Anime

[greg]

So... I lied. I decided to get it all over with. 
I finished all of them- Scrapped Princess, Afro Samurai, and Kara no Kyoukai.

Scrapped Princess was a pretty decent fantasy series, though I had trouble "getting into" it. None of the characters interested me much, though there were some interesting scenes at times.

Afro Samurai didn't even seem like an anime at all. The style is just... different. Storywise, there's not much to it, but there's a lot of crazy fighting. It did catch my attention in the beginning, but over the course of the thing, I can only take so many fight scenes until it becomes... yawn.

Kara no Kyoukai was the best one out of the 3. This series is divided into 7 different movies/episodes, which add up to be as long as the typical anime series (~8 hours). All of the movies are 50 minutes each, except for 5 and 7, which happen to be 2 hours long each (and also are the ones which are very highly rated (#9 and #17 in the top anime positions at myanimelist.net)).

To describe this series... in one word, dark. The whole art style is dark. Blue and black, my favorite colors, are used throughout the whole series, and you wonder if the setting is Gotham City, since nearly every scene takes place at night in the city. The story line basically involves the protagonist, who is a girl, and a serial killer- the details just go over my head, being really hard to follow.

My favorite out of all of the movies was 7. It seems to be the most contemplative and deep out of all of them, although it's very, very easy to fall asleep to if you're not careful. The series has everything I'm looking for in an anime, and I really liked it, though I'm surprised I don't feel as if it's one of my favorites. But, I think if I came back to it a year from now, it just might be. Probably more than one viewing would be needed to get a grasp of something like this. 

[greg]

I think I'll have to take a break from these show for awhile. This time, I'll succeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and not think about interesting-sounding shows like Monster:
http://myanimelist.net/anime/19/Monster

Kenzou Tenma, a brilliant Japanese brain surgeon working in Germany, saves the life of a small boy who has been shot in the head. Little does he know that doing so would destroy his entire career at the hospital and that his fiancé would leave him. When the hospital director and doctors of the hospital staff are suddenly murdered, he gets a second chance but also renders him as the main suspect to the murders. Life goes on for Tenma as he saves people at the hospital, and he goes back to the joy of being a surgeon again.

Years later, an injured thief gets brought to the hospital. After Tenma saves his life, he finds out that the thief is involved with the rising count of serial murders happening in Germany. Suddenly Tenma is involved in it all when the little boy, who is now a young man, turns up and kills the thief in cold blood right in front of Tenma. Now Tenma must clear his name, find out more about the boy he saved in the past, and reevaluate what the value of life is.

[greg]

http://www.kumby.com/monster-episode-1/

I watched the first episode of Monster, and whoa! Great stuff! 
I can tell this is going to be one psychological roller coaster... definitely not "enjoyable" or "entertaining" series, but more like a philosophical one.

The way they portray the characters itself is very realistic, and the situation in that first episode I just saw was very thought-provoking. I really recommend anyone reading this to check it out and tell me what you think- it's only 20 minutes long...

[greg]

As for what the complete opposite of what that show is...

I watched the first episode of K-On! just because I need a break to watch some entertaining, light, fluffy, stupid, pointless, bippity boppity ping ping poing poing pong pong splash random baboppers anime after having gone through:

-reading Crime and Punishment
-reading The Stranger
-watching Kara no Kyoukai
-playing/watching Xenogears
-watching both live-action Higurashi movies
-having watched a few episodes of Monster

Going through all of that type of stuff in such a short timespan as I did couldn't possibly be healthy for anyone. Out of all of those, I'd say the "lightest" thing to go through was reading The Stranger. So, yes, everyone one of those is some HEAVY SHIT. Xenogears, for one, happens to be possibly the most epic, over-the-top storyline I've encountered anywhere (though not necessarily my favorite).

Monster, after watching 3 episodes, is making me feel a bit depressed. I'm not sure I want to enter the dark, 70-something episode world of a brain surgeon that has to make challenging ethical choices and be a prime suspect in a grisly murder.

I think I might just eat cotton candy for a few days, watch K-On (maybe even Spongebob), play Twister, and listen to Prokofiev scherzos... 

[eyeresist]

I didn't even know there were any Higurashi movies. What are they like? I find Japanese live-action sf/fantasy tends to be weaker than the animated alternative.

