[Silencer]

Alright, I'll start off by answering my own question - because no-one here is into anime enough to actually bother to make a thread. Hell, I'm no anime fan. I avoid that stuff like the damn plague.

Or, rather, I did up until the last month or so. Then, I was getting desperate for things to watch that wouldn't eat my bandwidth. So I browsed, naturally, TV Tropes. And found an anime that avoided being an anime by most standards. Sure, it's animated, it's from Japan, and it's been dubbed into English. Sure, the main character has an Improbable (though not that bad, really, and Justified, in-series) Hairstyle. But most of the characters do not conform to anime stereotypes. The style is fairly Western, and the plot is both interesting and reasonably mature. (For those "in the know" it's considered Seinen, but even then it seems fairly different to most of the others I've heard about)

I give you: Witch Hunter Robin. Don't read too many of the tropes, they'll spoil it. Though I did, and that's what made me consider it (for an entire day, then I obtained it). I'll go into more detail when it isn't one am.


So, then, I've now watched that TEN BAJILLION TIMES, and actually purchased the series on DVD for an exorbitant price - yes, I am obsessed with it, I think it is awesome - and so I went looking for another show to watch that would also be interesting and not retarded. I stumbled upon the Haruhi Suzumiya series. Which is whacked out, and slightly more 'anime', in my estimation, than WHR, but still really rather interesting. It concerns me that I like this, because I can see myself descending a dark path into becoming an actual anime fan. But whatever, it's bringing me joy and allowing me to procrastinate into not doing my computers science assignment.

My question is thus: who here watches anime, what do you like, why do you like it, and the inverse of all three. Also, suggestions. I personally recommend WHR and the Haruhi ones, so far.


Can someone please kill me now? XD

[QuickTidal]

When Anime is GOOD....it can be DAMN good. Sadly, when it's bad it can descend into stupidity and pointless japanamanudity. I've had a love hate relationship with anime since I was a teen. I even named my cat after Card Captor Sakura.

So here's a list of the anime I feel is worth folks time:

Neon Genesis Evangelion. Now I used to recommend the series (26 eps), and then both feature movies DEATH & REBIRTH (which is a boiled down version of the entire series) and THE END OF EVANGELION (which is a revamping of the ending everyone disliked from the series)...but they recently started releasing The Rebuild of Evangelion (4 films with redone story and animation) that are knocking the originals out of the water. They have released two of the four films so farm Evangelion 1.0 You Are (not) Alone, and Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. Eva is one of those brain melty stories that is just so good in how dark, philosophical, and insane it can be while remaining easy to understand and exciting. It is always the first anime I recommend to folks.

The aforementioned Witch Hunter Robin is brilliant because of how fun and urban fantasy the stories are. Very Buffy style. Well worth your time.

The grave of the fireflies, a great film and story...if decidedly sad.

The Girl Who Leapt through Time is another film that is so great, and is a rather adult story told via animation. Also can be sad.

Paprika - this one came out in theatres here in Canada and for the imagery alone it is worthy of your time, but the story about going into people's dreams (this was before INCEPTION) is a great one.

Summer Wars - this is my most recent one that I've seen and I loved every last drop of it. Done by the same folk as did The girl who leapt through time, it's a fantastic story and gorgeous animation.

Of course there's Akira. Akira is the grandaddy of anime. If you start watching at all, start with Akira.

and ANYHTING by Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke, Howl's moving Castle ect.) is more worth your time than anything else out there. No lie. there is a childlike sense of wonder to everything that man touched. Just incredible.

[Gust Hubb]

Silencer, don't be ashamed. It's damn hard not to get sucked in. I must admit I have corrupted my sister who recently sent me an email cursing me for my addictive suggestions... So recommendations...you can't say you didn't want them, we have your request in writing...

Series (unfinished, but still really a kick!)
One Piece
Souleater
Naruto (then there apparently is a subsequent linked series to continue the series called Naruto Shippuden)

Series Finished (and Classics!!!!)
Trigun
Cowboy Bebop
Deathnote (I prefer the manga, my sister is currently hooked on the series)
FLCL (make sure to read wikipedia to understand the jokes that don't translate)

Movies
I totally second "ANYTHING by Miyazaki"

And manga, well let's just start with these for now. Thanks for starting this thread. I thought I just hadn't found it yet.

