Anime

[The Six]

Ranma ½ could be the best

[lisa needs braces]

I don't remember much at all about the show, though I'm sure I must've watched a little bit of it.......
So it was nice to watch that episode. 
Animation is very nice (it's Disney, after all), and the storytelling is very smooth.

Whole series is on youtube...=)

[greg]

Ranma ½ could be the best

I've only read a couple of the manga. Same with Cowboy Bebop.

Just trying to get through Azumanga Daioh right now....... what a crazy show.
My favorite character has to be the girl "Osaka" and one of the teachers, Kimura-sensei.




This guy's crazy. He always wants to see the girls in bathing suits, so he ends up asking if they're going to do a swimming competition, and when he finds out they aren't, he asks for pool water that the girls have been in.
They always keep the same expressions all the time. I had a completely random thought once- both of them in the front row of a concert with Penderecki's Threnody being played- they keep the same expression throughout the whole thing and then clap at the end, with the same expression. If you can picture it, it's hilarious.

[greg]

I just finished watching Full Metal Panic! since my friend recommended it to me a few weeks ago. 24 episodes, and i think it has some sort of sequel.

This is possibly one of the best- if not, the i'm tempted to say the best anime series I've watched. The timing was good, since I was in the mood for something very serious and blood-filled after watching the anime I had been watching.

The overall shape of the drama during the 24 episodes is quite close to my ideal. Starts off slow, with the main character, Sousuke, who is new in school. He's working as a bodyguard for a girl (unbeknownst to her), and ends up following her all over the place. They get really funny with this- at one point, the meet in a train and she departs suddenly, so he ends up jumping out of the window while the train is taking off again and she asks why he did that and he says it's just a coincidence, and this is where he wanted to get off.

The first curve in the drama is where the main bad guy, Gauron makes his first appearance. They get on a plane, and he takes everyone hostage and forces it to land in some military area.  He kidnaps the girl Sousuke is bodyguarding and she's taken to a lab, where she discovers she has something in her that they're trying to get- something that could aid in development of some type of nuclear weapon. Sousuke comes to the rescue and they end up having to run through a field against all odds.

Eventually, they get back to daily life for awhile. Their relationship is complex because the girl, Chidori, overreacts all the time. Eventually, he invites her to some island, and the second curve in the drama starts.

They end up having to go to the Captain's submarine where Gauron again makes an appearance and takes control of the sub. This continues until the last episode. At the end, Sousuke and Chidori are fishing. That's about it.

The overall production is like watching a movie, all the way through. There's constant tension throughout, and just lets up a little when Gauron is not in action and they are in school. Anyways, I really recommend it. 

[DavidW]

I recently got back into anime again, in the past few months I watched--

Witchblade: poor start, but ends up being fantastic. ****
Hellsing: good start, but ending ends up too bombastic Akira style. **1/2

My favorite anime are Lain and Cowboy Bebop.  Anyway I'm about to start Neon Genesis Evangelion.

[Diletante]

When I was younger I used to watch Cardcaptor Sakura and Pokémon hehe.

I have the whole Cowboy Bebop series. I haven't watched it completely, but it is very good.

[mn dave]

I dug Starblazers way back when.



Last I checked, it was damn expensive on DVD.

[greg]

When I was younger I used to watch Cardcaptor Sakura and Pokémon hehe.

I think I might still have the Cardcaptors movie on VHS somewhere.......
I used to watch it as much as I could until my mom argued that it was a bad show, because of all the magic 
One of the shows that was pretty inspiring, in a mystical way. I even wrote a story a long time ago (unfinished, i guess), where they're in class and there's some type of storm and they try to escape, but both doors are out locked, although that's all I remember for now.

Well, today at work, my friend talked me into watching Fooly Cooly, since it's only 6 episodes. Just watched the first I don't know what to think, at all. But I also have to watch the rest of Naruto Shippuden- it's at 80+ episodes and i left off at 34. 
So they're telling me to watch all these other anime, too, but I can't too much.

[DavidW]

Well, today at work, my friend talked me into watching Fooly Cooly, since it's only 6 episodes.

That's how I feel about the show as well!  It's very strange!

[greg]

That's how I feel about the show as well!  It's very strange!

The most avant-garde anime I've seen yet. It's supposed to "loop back in on itself if you watch episode 6 and then 1", and "if you do watch the whole series over again, it doesn't seem like the same show you watched before." I'm not sure about that...... maybe if you weren't paying much attention, i could see.......

[greg]

Just finished Welcome to the NHK this morning, which i watched (24 episodes) in a week. There's no words to describe this anime... the last few days it's all i could think about. I'll try to write to encourage someone, anyone to watch this.....

