Megathread The OFFICAL Anime Appreciation Megathread! vers Moshi Moshi

[marissaaaaaa]

Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop are some of the few animes that have ever moved me. They are both excellent. Not surprising considering they are made by the same guy Shinichirō Watanabe.

Cowboy Bebop is the superior of the two IMO but Samurai Champloo is definitely a close second.

cowboy bebop always looked good, i never got around to watching it.

i used to really like full metal alchemist, i'm going to have to start watching that in japanese with subs after i do the sailor moon thing.
and then i'll check out those new ones~

 

[DemonSeed]

Hey thanks guy for your suggestions! I rewatched Serial Experiences Lain because I could not recall this twisted matrix-like plot! I would watch this on psychedelics... that could turn into a deep insightful experience! It's exactly the kind of stuff I wanted to watch... I checked Cowboy Bebop first episodes but I didn't like the characters visuals... and then I just finished Highschool of the dead! Simple story, big guns, big boobs, great visuals... I hope they come up with a season 2 or I will just read the manga. Now next... I will check out this thread again and see what I'm gonna air...

 

[delta_9]

I believe highschool of the dead is indeed scheduled for another season.

 

[thujone]

^That nsfw tag doesn't reveal anything. Please fix the html. I'm curious.

gah! I sometimes get screwed by the forum trying to embed images -_- I replaced it with a link so that should work, but yeah.. still NSFW..

blehhhh @ HSoTD. So damn over-the-top. Fun watch but I was cool with it ending at S1. What I'm really looking forward to a continuation of is the Full Metal Panic series. Apparently there's a wait because the light novels have yet to finish. Gonna be tough to keep myself away from those before the anime version is done.

 

[delta_9]

blehhhh @ HSoTD. So damn over-the-top. Fun watch but I was cool with it ending at S1.

Very true, but it was only 12 eps so I suppose it was worth it to watch. Like demonseed said, there was certainly no shortage of fan service(translation = booooooooooooobs )

What I'm really looking forward to a continuation of is the Full Metal Panic series. Apparently there's a wait because the light novels have yet to finish. Gonna be tough to keep myself away from those before the anime version is done.

I would be interested in this myself. I actually stopped after fumoffu, and never watched 2nd raid. Not becuase I wasn't into it or anything...but because.....I actually don't remember why I never watched it, this was many moons ago. But I do recall re-downloading all 3 series in 1080p last year, so I'll have to pick it up sometime :D

To be completely honest, the trouble is when I look at the selection I have on my external(and it used to be much bigger), especially when I'm high, I just can't fucking choose what to watch. I sit there and have an internal debate with myself as to which is most appropriate at the time, or what I haven't seen before(there is stuff on my external that has sat unwatched since '08 no joke ), and this just goes on ad infinitum.

Are you into the light novels though? Not necessarily the FMP but in general? I ask cause I kinda want to get into them myself. I'm not really into magna for it's worth. I know light novels are not like manga, I'm just saying...

gah! I sometimes get screwed by the forum trying to embed images -_- I replaced it with a link so that should work, but yeah.. still NSFW..

I've actually seen this picture before lol

 

[psood0nym]

gah! I sometimes get screwed by the forum trying to embed images -_- I replaced it with a link so that should work, but yeah.. still NSFW..

Heh, that's pretty tame isn't it? I'm aware of the existence of hentai -- I did recommend "Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend" after all. I will admit to some degree of bizarre sexual enticement in reaction to seeing animated characters in sexual poses, that's just my natural hyper-visual male sexuality at work. But I'm more interested hentai from an anthropological perspective -- especially "guro," shit is fucked up. I mean, it's prevalent enough to have its own genre designation, and that's fuckt. I'm wondering what's going on in the mind of Japanese Otakus and why just out of psychological/intellectual interest.

 

[freddy47]

cowboy bebop always looked good, i never got around to watching it.

You need to remedy that pronto

 

[captainballs]

ninja scroll cant be recommended enough. best bad guys, and from the very first battle with one of them you already know the violence is intense. he is a giant with stone skin who throws a blade that travels long distances and weaves its way through obstacles. it's so powerful it chops down multiple trees each throw before hitting its human targets, ripping them in half. and he always catches it when it comes back, like a boss. then there's the bee guy who has bees all up in his back (killer bees), not to mention the blind guy who is a master swordsman, and electricity man.

this movie is great; one of the best movies i've ever seen.

on that note, let's not forget the film Kite. she is an underaged girl recruited by creepy guys to be an assassin. her bullets explode when they're inside targets. some of the scenes are so hardcore and badass. probably up there with ninja scroll imo. must watch.