[Binder of Demons]

They did a manga/anime season on Channel 4 in the UK many years ago, and it was a real eye opener. Some seriously weird shit, but also some amazing stuff. unfortunately I can't really remember the names of what I saw except for AKIRA, which is the grandaddy of them all like QT says above.

The other one which was amazing to me at the time was GHOST IN THE SHELL. Some excellent animation in that, and the lighting was like something out of a movie. The fight scene with the Chameleon suit was fantastic. There are sequels to "Ghost" which i have heard are also good, but haven't seen them myself.

The only other one that i remember though was one which has been censored for broadcast and was pretty twisted even in it's edited form.
Urotsukidōji I: Legend of the Overfiend. this one is apparently famous for being the first manga or anime that featured tentacle rape. A long way from disney or pixar that one.

I think Quick Tidal's list above though is a great place to start.

[Ilona]

I think anime is like any other medium, really. There's good stuff and there's bad stuff in it. I almost feel sorry for people whose idea of anime is limited to, say, Naruto or some weird hentai they've come across on the Internet. They miss out on much of the good stuff because of such prejudices, and those prejudices can be difficult to break. I've got a friend whom I managed to convince to watch Death Note, and he liked it, but he still claims to "hate anime". Err, contradictory much? Sigh.

So as you might expect from the above, I don't hate or like "anime"; I like good anime and hate bad anime. Haven't watched huge amounts of anime, though, because the good stuff is sometimes difficult to find. I'll be sure check out some of the recommendations here though.

Series that I've enjoyed include:

Nana - A friendship-themed drama revolving around music business (mainly, two competing bands). My favourite anime, ever. Probably more aimed towards women, although I know guys who've watched and enjoyed it too.
Kimi ga nozomu eien - A romantic drama. Again, I'd say the target audience is female.
Death Note - Hey, finally something I'd recommend to guys, also! Has elements of action/thriller/drama.
Hellsing - First anime I ever watched and loved it back then, not sure how high I'd rate it nowadays. Vampire stuff.

Hmm... Is that really all? At least I can't seem to think of anything else atm.

And yeah, I second the "anything by Miyazaki". *wanders off humming Totoro theme song*

[D'rek]

Silencer, on 28 May 2011 - 12:23 PM, said:

And found an anime that avoided being an anime by most standards.

Nowadays, I don't think there are any mutually agreed aspects/tropes/standards/whatever that define what makes an anime anymore other than the art style. Sure, a lot of anime uses many of the same elements and robot or schoolgirl fetishism is undoubtedly common, but there have been many, many great series/movies/OVAs made in the past decade that have encompassed more genres, settings and themes with extremely good quality. Everyone has their own preferences and mental image of what anime is, though, depending on what they're familiar with, and other than the art style I think the varies a lot, now.


Anyways, there is indeed already an anime thread somewhere in here (maybe not an active one). Is this thread just a general anime thread or should we take a particular side of it? Following on Silencer's comments, this could be a thread for anime that's "not standard anime", in which case I'd recommend BACCANO! - set in 1930s New York, it is like the Malazan series in that every character seems utterly insane in their own way. A very high quality and non-traditional show, I only wish they'd split up the first season into more than one.Need more convincing? Listen to the music in the opening sequence. Oh and the english dub is among the best in anime, ever.

This post has been edited by D'rek: 28 May 2011 - 03:15 PM

[Isa]

Berserk: mercenary companies, ascendancy, court drama and winged demons. They canceled the anime in the middle of the manga due to lack of funding. The manga, I believe, is still running though sadly it went nuts so I haven't read it in years.
Vampire Hunter D: Cozy and iconic.
The already mentioned Death Note.
Wolf's Rain: About shape shifters, pretty silly but entertaining.

But really Berserk is the best.

[SpectreofEschaton]

Part of me wants to recommend Rurouni Kenshin, because when it takes itself seriously, it's a fantastic story, but... I can't. It's just too bogged down with bizarre Japanese humor that I just don't get and I feel ruins the entire atmosphere of the story.