Here's the scenario, and my thoughts (don't read if you're not into spoilers).


The main character, Satou, is a guy who is a hikikomori in Tokyo. Hikikomoris are a special type of people who isolate themselves in an apartment and live off of their parent's income, but almost never go outside. The NHK in the title stands for "Nippon Hikikomori Kyoukai", which means "Japanese Hikikomori Society/Organization". One of the main themes that goes on in the show is the little devil characters that represent that and taunt him. This society is something that he has made up in his mind, believing that this society is a secret organization that is trying to turn the whole world into hikikomoris, and he is a victim- which explains why he dropped out.

One day, a girl named Misaki (my new avatar) and her aunt pass out fliers about hikikomori-related stuff. He reveals (in a crazy way) that he's a hikikomori, so the girl makes up a project for him and they have to see each other at night at the park for lessons on how to stop being one. Lessons seem to be random, almost, though mostly dealing with psychology. At one point, they talk about Freud and she tries to interpret one of his dreams. He already knows about Freud so he mentions in his dream, that there is a huge serpent in the ocean with a sword for a tale, being put into an apple. LOL!!!!

There's two more main characters- Yamazaki and Sempai. He meets Yamazaki when he gets irritated at the music being played next door, so he knocks on the door and yells for him to turn it off. It turns out that when Yamazaki answered, he had no idea it was him- he knew him from a time when he tried to help him out during a bullying situation. During the course of the show, they spend most of the time trying to develop an adult game- a "galge."

The other character, an insanely depressed pretty lady, Sempai, is a friend who used to go to school with Satou before he dropped out.... he had relations with her without "properly dating." She seems to be the one who is feeding his mind with the conspiracy stories.... she keeps on saying everything is a conspiracy, and that's why she's always miserable.

I have two favorite scenarios in the show. The first is when Sempai invites Satou to a getaway retreat (he has no idea what it really is and think it's some sort of date). They get on a yacht and there's several really depressed people on there. They stop at an island and Satou is out having fun. Eventually, he learns what the place "The Island Closest to Heaven" is really about. It's really a group suicide situation- they end up all walking to a cliff and plan to jump off. However, one of the guys can't because he is afraid of how his mom would react. Then, Misaki, Yamazaki, and Sempai's boyfriend ride up in a boat to tell them not to jump. Misaki says she needs Satou because he is the only person she knows that's worse than her. That makes him so mad he tries to jump off (but is of course stopped). He stays mad and skips lessons for awhile.

The second scenario is the thing that got me most. The final episodes are simply undescribable. Misaki gives little hints about her upcoming plan for suicide. She feels that since Satou has gotten better, and doesn't need her, so she is completely useless. Her last lecture is about famous last words. The next night, an ambulance drives up to her house, and she is taking to a hospital, because she passed out in the bathtub from cutting her wrists. Then she escapes from the hospital and heads toward the cape where her mother jumped off when she was a kid. Satou finds a note which says the same exact suicide note that she just lectured on. He rushes and eventually meets up with her. He tries to do anything to stop her, even saying he needed her, but she jumps off. He pulls her up. Then what's weird is he imagines the little monster things from the NHK society taunting him, and he says he's prepared for the final battle against them, so he jumps off but is caught by some construction work that was installed there. The next night, he ends up lecturing her- how to battle the her version of the NHK- Nippon Hikan Kyoukai ("Japanese Pessimism Society").  He signs the final contract which he rejected at first- saying that they would always be by each other's side and help each other out. Didn't end very romantic at all, but that's okay since it leaves stuff up to your imagination.

[Joe_Campbell]

Old thread. Here's some life:

Just watched:

Haibane Renmei
Now and Then, Here and There
Elfen Lied

The first two were completely astoundingly good, with HR prompting an online research frenzy for meaning and interpretation clues, which only led to greater appreciation for the subtlety. Elfen Lied was good, too, and seemed to mix 10 different genres.

Just started Last Exile...

[greg]

Just started Last Exile...

Unique show with it's own sensible style, although I don't remember much of it besides that (i watched a marathon, and that was about it).

[Joe_Campbell]

Unique show with it's own sensible style, although I don't remember much of it besides that (i watched a marathon, and that was about it).

I've been watching Gantz lately. Fascinating, but mind-bendingly irritating pace, which wouldn't be a problem if the action wasn't always *just* around the corner.