 

[thujone]

yea cowboy bebop should definitely be on the top of any must-see list. it lays the foundation for what a good anime series looks like, as opposed to the rehashed characters and plots a lot of the animes being churned out by the studios now are composed of.

i used to really like full metal alchemist, i'm going to have to start watching that in japanese with subs after i do the sailor moon thing.
and then i'll check out those new ones~

I missed this. Here's how it goes, chronologically:

Original FMA series (2003)
FMA: Conqueror of Shamballa film (2005)
FMA: Brotherhood series (2009)
FMA: The Sacred Star of Milos (2011)

the original series ended poorly, which created the need for the Shamballa film. The film is IMHO the best part of the series because it's got a great plot set mostly in OUR universe (circa Weimar-era Germany) as opposed to the FMA universe and it's a great ending too but not the classic happy ending type of thing that people want.

So then Brotherhood was made which follows the exact same plot as the original series up til ep 26 or so then expands into all kinds of other shit and somehow still manages to tie up all loose ends and arrive at an ending that provides us both with closure and the happy ending that, after 50-some-odd eps, makes you wipe your forehead and go "phew, finally." The Sacred Star movie made as an epilogue to Brotherhood is more of an OVA-style film which really isn't that impressive but it doesn't matter because Brotherhood ended properly, whereas Shamballa filled the void left at the end of the original series.

and that's all there is to it all.

 

[delta_9]

^Well brotherhood follows the manga storyline so it's generally considered better/more accurate. I don't read manga but I still found it much better, although a few things bugged me, mainly the change in the voice actors for some of the major characters(al and scar come to mind but there are others). They also pulled the old switcheroo with some of the homunculus characters. No biggie but since I had no choice but to watch the original first(after all brotherhood didn't come out till 6+ years later), I had standards set for characters/voice actors that were screwed with a bit after I started brotherhood....if that makes sense.

Anyway, so even though what you said is true, it's not chronological in the sense that brotherhood takes place after the original. It's best to think of them as alternate universes taking place during roughly the same time.

You missed something else btw

Are you into the light novels though? Not necessarily the FMP but in general? I ask cause I kinda want to get into them myself.

 

[thujone]

oh yes, i meant to reply but couldn't figure out what to say about it. i liked the FMP anime which made it easy to deal with the inconvenience of reading the light novel (japanese version of a graphic novel, for the uninitiated) on a computer screen because they don't sell manga at the corner store here. actually, i'm awaiting the arrival of my first tablet which i intend to view some manga on (and the technical documents i used as a justification for needing it ) i guess i'll find out if i'm into them once that arrives. pretty sure i'll be poring over them regardless as i'm looking for new inroads to learn japanese and picture books for adults seems like a fun way to wrap one's head around the kanji

i didn't notice they changed voice actors between the original and brotherhood. are you refering to dubbed versions?

 

[delta_9]

Yes I'm referring to the english dubbed version. I'm not familiar at all with the japanese or any other audio versions of any anime whatsoever. I can only read/speak/understand english(and sometimes not so well lol), and I don't like subtitles at all. I only watch subbed when I absolutely have to, which is rare. Do you only watch japanese audio or do you watch dubbed at all?(english or otherwise?)

I read a chapter or two of a light novel on my computer and was annoyed that it was impossible to tell which character was talking so I found it difficult to follow. Maybe this is not the case with other light novels series? I dunno, it was the first time I read one.

It's not so much that I dislike manga, it's just that I don't have time to read them. I'm really backed up with books I need to read/would like to read as it is. Plus I would need to read them on my computer as I'm not about to start buying them. You mentioned a tablet, which one? I have a nook simple touch and I can't view pdfs on it(default file type is epub for nooks) so that's not an option for manga Although the nook is more of an e-reader and not a tablet I suppose.

 

[qwe]

just watched paprika.
wtf.

 

[Blaze420_]

cowboy bebop always looked good, i never got around to watching it.

i used to really like full metal alchemist, i'm going to have to start watching that in japanese with subs after i do the sailor moon thing.
and then i'll check out those new ones~

if you havnt seen Death Note watch it its pretty good. i prefer the Japanese version but with subs of course lol. full metal alchemist was pretty good i miss that show but Death Note was by far my favorite even the live action movies werent too bad

 

[thujone]

Yes I'm referring to the english dubbed version. I'm not familiar at all with the japanese or any other audio versions of any anime whatsoever. I can only read/speak/understand english(and sometimes not so well lol), and I don't like subtitles at all. I only watch subbed when I absolutely have to, which is rare. Do you only watch japanese audio or do you watch dubbed at all?(english or otherwise?)