On the other hand, the OVA movies for the series, Samurai X, lack humor completely and rank as some of my favorite films of all time, especially the first one, Trust. I do recommend those. They follow a young boy whose family is murdered and is subsequently raised by an old sword-master before getting swept up in the chaos of the Meiji Restoration, during which he becomes an assassin at the age of 15 (and actually has to deal with the psychological fallout of such, unlike every other anime character ever.

[Mott]

I had a similar outlook when I first encountered manga in High School but i kind of ended up getting pulled in. The first stuff I watched was mainly stuff aimed at girls and I can't remember a lot of it but I still have to admit to liking Fruit's Basket, Ouran High School Host Club and Skip Beat.

I think It's a lot more typical but I still enjoy the early series' of Bleach, the first couple of arc's were great.

Death Note is amazing and really atmospheric.

As noted above practically anything by Myazaki is worth watching.

I think on the whole though I read a lot more manga but I might use this thread to steal other people's suggestions and give them a shot. I've actually been meaning to watch the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya for a while so I might just do that now.

[QuickTidal]

Mott, on 28 May 2011 - 05:21 PM, said:

I've actually been meaning to watch the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya for a while so I might just do that now.

I actually totally forgot to mention this one. The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya is a sheer brilliant comic series. So good, with a few drops of weirdness and drama thrown in...It totally is aware of itself and what it is saying and makes fun of itself a lot.

[Chance]

Anime is anything from rediculosly bad to very re-watchable. Sadly it seems quality has gone to shit the last few years with only a few golden series here and there...

It is also very much a question of taste perhaps more so then easy to define western stuff and recommendations is very much a dicey proposition.

Some that I find very good...
Baccano! Set in the US during prohibition mostly its hillarious and bloody.
Black Lagoon Japanese salary man get stuck with pirates in the south chinese sea fun and black humor ensue.
Crest of Stars Very nice SF series with largescale and "different/gritty" take on spacebattle.
Darker then Black Damn hard to explain but the first series and most (all but last episode) of the second are very very good.
Infinite Ryvius Cadets get stranded on a spaceship while the action is uninteresting this series is brilliant
for the rest how people react to a very extreme situation. Very much in classic sf vein.
Requim from the Darkness One of my favorits with takes on Japanese ghost stories goes a bit insane at the end
but is a lot of fun.
Samurai Champloo One of the funniest series set in late samurai age.
Spice and Wolf Relationships and Medival Trade gets a lot more interesting then it sound.
Twelve Kingdoms Epic oriental fantasy tale nuff said.
Witch Hunter Robin As above its one of the best around, the lowkey mood is great.


There are dozens of others which are good fun but these are great.

This post has been edited by Chance: 28 May 2011 - 10:15 PM

[Silencer]

Hah! I knew there was a niche gap for this kind of thread.

Glad to see that WHR is being appreciated by more people than QuickTidal and myself on this board.

D, on 28 May 2011 - 03:11 PM, said:

Silencer, on 28 May 2011 - 12:23 PM, said:

And found an anime that avoided being an anime by most standards.

Nowadays, I don't think there are any mutually agreed aspects/tropes/standards/whatever that define what makes an anime anymore other than the art style. Sure, a lot of anime uses many of the same elements and robot or schoolgirl fetishism is undoubtedly common, but there have been many, many great series/movies/OVAs made in the past decade that have encompassed more genres, settings and themes with extremely good quality. Everyone has their own preferences and mental image of what anime is, though, depending on what they're familiar with, and other than the art style I think the varies a lot, now.

I agree, and unfortunately anime here (NZ at least, probably many other places) seems to be restricted to the straight-and-narrow 'typical' anime of years gone by. The kids shows, basically. People here still think of anime as being for kids. Either because it's animated (and boy, how wrong they are in that case) or because of the aforementioned cliches from this thread: the kid protagonists, especially those who do amazingly impossible things; the whacky Japanese sense of humour which people miss; the lack of deeper themes and characters who have little to no sensible reaction to horrible situations; the tendency to overdo costumes and hairstyles and eye colour.

And ironically, it's that mindset that prevents people from expanding their viewing range, and perpetuates the impression. Hell, it's what stopped me from getting into these shows sooner. It's a shame, because I KNOW there are some great shows out there - a small sample of which is in this thread. And I'd certainly back up what you (and elseperson upthread) mean about it being like any other medium - it certainly is that, these days. And what's more, some of the best stories seem to take place, or perhaps refuge, in the 'typical' anime settings or tropes (insofar as those exist).

