Anime, what a horrid little thing you've become.

[PurpleRain]

Ok, you guys caught me out (even though I don't think I said I hate all anime, just the crap ones). Here's Purple Rain's list of anime that rocks the socks off a mongoos:

-Neon Genesis Evangelion
-Hellsing
-Dragon Ball Z (when they were fight Freezer)
-Ghost in a Shell
-Howls Moving Castle
-Animatrix
-Beserk

All of those are original to a point and are great fun to watch for its style of great characters. There are a few others I want to watch but haven't gotten around to yet. Oh, I didn't really like Ninja Scroll. It might have been to over hyped, but I did like that bog guy with the huge knife.

 

[000Ronald]

I can't watch most of the anime you guys are mentioning, but I've heard of them. The only thing I can say, really, is I don't like Bleach because I imagined a lot of things differently (I blame DBZ, personally). Also, the voices aren't as subtle as I'd have hoped.

Another thing that bugs me, why is it that the people that dub Bleach feel the need to pause mid-sentence? I could almost understand if they were reading directly from the Manga, but it kinda ticks me off. People shouldn't talk like that.

And for the record, I imagined Ichigo sounding like Spike. Dunno why...

Apologies for adding so little to the conversation.

 

[Flunk]

90% of anything is terrible. Some anime has no redeeming qualities at all, Ikkitousen is a great example. I couldn't sit through 10 minutes of that show and I love anime. There are plenty of poorly written, poorly thought out pieces of crap that don't deserve your time. In which case, we don't have to watch them.

The quality of the translation and voice acting in Japanese->English dubs is so poor that I have a problem watching them at all. I just don't understand what is so hard about voice acting that they can get people who are ostensibly professional voice actors who sound like they just picked up random people off the street and told them to act "with intensity". Because of this I would rather read the subtitles.

And no, Digimon is not American.

 

[Jagdedge]

I've lost faith in you all. Only one other person mentioning TTGL. Find me a better scene than: [link]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAHEazNbzAI[/link] You don't even need to know what he's saying in order to enjoy it. The visuals are just so beautiful, and let's not forget the energy it oozes.

As for my take on Anime, it's just a difference in culture. I've heard that Japan has very strict pornography laws, so they compensate by drawing as much animated porn as possible, because it's acceptable. So, this is going to drip down I guess, and fanservice is going to make its way to a lot of shows.

To be honest, I can't stand "deep" anime. Ghost in the Shell has stupidly overcomplicated explainations and even the creator admits that his writing isn't that serious, or something to that effect. I can't find the interview right now, but he says something along those lines. I also am bugged to no end when various people spout that only shows with deep meanings and meaningful philosophies are good. My favorite type of anime is the hot-blooded action show.

 

[Sylocat]

I was expecting more of an anime-bashing turnout in this thread, given how Yahtzee's fanboys like to parrot his blanket statements about the Japanese. I'm relieved to see they seem to have a leash on now. Perhaps they know that us anime fanboys are even scarier than they are! ;-)

In other news:

The only thing about elfen lied that pisses me off though is the ending song. You just finished watching a deeply disturbed girl with invisible hands brutally murder or maim like 17 people and then this happy jpop theme comes on. It's just about the most inappropriate choice of song I've ever heard. Doesn't stop the story from being superb, though.

Agree 100%, especially since the opening theme was fantastic. I can't wait for them to finally release the manga over here, I want to know the real ending.

I think Makoto Shinkais Movies should be added into the Good Anime List.

Unbelievable! Someone else besides me who's heard of Makoto Shinkai! This is fantastic!

 

[Arntor]

I thought Higurashi was alright. It had potential in being a good suspense thriller in a Japanese "Hot Fuzz" kind of way, but the structure of the episodes turned me off a bit.
I really, really liked these though. [http://youtube.com/watch?v=VeeJxefijoY]

 

[GloatingSwine]

15 films and 30 series (brief approximations) later I have come to the point where I feel pretty much sated. All the new series, for all their technical magnificence simply do not cut it any more. Not to sound old fashioned or anything, but there is a significant lack in originality in the 'brand new ideas' department.

Sounds like someone missed The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya then...

