Strangers".

3. Mushishi or Monster: Havent seen either of these, I'll get to it when I feel like stealing from the animation companies you, yourself say dont make any money off that 3 episode $30 dollar DVD. I hear they're both good.

4. Glass Mask : "Her father passed away very early and her mother lives and works in a crowded Chinese restaurant. Kitajima Maya, a 13-year old girl, has to carry the burden of making ends meet as she fights against her ill fate. However, she is able to overcome the trials and tribulations in her life with her passion and enthusiasm. She happens to encounter the reclusive actress Tsukikage who decides to train and mould her into the foremost actress of her generation. " This sounds retarded.

5. Haruhi Suzumiya : I'll give it a try, but the screen shots look like every other in school anime I've seen. I like to see NEW things. Not the same giant robots, school girls and angst. I'll try it.

6. Gankutsuou : I've seen this, I own this... it's great. It's proably the last good anime I've seen. But its lacking a bit. But I love it.

7. Jubei-chan 2: Garbage. I'm not even going here.

8. Honey & Clover, Princess Tutu, Kaleido Star, Kamichu!: I'm a guy, and I dont really care to watch an anime thats practically an 80's sitcom. I dont care if the little 17 year old girl has a horrible past, and just wants some idiot hermaphrodite boy to notice her. I'll pass.

9. Fullmetal Alchemist: I'll give this another try since so many recommend it.

10. Ah! My Goddess: I actually loved the manga, but I cant really get into the anime. It seems like all the soul is sucked out of it. The movie was decent.
 
I got into anime just when Adult Swim started, Cowboy Bebop got my interest. I can understand what the OP is talking about somewhat. I've seen enough ecchi already, and don't really want to watch anymore anime like that. I'd say one of the best anime I've seen has been Gungrave, christ I can't believe how great that series was. To me it's a shining example of a series that has NO comic relief and is just dead serious the whole way through. If able, please watch the subbed version!

I still enjoy the popular series that are out, like Naruto, Bleach and One Piece. But, I'd say One Piece is the best one so far, and the one I've watched the most of. I'm anal about dubs and almost always prefer subs. One Piece is a whole different beast when watching the original. The american version shouldn't even be considered, it's garbage.

Manga is a good alternative too, and as someone else said earlier, Deathnote is amazing, absolutely reccommend that one. Iron Wok Jan is another fav of mine, it's all about cooking. Speaking of, if you want a real different anime, try Cooking Master Boy. Also called Chukka Ichaban or something. It's not licensed, but damn is it great if you love cooking or over the top Iron Chef skills.
 
[quote name='Mookyjooky']I watched 3 episodes of Ergo Proxy and thought it was amazing. Its what I was hoping Ghost in the Shell would be.[/quote]

Haruhi is much more than a school story. Trust me.
 
The list of Anime I'm gonna try based on your recommendations to try to get out of my anime slump.

1. Mushishi
2. Ergo Proxy
3. Monster
4. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
5. Full Metal Alchemist
6. The Twelve Kingdoms
 
[quote name='Mookyjooky']The list of Anime I'm gonna try based on your recommendations to try to get out of my anime slump.

1. Mushishi
2. Ergo Proxy
3. Monster
4. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
5. Full Metal Alchemist
6. The Twelve Kingdoms[/QUOTE]
This is probably the best "to-watch" list I've ever seen another user post here. No Bleach or Naruto in sight!
 
[quote name='RPGuy']I'm assuming that you're asking about Galaxy Express, which has never been licensed for US release. The only way to obtain a subtitled release is through bootlegs, or fansub downloads [or, if you want to go retro, tape traders are still around] at the moment. It's a shame, really. The series is definitely one of Leiji Matsumoto's best.

As for Haunted Junction and Nightwalker: it IS a crying shame. Haunted Junction's delisting came from the fact that the company Bandai licensed the show from, well... no longer exists. Therefore, a renewal couldn't be obtained. Nightwalker's story is currently unknown at the moment, but I'm guessing that CPM is going to reprice them (again), considering that the company hasn't lost the license to the show.[/QUOTE]

Well I'm referring to the spliced version for the English subs and a legit Korean version. Now for the full version I was bitching about the price, it's insane. For the price it costs it should be HD-DVD. In fact when that comes out on HD-DVD I may buy it. Why can't Matsumoto-san just do it himself? It kind of surprises me some of these writers and artists haven't made enough money to decide to buy the rights and hire translators themselves and complete the series.
 
[quote name='Sarang01']Well I'm referring to the spliced version for the English subs and a legit Korean version. Now for the full version I was bitching about the price, it's insane. For the price it costs it should be HD-DVD. In fact when that comes out on HD-DVD I may buy it. Why can't Matsumoto-san just do it himself? It kind of surprises me some of these writers and artists haven't made enough money to decide to buy the rights and hire translators themselves and complete the series.[/QUOTE]

Ahh, my mistake. :) Anyway, the reason why Matsumoto, or a few writers haven't licensed it themselves is simple, though: They have no interest in markets outside of Japan. If anything, you'll see a wealthy licensor snag it eventually. That, or Animeigo, who has a history of releasing great shows that have been all but left for dead by the rest of the licensors. :)

As for the price: yeah, it's expensive. :p But legit import DVDs typically are. Can't be helped, unfortunately.
 