But that's what I mean about Witch Hunter Robin, when I say it's not 'typical anime' - not only is it a particularly good and enjoyable anime, it strays away from many of the common elements in the genre, other than the art-style, thus setting itself apart from the *bulk* of the productions. At least, from where I'm sitting. Whereas the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is one of the ones I see as taking a sort of refuge in the typical setting, and cliches, but then playing with it and throwing everything on its head by having genre savvy characters, and awesomely hilarious situations - makes it special in its own way.

Quote

Anyways, there is indeed already an anime thread somewhere in here (maybe not an active one). Is this thread just a general anime thread or should we take a particular side of it? Following on Silencer's comments, this could be a thread for anime that's "not standard anime", in which case I'd recommend BACCANO! - set in 1930s New York, it is like the Malazan series in that every character seems utterly insane in their own way. A very high quality and non-traditional show, I only wish they'd split up the first season into more than one.Need more convincing? Listen to the music in the opening sequence. Oh and the english dub is among the best in anime, ever.

Just a general anime thread, really. Hence my series of questions - yes, it's for the stand-out stuff, but it's also a "what are you watching right now?" thread, for general feedback. It's so the medium gets a bit more discussion on this board, too, in all honesty. Since having a minor epiphanic moment the other month, I've decided it needs more love: and that our current TV/Movie/whatever threads in here don't do it justice, because generally this stuff isn't all over the television in most member's countries - and even if they are, we probably aren't watching it as much as other things. And each series hardly needs its own thread (granted, I could so far gush about WHR and tMoHS for pages on end, but that would be awkward...).

But feel free to talk about and recommend 'normal' anime, too! It's for everything. I just anticipate the good stuff to float to the top like with most other general threads.

Mott, on 28 May 2011 - 05:21 PM, said:

I had a similar outlook when I first encountered manga in High School but i kind of ended up getting pulled in. The first stuff I watched was mainly stuff aimed at girls and I can't remember a lot of it but I still have to admit to liking Fruit's Basket, Ouran High School Host Club and Skip Beat.

I think It's a lot more typical but I still enjoy the early series' of Bleach, the first couple of arc's were great.

Death Note is amazing and really atmospheric.

As noted above practically anything by Myazaki is worth watching.

I think on the whole though I read a lot more manga but I might use this thread to steal other people's suggestions and give them a shot. I've actually been meaning to watch the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya for a while so I might just do that now.

DO. IT. So far it's only the second full series I've watched and liked, but it is awesome! And I kinda get the impression that watching the series is how it would feel to be a time traveler jumping in and out of somebody's life. If you watch it in the broadcast order, it is totally insane - but awesome because of it.

And yeah, I need to get around to Death Note, I know its' one of the big names, and really well done - at least in manga form - but I'll finish of the Melancholy first, I think.


Oh yeah, and I'm sure there's nothing wrong with talking about manga in here, too - the mediums are basically a self-feeding co-dependent entity anyway, despite the standout straight-to-anime stuff that is around and such. They're very related. Just MAKE IT CLEAR if you're talking about a manga! I hate it when people wax lyrical about a manga series, and I'm thinking "oh, awesome!" then I realise it's not anime but manga! Argh. Sheesh, sounds like I've been into this stuff for years. >.<

QuickTidal, on 28 May 2011 - 05:49 PM, said:

Mott, on 28 May 2011 - 05:21 PM, said:

I've actually been meaning to watch the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya for a while so I might just do that now.

I actually totally forgot to mention this one. The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya is a sheer brilliant comic series. So good, with a few drops of weirdness and drama thrown in...It totally is aware of itself and what it is saying and makes fun of itself a lot.

Yup, agreed with this. It is SO damn self-aware. To the point that in the credits, there are a bunch of self-references and in-jokes, such as the titular character being referred to as the "Ultra Director" and similar stuff. And that's just the opening sequence. The series itself is ridiculously funny and genre savvy. And really well dubbed, too!

Also, I mentioned it first, QT, so there!




