Anime?

[Calax]

well the time between each episode jumps,

"four minutes before the destruction of the planet namek...."

the next show starts with "three and a half minutes before the destruction of the planet namek..."

then when the saga is over it skips a year, or seven. And as i said before everything becomes about who's stronger than who. and some of the villans could have been dreamed up by a six year old. But if you do watch it, please oh god please save your ears and see the japanese subtitled ones.

 

and the fact that half way through the series one of the characters farts could turn a galaxy to slag is kida screwy.

[Petay]

Haha , I see your point now, although the art from it is still quite good IMO.

[Blarghagh]

Big Naruto fan here. I like to describe it as a combination of the good parts of Dragonball and Dragonball Z, and none of the bad(except that, sometimes it drags on a bit, but that's mostly because one of the downsides is that there are so many flashbacks they WILL annoy the crap out of you), with original ideas all over it and plenty of references to japanese legends and traditions.

 

Also, Gaara rocks.

[Morgoth]

I recommend all of Hiyao Miyazaki's movies. all these are on dvd now.

 

Nausica

[Archmonarch]

Though it is somewhat old, I recommend HunterxHunter. Basically the story of a kid who tries to become a Hunter (a specially licensed investigator/explorer sort of thing) in order to find his father, one of the greatest Hunters of all time. It can be somewhat childish at times, though also dark at others. I enjoyed it quite a bit, though I havent watched it in a few years.

 

A few others I liked: Trigun, Evangelion (make sure to watch the movies after the series), the original .Hack//SIGN, 12 Kingdoms (based on a hugely popular series of Japanese fantasy novels we will never see), and One Piece (foolish and outlandish but entertaining). If I think of any more later, I will post them.

 

Also, many of these animes were originally manga (the highly superior equivalent to western comics). So if you like any of the animes, the mangas are usually much better (particularly Berserk which btw is ongoing and ranges far beyond the anime ending). Same for Hellsing. I can suggest some sites and such for procuring these, should you choose to do so.

 

A word of warning: should you choose to read the HxH manga, be prepared for some really bad art in the last 2 years or so. The mangaka (artist/writer) had a debilitating illness which affected his work. It seems to be getting somewhat better recently.

[Meshugger]

Thanks again for the replies. I can't really say that i have any "must have"-setting for an anime, except for good character development. I'll give Kenshin a try as my next anime.

 

Wait, is Naruto 143 episodes and STILL going?

[Reveilled]

You simply must watch Azumanga Daioh. It is quite simply the best Japanese Comedy ever, at least if you have the same surreal taste in humour I do. Im not sure whether I like the Manga or the Anime better, though.

 

Here! (It's a fan translation, so not quite as good as the commercial one).

[EnderAndrew]

Ranma is pretty long, but I enjoyed it.

[Archmonarch]

It's a fan translation, so not quite as good as the commercial one.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I usually find exactly the opposite to be true. The fan scanlations are usually of a much higher quality than the American distributors, mostly because the fan groups actually care about their work and audience. They do it for no monetary gain, simply for the enjoyment of others. Companies do it purely for monetary gain, and dont care about their audience in so far as it extends beyond their purchases.

 

Either I just know a higher quality cadre of scanslators than you, or you know some that are below the norm I expect.

[Blarghagh]

Thanks again for the replies. I can't really say that i have any "must have"-setting for an anime, except for good character development. I'll give Kenshin a try as my next anime.

 

Wait, is Naruto 143 episodes and STILL going?

 

Yup, and they haven't even gotten to Chapter 2 of the manga yet.

 

Of course, that's because of the goddamned filler.

[Archmonarch]

Pretty much why I gave up on Naruto the anime about 25 eps ago, and now exclusively read the manga. The flashbacks are still hella annoying though.

[Reveilled]

It's a fan translation, so not quite as good as the commercial one.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I usually find exactly the opposite to be true. The fan scanlations are usually of a much higher quality than the American distributors, mostly because the fan groups actually care about their work and audience. They do it for no monetary gain, simply for the enjoyment of others. Companies do it purely for monetary gain, and dont care about their audience in so far as it extends beyond their purchases.

 

Either I just know a higher quality cadre of scanslators than you, or you know some that are below the norm I expect.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hmm...put that one down to misphrasing. I meant to write "It's a fan translation, and not quite as good as the commercial one." The commercial translation of the Azumanga Daioh was of very high quality (with the Subtitles in the Anime being even better, as far as including translation notes, and the English dub supposedly being even better than the original Japanese, though I never watch dubs and so can't confirm it), and though there was one fan translation of it that was a bit better (it kept monetary references the same, and kept Yukari an English teacher instead of changing her to a Spanish one), that's gone now, and all the others have been a bit too literal in their translations, which you really can't do for a comedy.

 

Incidentally, I fail to see how wanting to make a profit means the translation is worse.

[Archmonarch]

Based on your link, I thought you were referring to manga scans/translation and it was to such I directed my commentary. Though it could apply equally as well to visual medium, I do not know as I have never bought anime.

 

Anyway, this is what I meant: Its not wanting a profit that makes the quality worse. Its the philosphy implied by such a desire. The profit overrides all other considerations, and while many would expect this to lead to higher quality so as compete with others, the fact that an anime series is licensed by a single company renders this argument void. There is no competition within a single series distribution, thus there is no reason for higher quality. After all, who else could you buy it from, provided you did not use alternative means?

[Reveilled]

Its not wanting a profit that makes the quality worse. Its the philosphy implied by such a desire. The profit overrides all other considerations, and while many would expect this to lead to higher quality so as compete with others, the fact that an anime series is licensed by a single company renders this argument void. There is no competition within a single series distribution, thus there is no reason for higher quality. After all, who else could you buy it from, provided you did not use alternative means?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I suppose that's true (and a very interesting concpet, multiple distributors), but you could always buy another Series instead. I know I've not bothered to buy several Manga on the basis that the translation was bad.

