A challenge (Anime fans only)

[The Wonder of the net]

loosely defineing better Fruits baskets, xxxholic loosely defining romance i mean i guess most anime has a romance aspect to it and i mean im into odd ones like i loved Hare and Guu which to all aspects of it has alot of romance as far defined by a little kid because thats what the story is about for the most part. even if these are not what your looking for i would still recomend them.

 

[The Wonder of the net]

sorry double post

 

[ChocoFace]

Does Beck count?
Gurren Lagann?
Yeah i'm not really into the romance thing so much.

Yes, in the shonen category, but the reason for this experiment is to determine if shoujo and/or romance anime are improved by being in fact animated, or if they can be told superiorly when in manga format, or even novel format. My main problem with shoujo anime (or one of them at least, it would take another whole forum to explain my nitpicks in this genre) is that the animation itself doesn't contribute to the story, normally taking place in just a few locations. Recycling locales is fine in anime, as long different events take place during them. Toradora is a good example of this. Each location is used sparingly, and each scene is vastly different from any previous, with well thought through sequences of actions by the characters to convey, along with emotion, relationships between the characters in a more subtle manner than through speech. I'll get to this more later, but keep them coming, I've checked out each anime you all have suggested. Thanks for all the help.

I believe that, oddly enough, Elfen Lied did this in an interesting way. You can't disagree that the boy (whose name i don't remember) eventually had deep feelings for the schizophrenic protagonist. Feelings that started from pity and went on to a more protective type. The anime was cancelled when the actual storyline was about halfway through and the manga continues through. I'm not sure if i remember Elfen Lied so well anymore, but this is what i came up with, so i hope you manage to look at it the same way as I.

 

[RollingThunder]

Another one is Victorian Romance Emma, this is set in Victorian England, the manga is already good and the anime add excellent musics in it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_(manga)

Video:

I thought Emma was fantastic when I read and watched it, but somehow, the manga version seemed to be able to convey more emotions in term of expression and body language than the anime. I do still recommend both though, thanks for the contribution.

No problem, I just hoping this underrated series is more known for its quality.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Utena.

Wow. I did not expect to be ninjaed on Utena by the very first post.

Kudos, fellow Utena fan!

**snip**

Seriously, Revolutionary Girl Utena is the best shoujo anime ever made. I would argue that it is the best anime ever made period, but then people might think I was odd, and anyway you are just asking about Shoujo.

If you want more info on it, feel free to PM me.

Edit: Almost forgot - Utena is WAY better in anime than it is in the manga. The manga is great, but the anime is way better. Ikuhara-sama, the director of the anime, is an insane genius. His additions to the story take it from good to best ever.

Edit again: Wait... woah, weird. I've posted in this thread before - over a month ago. With the same answer. ^^;; I thought this was a new thread.

Anyway, to answer your other question - the animation allows for action that is physically impossible. The upside-down floating castle, the surreal landscape, and a number of other strange and unearthly weird things would have been difficult or looked unnatural if done in live action, or if they had lacked motion (which they did in the manga). Hence animation.

 

[mireko]

I liked how Maria-sama ga Miteru was animated. Granted, it's somewhat different from its light novel origins, but I think the *excessive* flowers and Ali Project soundtrack helped set the tone.

That tone being somewhere between "Onee-sama" and "FIVE THOUSAND HARPSICHORDS".

[sub]I don't read much Shoujo, I'm afraid. There just isn't very much of it, and 'standard' romance is too boring.[/sub]

 

[1080bitgamer]

Utena.

Wow. I did not expect to be ninjaed on Utena by the very first post.

Kudos, fellow Utena fan!

**snip**

Seriously, Revolutionary Girl Utena is the best shoujo anime ever made. I would argue that it is the best anime ever made period, but then people might think I was odd, and anyway you are just asking about Shoujo.

If you want more info on it, feel free to PM me.

Edit: Almost forgot - Utena is WAY better in anime than it is in the manga. The manga is great, but the anime is way better. Ikuhara-sama, the director of the anime, is an insane genius. His additions to the story take it from good to best ever.

Edit again: Wait... woah, weird. I've posted in this thread before - over a month ago. With the same answer. ^^;; I thought this was a new thread.

Anyway, to answer your other question - the animation allows for action that is physically impossible. The upside-down floating castle, the surreal landscape, and a number of other strange and unearthly weird things would have been difficult or looked unnatural if done in live action, or if they had lacked motion (which they did in the manga). Hence animation.

