Your Favorite Anime?

Speak your mind, or lack thereof. There may occasionally be on-topic discussions.
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Spazz
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Post by Spazz »

Heh, All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku is the best (to me ^_^;), and some other good ones are Trigun, Interstella 5555, Oh! My Goddess, the Tenchi Muyo! series, Neon Genesis Evangelion (duh!), Azumanga Daioh!, Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat, The Super Milk-Chan Show, and...Sonic X - *shot*

(The Sonic X dub is unwatchable! I'd rather watch it in pure Japanese w/o subs...)

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Akai
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Post by Akai »

I don't really have a "favorite", though there are a number I enjoyed. I admit a rather twisted fondness for Revolutionary Girl Utena. I think all those references to incest and pedophilia in the later parts of the series broke my brain, took over, and forced me to like it even while I was screaming "OH GOD WHY?!". I do enjoy all of the Studio Ghibli stuff I've seen. Also, Haibane Renmei was good in a rather laid-back sort of way. Scrapped Princess, for what little I saw of it, was pretty good. Hellsing, RahXephon, the Slayers, all stick out too.

I couldn't get into Neon Genesis Evangelion. Maybe I didn't give it a long enough try, but... I was bored out of my mind during the first volume. And alas, I don't watch much TV anymore so I haven't seen FLCL. I'm not adverse to it, though.

Also, Angel Sanctuary. Even though they only made an OAV out of the first few volumes of the manga.

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Post by nightstyao »

I must admit that most all of my exposure to anime has been through adult swim, so I really haven't seen that many. But I have enjoyed most of them... I really like Cowboy Bebop and FLCL (especially the soundtrack). I've also liked what little I've seen of Evangelion.

But my all time favorite would have to be Big O. I've yet to find anyone with the same sentiments though. :sad:

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Post by Zeta »

But my all time favorite would have to be Big O. I've yet to find anyone with the same sentiments though.
Interesting idea. Unsatisfying execution. I mean seriously, it's about a bunch of people in a crappy play who come to realize that they're in a crappy play.

That's literally how they explain away the plot holes, too. Angel, the writer of the play doesn't care about such things, thus the answers don't exist.

There are times when the series felt brilliant. But more often it feels like a sort of twisted self-parody.

Writer 1: "Dude. We need to explain what exactly happened 40 years ago that caused everyone to loose their memories and stuff."
Writer 2: "I can't think of an answer."
Writer 1: "That's perfect! That's how we'll explain it! The history of the world was designed by a hack writer!"
Writer 2: "Brilliant! Wait, what do you mean by hack?"

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Post by Ngangbius »

The first 13 episodes of Big O, they had a coherent story told in somewhat in a detective film noir style.

The second season however...they just seem to make stuff up as the series progressed, added more mysteries, answered one question while raising many others and possibly forgot about the original direction of the first 13 episodes making the ending seem so unsatisfiying.

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Post by nightstyao »

Yeah, I enjoyed the first season much more. It really seems like that was where they intended it to end, but then Cartoon Network purchased some more episodes. Zeta's dialogue doesn't seem that off the mark.

But I enjoyed it, plot holes and all :smile:

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Post by G.Silver »

goddamnit! I still haven't seen the last episodes of Big O II! I hate you all! XD

What's this Zeta though? Are they finally airing Zeta Gundam on Cartoon Network now or what?

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Post by G.Silver »

Oh. That Zeta. Riiiight.

I hate you specifically!

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Post by Pepperidge »

I won't try to hide the fact that, despite the increase in slack-jawed pigfucker "fans" the show has received thanks to Cartoon Network, Cowboy Bebop is still my favourite anime TV series. Fullmetal Alchemist, despite not even having finished in Japan yet, has officially bumped Evangelion down from the number two spot. And while Eva is low-budget, cliched, slow to pick up the pace, and inherently flawed (which is actually part of the reason I like it)... that's a pretty impressive feat.

Factoring in shows based off of manga or other source material would place Fruits Basket near the top. Not only is it my favourite shoujo series, but the direction of Akitaro Daichi truly transcends Fruba beyond the source material. Usually I don't really mind if a manga is left only partially adapted but... god damnit, I want more! Urusei Yatsura is also great, but I haven't seen enough of it to formulate a strong opinon. I'd mention Rurouni Kenshin, but the fact that they didn't adapt the third arc and let the series die a painful and horrible death with some of the worst filler arcs EVER makes the show lose serious points.