 

But as I said, I phrased what I wanted to say poorly. I've seen plenty of good Fan translations and fansubs, and I've also seen plenty of bad ones. I didn't mean to say that Fan Translations were worse than commercial ones (though it certainly came out that way), only that this one wasn't as good.

[Archmonarch]

Fair enough, then.

[Shryke]

i haven't seen all that much anime stuff before, but i can recommend Cowboy Bebop

[Musopticon?]

I third(fifth, whatever) Cowboy Bebop. The movie Knocking on Heaven's door is sometimes even better.

 

Same goes for Last Exile. The visuals are amazing and the idea behind the world quite ingenious. Well worth watching.

 

I also recommend Witch Hunter Robin. It's a sort of a detective series, but with the "detectives" being withces hired to hunt their own kind. The main character is fairly angsty for being a girl who can materialize flames with a nod, but otherwise the story rules. Can be a bit twisty sometimes.

 

Then there's Ghost in the Shell sequel, Innocense. Quite grabbing and feels even more Asimovian then it's predecessor. The visuals are of course, grand. And so is the soundtrack.

 

Samurai Champloo has to be one of my favorites ever. Fun as heck with great action artistic direction. I love the mix of thematic elements(daimo/hip hop) they used. Featuring probably the most original cast of characters ever. Except Jin.

 

 

[Reveilled]

Oh, I don't think anyone mentioned Serial Experiments Lain. It was the first anime I ever bought in Japanese, and it was woth every single penny. Words cannot describe how unbelieveably cool, confusing, spooky and above all totally awesome it is.

 

I mean seriously, if you buy one anime, make sure it's this one. It beats the crap out of naything else mentioned on this thread, so awesome it is. Buy it. BUY IT.

[Lord Tingeling]

You simply must watch Azumanga Daioh.  It is quite simply the best Japanese Comedy ever, at least if you have the same surreal taste in humour I do.  Im not sure whether I like the Manga or the Anime better, though.

 

Here! (It's a fan translation, so not quite as good as the commercial one).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Chiyo-chan, how can you fly?

 

 

Oh, and I hate you now for stealing the recommendation *I* was going to give out. Ah well.

 

Other than that, I'd say that Blood: TLV warrants a buy (if you find it cheap) only for the fact that Saya is the coolest character evar. Out the more recent series I've watched, I'd recommend Witch Hunter Robin, Great Teacher Onizuka and (maybe) Happy Lesson. It depends on what you like, but I found the above series ranging from genius (GTO) to very good (WHR) to entertaining (HL).

 

Oh, and I kinda liked Chobits, too. The story was somewhat stupid, but the fancy intro music made up for it somewhat.

[Musopticon?]

By the way; I unrecommend NGE. The characters and the ending are just unbearable. Even Outlaw Star didn't have so annoying personalities as NGE. Horrible.

[Atreides]

By the way, if you liked Hellsing you might want to check out Blood Trinity which is about vampire clans etc. It's still being showed in Japan so it's ultra brand new.

 

To some degree I don't know if the quality of the new stuff has spoiled me. I don't know if I'd still be as appreciative of really old stuff.

[Musopticon?]

And read the original Hellsing manga. The story so much better in that one. Too bad for the series that they chose to go with such a let-down plot.

[kirottu]

Upon recently, i never cared for any anime since i saw "Ghost in the Shell" several (6-7?)years ago. But last week, a friend of mine kept convinced me to try out Hellsing.

 

...and i was hooked.

 

After that, i wanted more. So i gave Berserk a chance, which by the way, had the most ruthless ending i've ever experienced. Still, my hunger hasn't been satisfied. While browsing through the net, i've encountered some candidates:

 

- Naruto

- Scryedo

- Rurouni Kenshin

- Inuyasha

- Cowboy Bebop

- Escaflowne

- Trigun

 

Has anyone here seen any of these anime? Please do post some feedback on why they're good. It would be appriciated

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I came too late for this thread. But since this is a good change to talk about anime I wont let it stop me.

 

Naruto is good show, but in 143 episodes there

[Baneblade]

If you like light hearted comedy then...

 

- Happy Lesson (Both + OVA)

- Rizelmine (One of my personal Favorites)

 

If Mecha is your thing...

 

- Full Metal Panic (both)

- Gundam (any)

 

If you like drawn drama...

 

- Boys Be...

- Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien

 

If magic and mayhem...

 

- Full metal Alchemist

- Ragnarok the Animation

 

If "Magical Girls"...

 

- Steel Angel Kurumi (altough she's a robot)

 

But at this moment my personal favorites also include...

 

- Rozen Maiden

- Tsukuyomi Moon Phase

 

 

I won't go into OVA's (so no Hentai titles)

 

 

PS:

 

Excel Saga was good.

 

Cowboy Bebob was bad.

 

Serial Experiment Lain was odd... but i liked it.

 

 

Buy more Anime !!!!!!!

[Oerwinde]

Also, many of these animes were originally manga (the highly superior equivalent to western comics).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I personally prefer Preacher, Transmetropolitan, Lucifer, The Authority, Ultimate X-Men, Watchmen, Dreamwave Transformers, Sandman, The Ultimates, and Ultimate Spider-Man to any Manga I've read. Manga has no variety in the artwork, its all the same art. Manga may have been superior to Western comics 20 years ago, but with the coming of Alan Moore, Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Brian Michael Bendis, Grant Morrison, Mike Carey, and Mark Miller, Western Comics have surpassed Manga.