Anyway, glad to see this thread has some participants. I did figure there'd be a few of the members who watch anime and have things to share. Good suggestions all around! I'll get back to gushing about WHR and tMoHS when I've finished the second season of the latter (with the dreaded Endless Eight arc, apparently...), then I'll start working my way through some of the recommendations in this thread, I think.


(So yeah...feel free to have an entire post dedicated to the series you're currently watching/is your fave...basically feel free to gush. And any series is fine, it doesn't have to be special - I know there is a limited number of top-tier stuff. And manga is fine...just make sure you're clear about what is what, otherwise I'll shoot someone. Think that sets the 'boundaries' for the thread fairly well - basically, there are none. Natural thread evolution FTW!)

[Gust Hubb]

http://satwcomic.com/tea-party-crasher

[D'rek]

Silencer, on 29 May 2011 - 12:34 AM, said:

I agree, and unfortunately anime here (NZ at least, probably many other places) seems to be restricted to the straight-and-narrow 'typical' anime of years gone by. The kids shows, basically. People here still think of anime as being for kids. Either because it's animated (and boy, how wrong they are in that case) or because of the aforementioned cliches from this thread: the kid protagonists, especially those who do amazingly impossible things; the whacky Japanese sense of humour which people miss; the lack of deeper themes and characters who have little to no sensible reaction to horrible situations; the tendency to overdo costumes and hairstyles and eye colour.

And ironically, it's that mindset that prevents people from expanding their viewing range, and perpetuates the impression. Hell, it's what stopped me from getting into these shows sooner. It's a shame, because I KNOW there are some great shows out there - a small sample of which is in this thread. And I'd certainly back up what you (and elseperson upthread) mean about it being like any other medium - it certainly is that, these days. And what's more, some of the best stories seem to take place, or perhaps refuge, in the 'typical' anime settings or tropes (insofar as those exist).

But that's what I mean about Witch Hunter Robin, when I say it's not 'typical anime' - not only is it a particularly good and enjoyable anime, it strays away from many of the common elements in the genre, other than the art-style, thus setting itself apart from the *bulk* of the productions. At least, from where I'm sitting. Whereas the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is one of the ones I see as taking a sort of refuge in the typical setting, and cliches, but then playing with it and throwing everything on its head by having genre savvy characters, and awesomely hilarious situations - makes it special in its own way.

I can't decide if I like or dislike animes that stick to the typical contexts. I think I like it when it's a silly kind of anime, such as Azumanga Daioh, but not so much anything that really trying to be serious or have a powerful theme. Then again, all genres have their subgenres and common elements, and I'm certainly not adverse to the inclusion of a common element if the story uses it well and it doesn't feel like pandering.

At a higher level, though, I think it's just the imaginativeness of anime that is spawned by being based around a genre that is not visually limiting. Since the genre is so widespread and animated, there are stories about all kinds of things and any of it can be drawn, as opposed to live-action TV/film where it is more dependent on budget. Obviously this has simple applications like having people shoot lasers in the more kid-oriented shows, but the same holds true for visually depicting all sorts of adult content and themes, too. The growth of CG in the last couple decades and its integration with hand-drawn art has also made a lot more possible in this regard.

/ramble ramble ramble



So, anyone want to talk about some animes?

[rhulad]

City Hunter is one of the few that I would recommend, and possibly Hunter x Hunter because when it was originally released, the story was original. Also, Ghost in the shell.

This post has been edited by rhulad: 29 May 2011 - 04:32 PM

[QuickTidal]

GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX is probably one of the best TV series every produced in the anime form. It was gorgeous, and had adult storylines that could rival any mind-bending stuff on TV right now. It was dark, futuristic, and quite enthralling all the way though.

The Show is better than both films in respect to how they tell their stories...imnsho anyways.

[Silencer]

Alright, so, for those of you who don't know what they are, 'Endless Eight' are eight episodes in the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya anime series. And they are the same episode. Eight times. Completely re-animated and re-recorded from scratch, eight times. With slight differences in each one, but basically telling an identical story.

Of the fourteen-episode second season, these comprise more than half. And they run consecutively. The premise: protagonists are stuck in a time loop because the a certain titular character does not want summer vacation to end, because she was having fun - but hadn't had enough fun. This, despite said summer vacation being a veritable whirlwind of activities.