 

[sma_warrior]

Apparently I'm the only person here who HAS picked up on the incest running through NG:E. Don't believe me? Have a GOOD think about Rei and how she matches with Shinji.

Now for all those who hate incest yet love NG:E, such as good old PurpleRain, you are all hypocrites

 

[kiokushitaka]

The story basically went something like this:
In Japan, schools fight other schools for no reason. To fight you have to wear special earrings. One day a hot sassy chick bunks up with her cousin (cue awkward yet steamy incest relationship) and goes to school to fight. She obviously sucks because she gets beaten up as many times as the sun as set. But nobody worry, she's the one and will unlock super 'the one' powers by the end of the series to kill the big baddy! I think the reasoning behind this madness is because every time she gets beaten in a fight, ALL HER CLOTHES GET TORN OFF!! All down to her bra and panties at least. Aww, put it back in fellas. Why, oh why, do the Japanese insist on crapping on their only descent marketing aside from Whale meat?! Each shot of a girl was low enough to be titled 'up-skirt-cam' and the entire story was full of sexual tension. I'm pretty sure the protagonistis mother wanted in on her son as much as his cousin. This was like some weird hentia, except pass the sex and nudity for partial nudity and fighting... leading to partial nudity.

That sounds like either Tenjou Tenge or Real Bout Highschool, I can't remember which.

Anime is one of those media that you really have to pick and choose. Yeah, I like a pretty sizable amount of it, but I can't stand some things about it- why are the heroes of many fifteen year old girly boys, for one. It's hard to find a good anime that isn't overhyped and overrated.

And the fanbase itself doesn't help matters- truckloads of Narutards and DBZ fans that think those shows are the best in anime seriously are the makings of a headache for me... especially when you ask them if they've ever seen something classic like My Neighbor Totoro or Metropolis and they stare blankly at you.

 

[GloatingSwine]

Apparently I'm the only person here who HAS picked up on the incest running through NG:E. Don't believe me? Have a GOOD think about Rei and how she matches with Shinji.

Just one more symptom of just how much Shinji Ikari fails at life. I mean Jun Sakurada is more manly, and he plays with dolls.

I firmly believe that Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is Gainax' official apology for Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the wangst and misery it inflicted on the giant robot genre for the next ten bloody years.

 

[PurpleRain]

Apparently I'm the only person here who HAS picked up on the incest running through NG:E. Don't believe me? Have a GOOD think about Rei and how she matches with Shinji.

Now for all those who hate incest yet love NG:E, such as good old PurpleRain, you are all hypocrites

Spoiler

The fact that he didn't know until the end which confused the shit outta him. If you really liked a girl then realised she's a clone of your mother, that would really ruin you. Plus it wasn't in your face like actual mother and son or cousin and cousin (for the sake of Elfen Lied), the audience didn't even know until the end. So yes, very big differeneces. So don't call me a hypocrite until I'm being one. It hurts deep deep down and I wanna sleep easy tonight.

 

[KnightSniper]

Honestly, being an anime fan for years, I'll admit that I find a fair bit of the stuff out there to be crap. There have only been a handful of shows in recent years that have made me sit up and go, "God damnit, why didn't I watch this sooner?"

The issue is pretty much the pandering to either children or boys who just want shows that are purely action. I'll admit that I'm a fan of the first few seasons of Bleach, which is one of the big offenders, but for me, I feel that the series just loses it's magic after the Soul Society arc ends.

Now, a few shows that have blown my mind that are definitely worth watching:

RahXephon: Mix equal parts beautiful animation, mecha use that's not as dominant as in something like NGE or Gundam, very nice soundtracks (I credit the opening, "Hemisphere", as the first ever Japanese song I liked), and characters who are quite well written, and you've got this great show. Unlike Shinji in NGE, who absolutely annoyed the hell out of me most of the time, Ayato is a hero that I think can be more identified with. Yes, the mecha is there, but it's not leaned on like a crutch, and is balanced well with conflicts in the outside world. The plot being music-related works well, and it makes you think without being as mind-raping as NGE. As far as the movie goes, either watch it before the series or not at all, because it totally fucks over some of the characters and does more damage than anything else to the plot.