[quote name='eldad9']Here, this will help:

Sturgeon's Law[/QUOTE]

Agreed. When anime originally made it's way to the states, they only released the best of the best so they didn't waste money on a niche market. Now that anime has caught on, companies will shovel any drivel they can find to make a quick buck, especially from the kiddies. It really bugs the piss out of me when little kids that are into art... and all they want to draw is anime-style characters. Where's the originality and creativity in coming up with your own style?

Anyways, like stated before, things like FMA and other big name releases are usually well done as long as you don't go into the series looking to critique-the same with most movies.
 
[quote name='RPGuy']Ahh, my mistake. :) Anyway, the reason why Matsumoto, or a few writers haven't licensed it themselves is simple, though: They have no interest in markets outside of Japan. If anything, you'll see a wealthy licensor snag it eventually. That, or Animeigo, who has a history of releasing great shows that have been all but left for dead by the rest of the licensors. :)

As for the price: yeah, it's expensive. :p But legit import DVDs typically are. Can't be helped, unfortunately.[/QUOTE]

Actually some do care. I would expect more from Matsumoto-san to and the fact he doesn't makes him an embarrassment to his craft. Real artists and writers, when they make something put as much love into it and don't want to see it butchered or if it has to be, minimally so. Animeigo? Aren't they the same one's who did that TERRIBLE dub for "Magic Knight Rayearth"? Usually I hate Dubs but WD's voices for it were perfect then when I heard Animeigo's Dub I was more than pissed needless to say. Guess I'll have to stick to the sub when the HD-DVD version comes out.
 
I have the same story as the OP. I used to love anime, starting in 1993-4 but I kinda of stopped after 2001. I still watch it occasionally, but I really loved the short series or one shots the best, Like Riding Bean, Violence Jack, GitS and other older stuff.
 
I feel the beginning of your story. I know EXACTLY what you were conveying there. IMO Fullmetal Alchemist is a great series in the spirit of those great early anime series. Also Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away are great films as well.

There are still good offerings out there, but I know what you mean about the glut of garbage that is being released.
 
Ok, I just watched "Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", and I loved it. The only thing thats got me a little out of sorts is that I feel that I watched it out of order. Is it supposed to be like that?

Anyways, I thought it was really good, but at times kind of dragged on. It reminded me a lot of "Love Hina", it just put me in a really good mood.
 
[quote name='Mookyjooky']Ok, I just watched "Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", and I loved it. The only thing thats got me a little out of sorts is that I feel that I watched it out of order. Is it supposed to be like that?

Anyways, I thought it was really good, but at times kind of dragged on. It reminded me a lot of "Love Hina", it just put me in a really good mood.[/quote] You mean the whole series, right?
If so, ya, the series was originally aired with the episodes out of order. You can go back and watch them in the correct (or incorrect) order, but it doesn't change too much.

Edit: You can see the air dates side by side with the correct episode number here.
 
The only thing I didnt like about it, is that it makes me wonder if it would really be any good in order. I mean, out of order kind of ruined the suspence of the ending in my eyes. The second she said "Snow White", I knew a kiss would end whatever the problem at the end would be. I just wish that the Snow White comment would of been around the 3rd or 4th episode, instead of 2 episodes before the ending.

What I'm saying is, is that the characters and settings were great, but I would of perferred the show aired Chronologically with the feel of the Anachronological order. All the mystery wasnt planned, the episodes were just out of order, feeling more choppy than mysterious.

Like if the person they saw in the rain on the island was the time traveler girl and it was shown in a later episode... awesome... but everything out of order make the story feel forced at times.
 
yay! time to change OP title to "Anime Discussion..." since that's what it seems like is going on now... not a overview of anime constructing and deconstucting itself, society, and the person called you... and don't forget the sour craut.
 
I just find it hard to get into most anime. I only watch it on [as] as time killer. Only because for me to really get into it, I have to watch it from the start. Only type I refuse to get into are the cutesy ones. Kinda reminds me, I haven't seen Wolfs Rain in forever, an old room mate hated waiting for new episodes on [as] when they aired and decided to "acquire" it. As I said before, the only anime in the past year that has had me glued to it is FMA. Though I've yet to see past ep 37. I wish I had started getting it on DVD last year. Seeing as the last vol (vol 13) comes out today and the movie is released today too. Though, I think I'll wait and spend the extra 10 bucks at rightstuf and get the special edition.

I do wish I had more anime on DVD though. All I have is Golgo 13: The Professional, and vols 1 and 2 of Ghost in the Shell: SAC. Used to have Wicked City, but like a moron, I sold it when I needed money for bills. Pisses me off because it seems I can't find it for less than like 25 bucks...
 
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