Anyway, without spoiling: holy shit. Possibly one of the most interesting things I've ever seen carried out in the entertainment world - and that includes the completely messed up order of the 'first season' (the second season being interleafed episodes between the first season episodes....yeah...) which is kind of like 'Memento', except less random. Well, less important.

I think I would have been pissed if I had to wait a day, or a week, for each new episode. That would have been nightmarish. But, I didn't have to - I watched them all nigh-continuously in the space of one day. And I think it worked brilliantly. Yes, it's frustrating to see practically the same thing eight times. No, it's not as bad as it sounds/people make it out to be, at least not when viewed like I did. And it certainly should not, like I've seen suggested elsewhere, skipped. The episodes are actually very interesting, and add a lot to the idea of the value of rewatches - seeing as that's basically what they are, except with deliberate differences. And those differences make for a wealth of interesting lightbulb moments and character development potential!

If anything, the thing I didn't like was *how* much they changed in the final episode. It seemed obvious that it was the end of the arc (again, they're all titled 'Endless Eight', so one kinda figures which one is the end anyway, but even so...) and that was kind of disappointing...if also a tad relieving.

For those of you that have seen this/skipped them: what were your thoughts? My personal favourite bit of potential 'Fridge Brilliance/Logic/Horror' was realizing:

Spoiler

Yuki wouldn't let Kyon buy the mask for her. Why not? True, it's retaining a certain amount of control over herself and she potentially let him buy it for her in other repeats...but more than that, what does she say when asked by Haruhi about it? "I bought it." Every. Time. Makes me suspect that this is preferable than "Kyon bought it for me." Which, as we know, could have dire consequences if Haruhi got jealous about that. Fridge. Logic. O.o

It's not certain, but I think it fits.

Anyway, I actually liked the idea. Yeah, it's kind of 'art for art's sake', but hey, the series is meant to be kind of weird. And yes, in the original it was apparently only like 40 pages, but hey...good on them for being ballsy enough to try this!

*goes back to watching tMoHS when he should be doing his assignments*

[LinearPhilosopher]

If have a couple of reccomendations as for better or worse anime has stolen the last 3 years of my life in terms of hobbies,
For Philosophy Buffs: Ergo Proxy
For Psych Buffs: Paranoia Agent
Theres a series called mahou shoujo madoka (magical girl madoka) where you take the standard magical girl story and add and a gritty twist to it.
Straight up shooter buff: Black Lagoon
Gankutsuou (or the count of monte cristo) inspired by the original tale by Dumas in a futuristic setting.
For those who want an epic story: Full Metal Alchemist (currently #1 most popular anime in north america)

Id also reccomend afro samurai. Its short, has great fights, and has Samuel badass motherfucker Jackson.

Also silencer, ever hear of the word brevity?

This post has been edited by BalrogLord: 30 May 2011 - 12:53 AM

[Silencer]

BalrogLord, on 30 May 2011 - 12:53 AM, said:

If have a couple of reccomendations as for better or worse anime has stolen the last 3 years of my life in terms of hobbies,
For Philosophy Buffs: Ergo Proxy
For Psych Buffs: Paranoia Agent
Theres a series called mahou shoujo madoka (magical girl madoka) where you take the standard magical girl story and add and a gritty twist to it.
Straight up shooter buff: Black Lagoon
Gankutsuou (or the count of monte cristo) inspired by the original tale by Dumas in a futuristic setting.
For those who want an epic story: Full Metal Alchemist (currently #1 most popular anime in north america)

Id also reccomend afro samurai. Its short, has great fights, and has Samuel badass motherfucker Jackson.

Also silencer, ever hear of the word brevity?

Nope, don't really see the point in it unless you're in a hurry.

Heck, the rush to get things said and done, in my personal experience, has led to far too many short-cuts, misunderstandings, and a general lack of quality in all areas of life, not least of which is the drop in quality of communication skills.

[Mott]

Watched the first four epissdoes of Haruhi Suzumiya, I'm really loving it, thanks for the reccomendation! Nice mix between the different types of anime I like and I love Kyon's snarky inner monolouges. Definitely hooked.