My other favourite shows include Utena, Now and Then, Here and There, Escaflowne, and Gundam SEED. And while it's hard to not tell you what's wrong with Inu-Yasha, I will defend it to the death, with it being the only quality anime that's been available on Canadian TV in five years.

I also seem to enjoy Witch Hunter Robin more than most people.

As for OVAs, FLCL tops the list, but I must confess that the fact that the show has become, in my opinion, the most over-exposed anime of all time sort of detracts the appeal. I mean, I don't mind when something like Bebop is popular, but the whole idea behind FLCL (and the reason it's an OVA rather than a TV series) is that isn't supposed to be popular! The Rurouni Kenshin OVAs (or "Samurai X" for those who should know better) are definitely up there, too. Even if you didn't like the TV series at all *glares at GG!*, I strongly recommend checking out the OVAs. They are almost completely stand-alone, and are truly elevated to an artistic level not even remotely reached by the TV series... or most anime for that matter. Gunbuster and Mezzo Forte are cool, too.

As for movies, I won't even bother pointing out that anything made by Studio Ghibli is pure gold and that Princess Mononoke may very well be my favourite film. My favourite non-Ghibli film, however, would have to be Wings of Honneamise. I really wish Manga Entertainment would magically transform into a real company and release the remastered DVD they've been promising for four years.
nightstyao wrote:Yeah, I enjoyed the first season much more. It really seems like that was where they intended it to end, but then Cartoon Network purchased some more episodes. Zeta's dialogue doesn't seem that off the mark.
Nope. In Japan, Big O was planned to be a 26 episode series, but its contract was shortened to 13 episodes due to unpopularity. (Shows with a set number of episodes don't really get "cancelled" in Japan.) However, scripts had been written for episodes 14-26. The show proved to be more popular in the US than it was in Japan, so CN forked over the cash for the last thirteen episodes to be produced. However, it appears that CN executives forced a few changes on the scripts, so perhaps that was the source of the show losing its charm?

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Post by Esrever »

If they didn't want FLCL to be popular, they shouldn't have made it so good. Watching it is like injecting pure awesome into your veins.

But seriously, it's like how Pulp Fiction got popular. Not everyone watching catches all of the references, but so what? There's a guitar with an engine in it! Woohoo!

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Post by G.Silver »

perhaps that was the source of the show losing its charm?
I have to say I'm actually enjoying the new Big O episodes just as much as the old ones, there's been no loss of charm at all for me. It was never a show that made a lot of sense, it's just simply fun to watch, and that hasn't changed at all. Come to think of it, it seems to me (though being in the position of having not seen the end leaves me at a disadvantage) that the second season has a lot more focus than the first one did. That is to say, I don't think the first season had much focus at all.

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Post by THEbigLANDMAN »

I like Shin Chan

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Post by The Almighty Bunghole »

Neon Genesis Evangelion is by far my favourite anime series of all time. No anime series has fucked with my mind like it has.

Other honourbale mentions would go to:

Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 (Takes a while to get going, but great when it does)
Perfect Blue (If you have not seen this movie, you must. Unless your the kinda person who liks to know what's happening, cause you won't until the end of the movie. Hitchcock kind of stuff here)
Ninja Scroll (movie, yet to see the series) (Got to see the uncut version, only to find out all that was cut was less than a minute of smut.)
Cowboy Bebop (series and movie) (Still waiting for some prick to return the dvds so I can continue to watch the series. Stupid dvd place not having more copies)
Ghost In The Shell (movie, yet to see the series) (Classic)
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (Wasen't really into this much before I watched, but by the end, glad I did)
Spriggan (Quality title, great action)
Akira (Immortal)
Wicked City (A good anime and has a good ending, not that popular though)

Other cool titles would be:

Arimtage III series (The movie is just a combination of the seroes)
Armitage: Dual Matrix (Not too bad, the original is a bit better)
Mad Bull 34 (Great if you love over the top violence and being amused)
Goku: Midnight Eye (Not bad, but only 2 eps. Could have been better if there were more eps)
Gunsmith Cats (only seen a couple of eps though)
Sprited Away (At times, too kiddy, at times, excellent!)

I've also seen, the 3 Samurai X DVDs, first one was good too watch, 2nd was boring until the end, ditto with the 3rd. Not really a fan of that type of drama, the violence kept me watching. Seen the first DVD of Rourouni Kenshin (spelling probably incorrect) seemd ok, will watch more when I can be arsed. I have many animes lined up on my dvd service, so there's still more to watch.

