Anime

[Moonfish]

That's awesome that you get to do that with your kids. I'm biased of course, but honestly almost no American shows aimed at children (except for Adventure Time and a few others) airing now have anywhere near the level of imagination and willingness to take risks that so many anime do. I think that children raised on anime (and maybe eventually manga) would exhibit less of the ADD tendencies and non-literacy that you see in younger kids nowadays (although certain anime might make it worse, haha).

Interesting perspective, Kitsune! I think we are drawn to the complex world building and plot more than anything else. There are a few inappropriate spots here and there, but it is not a big deal. The major positive themes are much stronger and carry through very well. Besides, I find the creators of this series very imaginative, fun and able to carry the adventure onwards with a lot of glee as well as passion. Have you seen it by any chance?

[Corey]

I'll check it out -- from the images the costumes and character design look really wonderful.

[Moonfish]

I'll check it out -- from the images the costumes and character design look really wonderful.

Yes, great art (and characters with depth), but the story line is the best. Some of the fights are a lot of fun!   
We are watching its sequel "Magi: The Kingdom of Magic", but I am already on the lookout for something exciting after we finish that one.

Hmmm,  are you (or anybody else here) familiar with "Fate/Zero"? Is that a good anime?

[Corey]

I haven't seen it. Greg?

One I'd recommend watching with kids is Kino's Journey



The story follows Kino as she travels with her talking motorcycle Hermes to different lands (the world is similar to Earth, but not quite familiar as being set in the past or future) where she encounters the quirks, customs and histories of these places, while only remaining in each place for 3 days before she drives restlessly on to the next land. Not violent apart from one scene (in the entire series) and I found the backgrounds, world design and in-show music very soothing, the story morally interesting and emotionally complex and often quite touching, and the different worlds are all very unique and imaginatively fleshed out. Definitely one of my favorites. I am due for a rewatch myself.

[ibanezmonster]

14 episodes into Steins;Gate -- wasn't sure about this series at first, the limited setting and repetitious nature was reminding me too much of Death Note and Okabe/Hououin's Mad Professor grandstanding was starting to wear thing, but the last episode was such a shock in terms of the shift in tone -- wow, did not expect that at all (I assume the only person reading this, Greg, knows what I mean).

An aside: why does Daru sound like he is actually mentally handicapped? Is it just a cartoonish exaggeration of the otaku-type (which get a lot of shit from Japanese media in general) or are there people who actually talk like that? (NB I am watching with the Japanese audio and English subs(

Steins;Gate does get into a roller coaster ride of feelings the longer it goes on.

I would be surprised if many people talk like Daru lol...

Hmmm,  are you (or anybody else here) familiar with "Fate/Zero"? Is that a good anime?

It's supposed to be really good. I just watched the first episode of the series and was like "meh" and never continued it- which really doesn't mean anything.

We are watching its sequel "Magi: The Kingdom of Magic", but I am already on the lookout for something exciting after we finish that one.

I've never watched Magi, so not sure what you would be in the mood to watch after that... most of what I'd recommend is definitely not for kids. 

Kino's Journey is great, but totally different (I hear Magi is a shounen). I would say Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood may be good to watch, though I was surprised to see an R rating (violence & profanity). Not sure how much profanity would be in the English dub, since I watched it subbed. Either way, it's a must watch, being ranked as the top anime of all time.

[Moonfish]

I haven't seen it. Greg?

One I'd recommend watching with kids is Kino's Journey



The story follows Kino as she travels with her talking motorcycle Hermes to different lands (the world is similar to Earth, but not quite familiar as being set in the past or future) where she encounters the quirks, customs and histories of these places, while only remaining in each place for 3 days before she drives restlessly on to the next land. Not violent apart from one scene (in the entire series) and I found the backgrounds, world design and in-show music very soothing, the story morally interesting and emotionally complex and often quite touching, and the different worlds are all very unique and imaginatively fleshed out. Definitely one of my favorites. I am due for a rewatch myself.

I've never watched Magi, so not sure what you would be in the mood to watch after that... most of what I'd recommend is definitely not for kids. 

Kino's Journey is great, but totally different (I hear Magi is a shounen). I would say Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood may be good to watch, though I was surprised to see an R rating (violence & profanity). Not sure how much profanity would be in the English dub, since I watched it subbed. Either way, it's a must watch, being ranked as the top anime of all time.

Thanks for the recommendations, Kitsune & Greg!  I see that Kino's Journey is available on Amazon Prime. It definitely seems very PG  .  Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood I have heard about (lots), but have yet not entered its world. I was thinking about that one of Fate/Zero. I checked out the first episode of the latter and was not too impressed. Perhaps I should give it a chance...?