I can't watch dubbed versions. The voice actors for a lot of series are really unbearable compared to the original Japanese. There have been a few series where the dubs were exceptional though, but for some reason I still prefer potentially questionable subs with original Japanese audio to even a really good dub. I speak a language comparable to Japanese in complexity and despite having developed a really strong ability to translate accurately to and from English, culture is such a massive component of language that there are phrases and sayings that are literally impossible to convey the full meaning of in a translation. When I hear an English dub, I'm constantly thinking "Ok, I can see why you had to translate since the character is obviously saying something..." but hearing it in English doesn't make as much sense as hearing it in Japanese and understanding from the inflections/tone of the voice that the thing being said transcends the fragile meanings we attach to words and belongs more to humanity than to letters in a dictionary. It's hard to explain.

I read a chapter or two of a light novel on my computer and was annoyed that it was impossible to tell which character was talking so I found it difficult to follow. Maybe this is not the case with other light novels series? I dunno, it was the first time I read one.

You may not have realized yet then that manga/light novels/anything Japanese has to be read from RIGHT to LEFT across the page; the opposite of any art originating in Western culture where everything is left to right. It's strange to get used to when you've spent a lifetime understanding everything left to right, but doesn't take very long to adjust.

It's not so much that I dislike manga, it's just that I don't have time to read them. I'm really backed up with books I need to read/would like to read as it is. Plus I would need to read them on my computer as I'm not about to start buying them. You mentioned a tablet, which one? I have a nook simple touch and I can't view pdfs on it(default file type is epub for nooks) so that's not an option for manga Although the nook is more of an e-reader and not a tablet I suppose.

I've found most of the manga online to be in the ~700x1020 resolution range and most ebook readers are unsatisfactory for it. The tablet I ordered is some no-name Chinese brand (Ployer, no joke it's called Ployer) but I spec'd it out specifically to be good for viewing manga and PDFs. I just did a bunch of resizing on my PC to mimic the output size and resolution on a tablet and a lot of detail is lost (and it becomes harder to read even the English script) if the images are scaled to smaller than 15-20% less the original size, so that has me convinced that even a 9" screen is bordering on unsatisfactory for this purpose. The tablet I'm waiting on has a 10" screen and the selection was very slim at that size. Most tablets are still in the 7-9" range.

On an unrelated note, there's a new Code Geass series (or rather, it's being refered to as "R3" which implies some sort of relation with the Lelouch series) that is slated for the summer lineup so the first ep should be coming in the next few weeks. I plot to check it out just because there's a chance it'll be better than the crap the original one was full of Also, found this video randomly on Youtube. Not familiar with the series but it's still pretty funny to see an anime-gangsta rap mashup with such good syncing :D

edit: I know, I gotta start writing shorter posts. I should visit this thread right before I go to sleep instead of right after I have a big mug of coffee in the morning

 

[alasdairm]

I can't watch dubbed versions. The voice actors for a lot of series are really unbearable compared to the original Japanese. There have been a few series where the dubs were exceptional though, but for some reason I still prefer potentially questionable subs with original Japanese audio to even a really good dub.

i agree - i don't speak a word of japanese but the sound of the japanese being spoken is a huge part of the feel - and, hence, the enjoyment - of anime for me.

alasdair

 

[delta_9]

I can't watch dubbed versions. The voice actors for a lot of series are really unbearable compared to the original Japanese. There have been a few series where the dubs were exceptional though, but for some reason I still prefer potentially questionable subs with original Japanese audio to even a really good dub.

I understand. I know many people who feel this way, and I acknowledge that I may be among the minority of people who enjoy dubbed anime. Call me lazy, but I just don't enjoy having to read while I watch
But as you may know, there are a few rare examples of anime where the english cast is actually considered better than the original japanese seiyuus. Cowboy bebop is a great example. I haven't watched it in japanese, and even if I did I would have no way of judging how good the voice acting is, but it is widely believed that the english cast did a far superior job.

You may not have realized yet then that manga/light novels/anything Japanese has to be read from RIGHT to LEFT across the page; the opposite of any art originating in Western culture where everything is left to right. It's strange to get used to when you've spent a lifetime understanding everything left to right, but doesn't take very long to adjust.

Haha yeah I'm familiar with whole otaku culture so I know how they do it. I've actually read and enjoyed quite a number of doujinshi, which are drawn/written in the same style of R-L. When I said it was the first one I read, I was talking specifically about light novels. And on top of that, it was a txt version on the web, so that's why it was damn near impossible to know which character was talking. I guess it was translated poorly? Not translated into english, but translated from book to txt? I dunno.

I've found most of the manga online to be in the ~700x1020 resolution range and most ebook readers are unsatisfactory for it.