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Post by Green Gibbon! »

Urusei Yatsura is also great, but I haven't seen enough of it to formulate a strong opinon.
How much have you seen, just out of curiosity?

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Post by Pepperidge »

The third Rurouni Kenshin OVA (Reflection) is complete and utter shit. It was nothing more than a ploy from ADV to wring as much cash as possible from a franchise with no conclusion. Even Nobuhiro Watsuki, the series creator, has voiced extreme displeasure with Reflection. Just stick with Trust and Betrayal.

Ahh, and how could I forget Perfect Blue? I actually kind of preferred that one to Millennium Actress. I have yet to see Tokyo Godfathers, but Paranoia Agent is also very cool. Too bad Geneon licensed it. :-/
Green Gibbon! wrote: How much have you seen, just out of curiosity?
Four or five episodes, though I know you've formulated strong opinions on shows based on that much. :)

The problem is that even though AnimEigo's Canadian distribution has vastly improved (I've seen Macross DVDs AND boxsets in just about every major retailer for as little as $15 US each), I have yet to see a single UY DVD anywhere. Though because Beautiful Dreamer is distributed by CPM, I'm counting on the new special edition DVD of that to pop up in a few more stores.
Last edited by Pepperidge on Sun May 30, 2004 12:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Spazz
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Post by Spazz »

Does anyone here read Manga as well?

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Post by Delphine »

I read some manga, but not a whole lot. I tend to pick up a volume, go What the hell is this crap? and put it back down. The Saiyuki manga, however, is leagues and leagues ahead of the crap the anime tried to be.

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Post by Green Gibbon! »

Four or five episodes
Were they from the beginning of the series, or just random episodes from the middle? Because it does start off extremely slow and the first handfull of episodes lack the flair the later ones possess. It didn't really start coming together for me until around the 15th episode or so, around the time Mendou is introduced, and then when the second season begins and each episode encompasses a single story (as opposed to two half stories), it's all gold.

Also, it's impossible to find UY DVD's at retail. I order mine directly through AnimEigo, I believe that's the only way to get them.

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Post by Spazz »

Does anyone get that new Anime channel called "Anime Network"? If so, what are some series that it plays?

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Post by G.Silver »

I read some manga as well. Typically I do it in Japanese though. I picked up one of the Azumanga books not too long ago and flipped through it, and I couldn't deal with the fact that it was in English. It was like watching a painful dubbed show, I just couldn't take it.

Currently my favorite is (from Azuma Kiyohiko, unsurprisingly) is Yotsubato. My previous favorite (and this was a definite favorite) was Alien 9, and that's been officially released in English.

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Post by Pepperidge »

Anime Network isn't really a station, it's just an on-demand service that screens ADV shows. I hear they're planning to migrate to a true broadcast station sometime this year (which means it's probably more successful than I think it is), but I still don't like the principle behind it. It's basically all ADV stuff and serves as nothing more than an excuse for ADV to not pitch their shows to real TV stations like Cartoon Network to get more mainstream exposure.

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Post by hello.jpg »

1) FLCL
2) Neon Genesis Evangelion
3) El-Hazard OAV
4) Tenchi Muyo! OAV
5) Di Gi Charat

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Post by Spazz »

G.Silver wrote:I read some manga as well. Typically I do it in Japanese though. I picked up one of the Azumanga books not too long ago and flipped through it, and I couldn't deal with the fact that it was in English. It was like watching a painful dubbed show, I just couldn't take it.
If you mean Azumanga Daioh!, the dub is actually pretty close to the sub, unless they made the sub similar to the dub purposley.

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G.Silver
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Post by G.Silver »

If you mean Azumanga Daioh!, the dub is actually pretty close to the sub, unless they made the sub similar to the dub purposley.
No, I'm talking about the manga. :) Reading it in English stripped away the original dialog, making it more like watching a show dubbed, because obviously you don't have the original dialog there either. Mentally, I was not able to make the characters "talk" in English while retaining the "sound" that I knew was appropriate, so reading their lines in English came off "dubbed." This is not a problem I've ever had with any other manga besides Azumanga, and I think it has more to do with excessive familiarity with the source material rather than the quality of the translation.

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Post by Delphine »

G.Silver wrote:I read some manga as well. Typically I do it in Japanese though. I picked up one of the Azumanga books not too long ago and flipped through it, and I couldn't deal with the fact that it was in English. It was like watching a painful dubbed show, I just couldn't take it.
Which is pretty much my problem, compounded by the fact that I don't know Japanese.

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