Basic Plot:

Two friends die while saving a person's life. Instead of going to "Heaven," the find themselves in an apartment room seemingly in Tokyo which a bunch of other recently deceased. A large black ball (Gantz) is in the centre of the room. After time passes, a profile of an alien on earth comes up on the ball's surface, with instructions to kill it in a timed mission. They're all given futuristic weapons and extremely powerful augmentation suits (only some wear them). When the alien dies, they are transported back to the apartment room, where "points" are awarded to those participated in the killing. After this, the characters who survived can all go back to their "regular" lives, expecting a summon the next time Gantz has a mission.

So wierd...

[greg]

I got your pm. Wouldn't mind seeing your audition videos...

I guess, in short, I'm looking for semi-spiritual (read: contemplative) anime that has a wonderful sense of abandonment and escapism. I love relationships to be developed throughout the series...etc...I want it all, I guess!

If you want action on top of that, and don't mind watching a couple hundred episodes, Naruto would probably be the best pick. When the characters die or join the other side, you don't like it.
Welcome to the NHK fits your description, too- very much in tune with relationship development, and philosophical, even if it's only 20 or so episodes long. I would say it lacks the escapism, though- but that's exactly what makes the series that series.

[greg]

I finished Haibane Renmei a few days ago...

Well, it was a different type of series, interesting, but I'm glad it wasn't any longer. I did like the part in the middle when she touches the wall, which gets pretty dramatic, but after that, I never made any type of connection with it. It's hard to when all of the characters are young girls that are angels...

If anyone wants to know what it feels like to watch this anime, just tell them it feels like listening to Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande. (I think Eric should watch this anime.)

[greg]

So, right after I finished HR, I proceeded to watch The Melancholy of Haruhi Shizumiya. I've watched the first 6 or 7 episodes so far, in chronological order over the past few days.

I don't know what it is about this show, but even though it's only been a couple of days, I'm liking it so much that it's all I can think about, and it feels like I'm even losing my appetite over it.

To give a simple explanation of the plot...


DON'T READ IF YOU PLAN ON WATCHING IT AND DON'T WANT IT RUINED FOR YA

This girl, Haruhi, sits next to the main character, a guy named Kyon, in their high school class. Haruhi is extremely weird, and whenever she introduces herself, she says she is only interested in anyone who is an alien, time traveler, or esper. Eventually, Kyon and Haruhi form a club called the "SOS Brigade." They try to hunt for supernatural occurences. However, the 3 other members happen to be an alien, time traveler, and an esper, even though she doesn't know it. The esper is a normal guy, the alien is a really quiet girl who does nothing but read all the time, and the time traveler is the really cute one which is always violated by Haruhi and forced into costumes.

The esper shows Kyon another world which is possible to enter into when Haruhi is mentally unstable. That's where there are giant blue monsters that they have to stop, before they grow big and destroy the world. The cause of her mental instability was possibly because she had just finished telling Kyon the story of when she was little and went to a baseball game, and realized how many people there actually were in the world, and she stopped feeling significant, and everything became boring. Then she started craving for the supernatural. (this is something i can really understand).

But, they say she is possibly "God", and that the only reason why those 3 happened to be there was because she wished it so. Then there's that dream scene where Kyon and Haruhi are escaping from that blue monster to what's probably the best part of Mahler's 8th...

[Joe_Campbell]

I`m sorry you didn't appreciate HR as much as I did! I'm just over half-way through Fullmetal Alchemist. It's a whopping 51 episode series, and it's excellent! The essentials of the plot:

Ed and Al are two brothers who, through alchemy, try and revive their mother who died. Without delving too far into the plot details, the procedure is disastrous, resulting in Ed losing an arm and leg, and Al losing his entire body. Just in time, Ed fixes Al's soul to a large piece of armour; once Ed gets a metallic arm and leg, or "auto-mail," the two start searching for something called the Philosopher's Stone, which can, in some way, restore their bodies.

The characters are great, and the humour is always well placed. The story never drags, and, surprisingly, there are no filler episodes! It's got tons of action/fights and great character development.

I've also been watching NHK, but it stalled because I lost all the information on my HD. It certainly has a couple of pathetic characters...

I'll have to check out The Melancholy etc... soon, though.

[greg]

Full Metal Alchemist really is a popular series. I'm surprised it's only 51 episodes (i though it was Naruto-like, with IIRC 200 episodes before Shippuden), but I guess that's not counting what sequels of the show there might be.

[Renfield]

FMR FMA is a rather heartwarming anime with a very unconventional conclusion that strays far away from its (manga) source material.

But they're remaking it now, sticking to the source, with correspondingly conventional results.

(Though let me note that the original series was followed by a horrible movie that apparently 'explained' the plot, and provided closure to the series' open conclusion. But even setting the quality of the movie per se aside, I saw - and see - no reason for either explanation or closure for what was the rare 'unsimple' conclusion to a mainstream anime. Not recommended. )