Mai-Otome: Don't worry about watching My-HiME first, because this one is a totally AU series from it's sibling series. Sure, there's some fan-service (though it's not too terrible, and this is coming from someone who hates the Fan-service trend), lesbian undertones (well, considering the explanation they give as to why the Otome can't be involved with men past a point, it's a given), and a few other oddities in the plot, but otherwise it's a strong series with a good mix of action, quality character interactions and drama, and of course the music. It was one of the first shows in years I sat down and just kept watching. Screw the fact that it's a female-centric show somewhat in the vein of Sailor Moon, it's good for anyone.

Death Note: I'm sure many people have already presented the good points of this one, so I won't bother.

 

[Barciad]

15 films and 30 series (brief approximations) later I have come to the point where I feel pretty much sated. All the new series, for all their technical magnificence simply do not cut it any more. Not to sound old fashioned or anything, but there is a significant lack in originality in the 'brand new ideas' department.

Sounds like someone missed The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya then...

That goes in at number eight on my all time favourites list. Okay, I have not seen a great series since that. Perhaps I am being too demanding. Over the last four years I have spoilt myself rotton on some of the most mindblowing TV ever created. Yet all the best stuff I did see was made between 1999 (which incidentally is the best single year for anime that I know of to date) and 2002. I would have to concede that 2006 was a very good year. Apart from the aforementioned Haruhi Suzumiya, there was also Kenomozume and Black Lagoon doing precisely what anime does best.
Yet in the last two years, all the new series have been tremendous let downs. This horrendous trend of trying to set Anime in Europe has to end now. Personally, I should think a mere mention of Le Chevalier'Deon and Romeo x Juliet should close any further discussion on the topic. They were horrific, simple as that.
There have also been some very nice looking new series out there, Heroic Age and Guardian of the Sacred Scroll for example. Though not bad, they are not that good either, well not in the areas that matter.
Claymore was nothing but mindless fun for 26 episodes, but sadly had the potential to be so much more. Deathnote was just too contrived to feel genuine. Ergo Proxy started off well, but then went downhill after episode 10. I just hope the same does not apply to Denno Coil, so far the best of what I have seen.
What I am looking forward to is series 2 of Haruhi Suzumiya. After that, there will be season three proper (season four if you count Fumoffu) of Full Metal Panic. And if those two don't live up to their star billing, then I think we really should all begin to worry.

 

[GloatingSwine]

From what I hear, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (the light novel that forms the core story of the next anime season), is a pretty good one, so that should certainly be good.

And hell, I'm in seventh fucking heaven these days, because Macross is back, and better than ever.

 

[josh797]

"what the fuck is going here?" "Why are they flying?" "What the shit is with that cat?" "Who made her a god all of a sudden?" "whoah, you guys can teleport? why aren't you robbing banks then?" "You can glow now? Wait, if you can glow, why are you fighting monsters, let some other masochist do that, you could totally become a pro spelunker, or a carny." "Oh, god, why? That's your sister you fucked up mutant!" "No, just no! Get the fuck out of that giant robot. That is totally unnecessary for the task at hand." "You're how old?!" "Just kill him already! screw the rules, you're rich!" "Ok, Light, I know you're a derranged psychopath, cram school could do that to a human, but there's a hot girl throwaing herself at you, and you're not on top of that like a cathedral on catacombs. I don't want to see this actually happen, but seriously, every other guy around you is drooling over this chick and you treat her like she's a pile of ants. God, you deserve the police to lock you up, I don't care if you're a magnificent bastard."
I could go on for pages and pages at a time, but no one wants to hear about my confusion.{/quote]





wooooowwwww epic i laughed so hard at that. thanks nightmare G. for my two cents, i completely empathize wih purps there. its rediculous the anime crap out htere. and also highly fucked up and often times way stupid. for my part i dont watch anime, nearly at all but have to throw my hat up in celbration for The Animatrix, and Howls moving castle, and Spirited away. all other anime can take a running jump imo.

 

[Seldon2639]

The issue with anime is that it's really varied in quality, but we tend to lump it all together and call it either fantastic, or crap. Don't get me wrong, I'll give any show a chance (maybe one or two episodes), but there are people who will watch any anime through until the end just because it's anime. On the other hand, there are people who take great shows like Full Metal Panic, Negima, Miyazaki's works, ect. in with Dragon Ball, Gundam (whatever), and Full Metal Alchemist, and honestly think the latter is a good measure of the former.