[greg]

In my opinion, they're surprisingly good. You might find a few disappointing things here and there, but overall, the story arcs (1 each movie) flow very well, and the actors are pretty good (especially Rena).

It stays pretty close to the original, overall. They did the first movie as the first story arc and the second movie as the last story arc (both of the first season). So, they basically skip the whole middle of the first season, which means skipping a lot of gruesome (and psychologically fascinating) content. However, they almost make up for it with a killer nail-in-food scene which outdoes the original. 

I hope they do the second season some justice. Even though there's hardly any gore and all, the 2nd season is possibly even better. The mind games it does to the viewer aren't quite as crazy as the 1st, but it's more straightforward, clever, and has more spirit than the 1st. I think they'd do good with that if they make 2nd season movies. 


As a side note... I didn't want to sit through 12 more episodes (plus specials) of K-On. Looks kinda funny at times, but overall, seems like a really dumb show. Resuming Monster. 
(9/72) 

[Lethevich]

http://www.kumby.com/monster-episode-1/

I watched the first episode of Monster, and whoa! Great stuff! 
I can tell this is going to be one psychological roller coaster... definitely not "enjoyable" or "entertaining" series, but more like a philosophical one.

The way they portray the characters itself is very realistic, and the situation in that first episode I just saw was very thought-provoking. I really recommend anyone reading this to check it out and tell me what you think- it's only 20 minutes long...

Monster is pretty much the only anime I have ever liked. It's rarely recommended, but I like the realism of it.

[greg]

Monster is pretty much the only anime I have ever liked. It's rarely recommended, but I like the realism of it.

Cool.  I'm only on episode 17 now, but I can't help but feel that every single episode is very well done and thought out...

[greg]

25/74...


I just had to look up who the mastermind behind this story is. Originally, Monster was, of course, a manga- and the mangaka of it is Naoki Urasawa. It turns out he's also the mangaka of 20th Century Boys, which is also one of the top rated manga out there.

Found a video of what it's like to be him, working on his stuff... (part 1/5)

http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/tCF9dliGIqA&feature=related

[greg]

Greatest children's story ever:

The nameless Monster
Once upon a time, there lived a nameless monster.
The monster was dying to have a name so badly.
So the monster decided to set out on a journey to find itself a name.
But the world was such a large place.So the monster split into two and went on to two seperate journeys.One went to the East and the other went to the west.
The monster that went to the east found a village.
There was a blacksmith at the village entrance.
"Mr.Blacksmith, please give me your name" said the monster.
"I can't give you my name" replied the blacksmith."If you give me your name I will jump inside you and make you stronger in return." said the monster.
"Really? I'll give you my name if you can make me stronger.", the blacksmith told the monster.
The monster jumped inside the blacksmith.The monster became Otto the blacksmith.Otto the blacksmith was the strongest man in the village.
But one day he said:"Look at me! Look at me!""The monster inside of me has grown this big!"*Chomp, chomp, munch, munch, gobble, gobble, gulp*
The hungry monster ate Otto from the inside out.The monster then went back to become a monster without a name.
Even though he jumped inside Hans the shoemaker....*Chomp, chomp, munch, munch, gobble, gobble, gulp*
He went back to being a monster without a name again.Even though he jumped inside Thomas the hunter.....*Chomp, chomp, munch, munch, gobble, gobble, gulp*
He still went back to being a monster without a name.The monster then went to a castle to find a wonderful name.Inside the castle, there was a very sick boy.
"I'll make you stronger if you give me your name" said the monsterIn reply, the boy told him "I'll give you my name if you can cure my illness and make me stronger."
So the monster jumped inside the boy.The boy became very healthy.The King was delighted."The prince is well! The prince is well!" said the King.
The monster became fond of the boy's name.He also grew fond of his life inside the castle.That's why he endured even when he became hungry.
Every day, even when his stomach became very empty, he endured.But then he became so hungry....
"Look at me! Look at me!" said the boy."The monster inside of me has grown this big!"The boy then ate his father, servants, and everyone.*Chomp, chomp, munch, munch, gobble, gobble, gulp*
Because everyone was gone....The boy left on a journey. He walked and walked for days.....One day the boy met the monster that went west.
"I have a name" said the boy."It's a wonderful name."
And then the monster that went west said..."I don't need a name.""I'm happy even if I don't have a name."
"Because we're monsters without names." The boy ate the monster that went west.Even though he now had a name....There was no one left to call him by his name.
Johan.It is a wonderful name.