Hmm.... I'll take this on board, and check out the animated series. I read the manga version through and through when I was younger, so I may as well contrast them. Just as an added note, I did enjoy the character of Utena, but most of the males in the series didn't really sell me their personas. Thanks though.

 

[1080bitgamer]

It's not just animation that's added, but color and sound (voices and music), which can be meaningful. Its why I prefer anime versions over manga in any category.

True enough, but a series can have a fantastic sound track and voice acting, but when anime is being watched, it's primarily judged by animation and narrative. A good anime can be made great by a better soundtrack and good voice actors, but that doesn't mean a bad anime can be saved by the above. Yes, they can help convey more ranges of emotion, but sometimes manga is able to drive the point home with a single panel. If you need an example, check out Muhyo and Roji's BSI, or, if horror isn't your thing, YOTSUBA&! for this.

If those don't help, maybe Emma for the romance department.

 

[1080bitgamer]

does "5 Centimeters Per Second"???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Centimeters_Per_Second

Checking out now, thanks

 

[Amethyst Wind]

I'm not sure it ever got a manga, since it was a visual novel, but I'd heavily say that Clannad gained something by being animated.

There are some scenes, especially tearful ones, that are much better to watch the facial progressions in real time rather than frozen images. Also, the voices help, a whole lot.

 

[1080bitgamer]

does "5 Centimeters Per Second"???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Centimeters_Per_Second

Wow... That was REALLY good... thanks

 

[1080bitgamer]

I'm not sure it ever got a manga, since it was a visual novel, but I'd heavily say that Clannad gained something by being animated.

There are some scenes, especially tearful ones, that are much better to watch the facial progressions in real time rather than frozen images. Also, the voices help, a whole lot.

Yes, there was a manga adaption, and yes, it did make me cry like I actually knew these people. I've yet to see the anime edition, so I'll check it.

 

[Erja_Perttu]

Hm, not sure if this counts but Escaflowne has romantic elements to it and I much preferred the anime to the manga. Man, Escaflowne was cool.

 

[SckizoBoy]

OK, this one was so obvious I'm surprised no-one mentioned Nodame Cantabile (shoujo manga).

The manga tells a very good story, but the anime is all about the music, making the experience very different from one medium to the other.

 

[Nieroshai]

The Tenchi series and its retarded amount of reboots that all end with him getting a different girl. I liked Muyo's happy ending, and was pissed that "in Tokyo" ignored all continuity of any of the series even though it was billed as a "next season." I was entertained by it, even though I can acknowledge it is a bit... unreealistic in its portrayal of romance.

 

[1080bitgamer]

Hm, not sure if this counts but Escaflowne has romantic elements to it and I much preferred the anime to the manga. Man, Escaflowne was cool.

True that, but sadly escaflowne was classified as a shonen, despite half the plot revolving around the relationship status of each minor character.

 

[1080bitgamer]

The Tenchi series and its retarded amount of reboots that all end with him getting a different girl. I liked Muyo's happy ending, and was pissed that "in Tokyo" ignored all continuity of any of the series even though it was billed as a "next season." I was entertained by it, even though I can acknowledge it is a bit... unreealistic in its portrayal of romance.

Wow, ok, that is a blast from the past. I read some of the Tenchi Muhyo when I was... well, too young to be reading them, but that's not the point. Sadly, this harem manga fell into the trap that many series with multiple endings do, with not enough buildup on a single character for the BIG INTEREST, the final portrayal of their relationship can feel token. i.e. KIMIKISS, Various Heroines.

It was a good series though, had the Ranma 1/2 effect of being over-the-top and stupid, while still having *cough cough* "mature" elements to keep it interesting.

 

[ZiggyE]

I'm not sure it ever got a manga, since it was a visual novel, but I'd heavily say that Clannad gained something by being animated.

I consider the Clannad visual novel to be a masterpiece, whereas the anime was flawed by comparison.

EDIT: OP, if you liked 5 cm/s per second you should check out Shinkai Makoto's other works, Voices of a Distant Star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Also, his new film is coming out soon, Hoshi o Ou Kodomo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Place_Promised_in_Our_Early_Days
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voices_of_a_Distant_Star
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_Who_Chase_Lost_Voices_from_Deep_Below

Also I think you might like Tatami Galaxy, though the romance in it is more subtext than anything else, it is still good, just like NHK. (If you haven't seen Welcome to the NHK, watch that too(though the light novel is better, the manga I think is worse))

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatami_galaxy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_to_the_NHK

EDIT 2:

Also, Honey and Clover.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_and_Clover