Quite true but no worries. There are plenty of websites that have manga uploaded, but like I said it's mostly a time and interest factor, and not so much availability that keeps me from reading them.

edit: I know, I gotta start writing shorter posts.

Please don't I enjoy reading longer posts when I know the person is passionate about whay they're talking about.

 

[psood0nym]

^Cowboy Bebop was one that came to my mind when I was thinking about good English dubs. Princess Mononoke and much of the other Studio Ghibli films are others. I think it'll get better and better as anime grows more popular for English speaking audiences. Even really high profile anime like Akira and Ghost in the Shell have dubs that pale in comparison the feel of the original Japanese, I assume simply because they're older.

I tend to lean towards subs because the English is often just too intolerable and typically loses meaning compared to subs because they're cutting substantive content to meet the timing of lip movements (the "drop the angst" line in GITS is a clunky compromise in this regard). At the same time I'd skip it if there was a high quality dub of any title. It is annoying having to read when a lot of dialogue is laid over really stunning visuals. You're really not getting the full experience if you can't drink in the visuals. If I really like something I end up watching twice, once reading carefully and the other watching and just glancing briefly at the subs to cue my memory of what's been said. Still, this is a lamentable strategy because the second viewing is never like the first.

 

[thujone]

Haha that's why I celebrate the dialogue-thin Evangelion and 5 Centimeters Per Second which I know I've plugged before but it's sofaking...; lots of time to soak in the details between reading. Tatami Galaxy was incredibly hard to follow because the dialogue literally flies so fast that it's off the screen by the time you understand WTF you just read. Really a shame because the art is fantastic in that series (so is the music; full OP)

Cowboy bebop is a great example. I haven't watched it in japanese, and even if I did I would have no way of judging how good the voice acting is, but it is widely believed that the english cast did a far superior job.

That's probably the one series I've seen all eps of with English dubbing. I still instinctively flip to Japanese audio because of the reason alasdairm underlined but that dub became pretty famous for how good it was. It seems like new series have a higher chance of getting a decent dub done because they end up going through Ani....fuck... I forget the name of that American company that buys the rights. Anyway, if it ends up on American TV or DVD (having a different region code from Japan) then there's a good chance of a decent dub.

Haha yeah I'm familiar with whole otaku culture so I know how they do it. I've actually read and enjoyed quite a number of doujinshi, which are drawn/written in the same style of R-L. When I said it was the first one I read, I was talking specifically about light novels. And on top of that, it was a txt version on the web, so that's why it was damn near impossible to know which character was talking. I guess it was translated poorly? Not translated into english, but translated from book to txt? I dunno.

Check out the Fullmetal Panic light novel series, I found it pretty easy to follow but that might be a biased opinion since I saw the anime first so had a clue what was going on where it left off. I'm trudging through a manga (which sucks compared to light novel imho) right now and it's painful because of having to read it on the PC but I'll post back with (hopefully) good news when that freakin tablet arrives from the far corners of China.

Please don't I enjoy reading longer posts when I know the person is passionate about whay they're talking about.

Thanks!! I feel the same way; when people are dispassionate about seemingly everything it really makes me wonder what they are living for.

 

[delta_9]

I still instinctively flip to Japanese audio

This made me laugh because I'm the exact opposite. I always flip to english audio. I try to download dual audio files, but the tracks aren't always labeled "japanese" and "english". They might just be "track 1" and "track 2". So sometimes I have to start it over, since the subtitles are never on default and if the japanese audio starts then I don't know what those first few lines were

It seems like new series have a higher chance of getting a decent dub done because they end up going through Ani....fuck... I forget the name of that American company that buys the rights. Anyway, if it ends up on American TV or DVD (having a different region code from Japan) then there's a good chance of a decent dub.

You're thinking of aniplex I believe, and yes they do some good work. Bones is another company that makes some really good anime.
If you enjoyed the dub of bebop you should definitely look up the voice actors involved and see what else they have done. Steven Blum, who did the voice of spike, is one of my favorite anime voice actors, and I always smile when I hear his voice on something new.

Check out the Fullmetal Panic light novel series, I found it pretty easy to follow but that might be a biased opinion since I saw the anime first so had a clue what was going on where it left off. I'm trudging through a manga (which sucks compared to light novel imho) right now and it's painful because of having to read it on the PC but I'll post back with (hopefully) good news when that freakin tablet arrives from the far corners of China.

FMP was one of the first series that popped into my head when I first considered getting into light novels. I can hardly ignore your endorsement, so I think I'll definitely have to search those out. :D

Good luck with that chinese tablet though. I would honestly be nervous about it, but if it works then more power to ya.