[greg]

Finished watching Monster today. Very intense ending... one of the best shows I've ever watched, for sure.


Also, I watched a short, hour-long movie anime movie, "5 Centimeters per Second."
In terms of story, there's really nothing at all interesting to say. BUT I do think it is worth a watch- very unique. The presentation itself is simply beautiful, the dialogue is poetic, and the ending is just pure infinite melancholy.


I swear, Russian writers, German composers, Japanese anime/manga script writers must all be alcoholics...

[greg]

Currently watching: Cowboy Bebop (on episode 9/26). I expect to be done by tomorrow night (also planning on watching the movie).

Yeah, that's right. I still haven't watched Cowboy Bebop, as popular as it is. The strange thing is, I do remember reading a little bit of the manga (4, 5?) years ago in high school, and even though the memory of it is extremely vague, some things are coming back to me now that I watch it. The whole capsule thing seems familiar, for one. Spike and Jet are vaguely familiar. Faye Valentine is, very strangely, very familiar- the second I saw her for the first time, I thought, "that's Faye Valentine," even though I don't even know where that thought came from.

I like this series. It's just so... likeable.  And fun. And charming.

[greg]

Finished Cowboy Bebop today... I didn't think the movie was that great. The series, though, is awesome!  I'm surprised I even enjoyed it that much, and actually hate to leave it.

Right now, I'm finishing up a short, 12 episode series called "Mononoke." It's, um... different. Even though it's a very highly regarded show, I don't like it. The art style is basically the same art style of old Japanese paintings, but animated. The animation is very strange, too- intentionally jerky, and most of the time I found it disorienting, and not in a good way. The score uses traditional Japanese instruments. Also, I guess it's based off of some several different Japanese ghost stories or something... so, if you want to know what anime centuries ago would have been like if they had TV, watch this show.

Next up, tomorrow, I will start Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. I had already seen the first episode- looks super-fast paced, but I could probably grow to like it. It's 27 episodes, plus a two-part movie which is supposed to really good, so I'll probably finish by Thursday...

Meanwhile, I'll be entertaining myself by trying to figure out what next to watch.
Among the candidates:
Code Geass
Claymore (got to episode 5/26 a long time ago... show was good but lacked charm)
Full Metal Alchemist
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Mushishi
Great Teacher Onizuka
Legend of the Galactic Heroes (at 110 episodes, I might put this one off for a while)

[DavidW]

Loved the series to death, you know as soon as I saw your new avatar Greg the theme immediately popped in my head!!  Golly I miss that show.

[greg]

 
Well, if you ever feel like revisiting the space cowboys, you can do it here (with each episode having an option of subbed or dubbed)
http://www.kumby.com/category/cowboy-bebop-episodes


I never thought you'd have a Dream Theater avatar, David... what album is that?

[DavidW]

Oh it's Metropolis 2.  A couple of years ago one of my students got me hooked on the band, they are wicked cool.

[greg]

Looks like I've never listened to that album. John Petrucci is a pretty good guitarist. 


I've been wanting to redo my top 10 list... now, here it is, currently- Greg's official top 10 anime: 
(the names take the series as a whole, meaning all seasons and sequels)

1. Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni
2. Elfen Lied
3. Clannad
4. Monster
5. Gantz
6. Death Note
7. Welcome to the NHK
8. Full Metal Panic
9. Now and Then, Here and There
10. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

and if it went to 12...
(11). Cowboy Bebop
(12). Baccano!

(i don't know why i like doing that...)

[DavidW]

I might randomly add one of those to my queue, it's getting light since I've decided to just go to Hastings and rent all of the new releases I wanted to see.

[greg]

Well, David, if you do, good knowing ya, man.
Half of them happen to be depressing enough to make you wanna blow your brains out- just wanna warn you. 

[eyeresist]

My box from RightStuf finally arrived. I started by watching the Genshiken bonus episodes in the Kujibiki Unbalance set. Not on the same level as the first series but still make me eager to get the second series. Now starting Kujibiki Unbalance ("kujiun"), which is sadly not the same as the episodes created for Genshiken 1 (I miss the mushrooms).