A lot of the time, I blame the fans. I'll admit, when I was in middle school, I loved DBZ, so I say this with respect for anyone who does, but when the most prominent anime we get is stuff like FMA, Naruto, Inuyasha and their ilk, and there are a massive number of fans (many, suprisingly, who aren't in middle school), who gush ad naseum about the shows, and honestly believe that anime is more "original", "artistic", or "cool" than other types of media, it makes the entire industry look bad.

So, can we agree to a few changed in anime:

-No more screaming sky (where the background becomes monochrome and moves behind a stationary character while he screams, if you've seen DBZ, you know what this is)
-Stop classifying everything as "anime", and divide it into the kind of sub-categories we have in most other media. You wouldn't use rap as a barometer for classic rock, would you?
-Stop taking it seriously. I like anime as much as the next person, and I do think that they can be works of art, but stop acting like it's more than a television show. Even Shindler's List never tried to be more than a movie. A poignant one, but a movie nonetheless
-Cease the fight over dubs versus subs, it makes us all look stupid. Admittedly, aside from the most egregious examples, I prefer the dubs. It's a personal choice, stop trying to make it some grand treatise on anything.

 

[PurpleRain]

Don't get me wrong, I'll give any show a chance (maybe one or two episodes), but there are people who will watch any anime through until the end just because it's anime.

Same. I managed to pull myself through 3 episodes of the highschool sexyfighting thing (I think it went something along the lines of: Iccitowsen) before finally breaking. People that watch anime because it's anime are like those street kids that like to pretend they're rappers... only with less dignity.

when I was in middle school, I loved DBZ.

That's when I watched it and first got into anime. DBZ was playing in the morings before school. Ahh, good times. Now I can reflect and point my finger at it for ruining me deep deep down.

So, can we agree to a few changed in anime:

-No more screaming sky (where the background becomes monochrome and moves behind a stationary character while he screams, if you've seen DBZ, you know what this is)
-Stop classifying everything as "anime", and divide it into the kind of sub-categories we have in most other media. You wouldn't use rap as a barometer for classic rock, would you?
-Stop taking it seriously. I like anime as much as the next person, and I do think that they can be works of art, but stop acting like it's more than a television show. Even Shindler's List never tried to be more than a movie. A poignant one, but a movie nonetheless
-Cease the fight over dubs versus subs, it makes us all look stupid. Admittedly, aside from the most egregious examples, I prefer the dubs. It's a personal choice, stop trying to make it some grand treatise on anything.

All very good points that it's fancrowed will never learn.

 

[flamedance58]

The one thing I wished they'd stop doing, personally, is making anime that seems very much like the next with the giant mechas that everyone owns and the giant cannons that blows up planets that you find the stores...but the female characters seem to have boughten self-riding skirts which have a habit of flashing off their goodies every 20seconds.

I don't mind suchs things...but find the right place to do it! I don't need to be in a serious fight scene when some random character runs past the fight scene while flashing everyone!

(Talking about GunBurst.)

-----

The idea to sub-categorize anime would be quite refreshing, especially when I've heard so many people refer to the American attempts at anime as "anime" and it just scares me to think that in a couple years from now the good anime is gonna be one the same shelf as "Barney: Anime Version".

 

[GloatingSwine]

-Stop classifying everything as "anime", and divide it into the kind of sub-categories we have in most other media. You wouldn't use rap as a barometer for classic rock, would you?

There are hordes of subcategories in anime, even beyond genre (some of which are unique to anime). The fact that you don't know about them doesn't mean they aren't there. They're generally broken down by target audience, with the most common to recieve translation being Shounen (young boys) and Seinen (older teens and young men), but with a few Shoujo (young girls) shows as well. There are other categories in Japan that aren't frequently translated, aimed at older women and outright older audiences.

However, retail breakdown isn't terribly likely, because other DVDs aren't classified that way. The only thing that might happen at retail is moving the individual shows into existing TV/Movie/Childrens DVD shelving.