[kitsune]

Good lord, the last couple EPs of Steins;Gate (#15-20) are some of the most emotionally engaging of any anime I've seen. The episode centering around Moeka and her obsession with "FB" and her subsequent suicide in that particular world line was extremely upsetting.

[Moonfish]

Good lord, the last couple EPs of Steins;Gate (#15-20) are some of the most emotionally engaging of any anime I've seen. The episode centering around Moeka and her obsession with "FB" and her subsequent suicide in that particular world line was extremely upsetting.

You changed your account?

[kitsune]

You changed your account?

Yes, since I no longer wanted to see replies from a certain unsavory thread that was poisoning my experience of this mostly lovely forum.

[Moonfish]

Good lord, the last couple EPs of Steins;Gate (#15-20) are some of the most emotionally engaging of any anime I've seen. The episode centering around Moeka and her obsession with "FB" and her subsequent suicide in that particular world line was extremely upsetting.

Hmm, I need to check out Steinsgate....   

[kitsune]

Yes, but now you know too much since my spoiler-hider failed! 

[Moonfish]

Yes, but now you know too much since my spoiler-hider failed! 

Ha ha! I am pretty good at not reading what I don't want to read so your "spoiler-hider" worked!   

[Abuelo Igor]

I move the discussion from the dating thread here because it seems more appropriate:

One of the worst effects of Western influence on Japanese culture. In traditional Japanese art the eyes tend to be even under-emphasized.

See what I mean? What's supposed to be so EVIL about anime big eyes? They really seem to infuriate some people. North Star seems to think they are hateful and a symptom of harmful cultural contamination. Why?

[Sergeant Rock]

I move the discussion from the dating thread here because it seems more appropriate:

See what I mean? What's supposed to be so EVIL about anime big eyes? They really seem to infuriate some people. North Star seems to think they are hateful and a symptom of harmful cultural contamination. Why?

Not hateful (at least in my case) but comically unnatural. I don't watch much anime (I usually get bored, or grossed out, half way through a series or film) but the one I did watch to completion is typical: Girls und Panzers: very realistic depictions of the tanks, including the interiors; and utterly unrealistic girls with super-sized eyes. The discrepancy between the cartoonish depictions of the girls and the realism of the hardware is difficult for me to justify or accept.

Sarge

[Abuelo Igor]

Is it just as irritating with, say, cartoony Disney characters interacting with painterly, realistically designed backgrounds and props, as in films like Hunchback of Notre Dame and its like, or does the animation have to be Asian to push all the wrong buttons?

[ibanezmonster]

The discrepancy between the cartoonish depictions of the girls and the realism of the hardware is difficult for me to justify or accept.

That show seems like a gimmick to me. Haven't watched it, though.

I can't think of many military anime, but the Full Metal Panic series is definitely great. It's sort of half-military, half-slice of life high school comedy. My favorite in the series is Full Metal Panic Fumoffu- just brings in the comedy big time. One of the funniest shows I've watched.

Watched episode 1 of Kill la Kill... pretty crazy stuff. It has potential for me to really like it, but I'll still be looking for something that hooks me in from the very start so I don't have to invest time in the show and realize I'm not that interested in it, or like the show but have no appetite for it (Psycho Pass and Trigun, for example).

[kitsune]

Have you finished KLK yet?  Seriously that is maybe the fastest paced show (not limited to anime) that I've seen. I describe it to people as  "the most epic video game never created" in that everything just keeps *levelling up* -- which normally would bother me if it were just mindless fighting but KLK is so smartly done. I found myself having to pause it occasionally because I missed something due to laughing too hard. 

About halfway through JoJo -- since it's transformed from just being "Dio and JoJo Hate Each Other: The Series" it's actually gotten more interesting and badass. The "poses" are still hilarious and ridiculous though.

[kitsune]

Sarge miiiight enjoy the Wagnerian overblowness of Attack on Titan with its rampant Germanophilia and highly militaristic society, but I feel like it's hard to recommend entire series unless someone has prior familiarity with other things (or seems like they would commit to watching 20-something episodes of a thing)

[ibanezmonster]

Sarge miiiight enjoy the Wagnerian overblowness of Attack on Titan with its rampant Germanophilia and highly militaristic society, but I feel like it's hard to recommend entire series unless someone has prior familiarity with other things (or seems like they would commit to watching 20-something episodes of a thing)

That would be a good one, or, speaking of Germany, Monster may be another good recommendation for him (though it is over 70 episodes).

Have you finished KLK yet?  Seriously that is maybe the fastest paced show (not limited to anime) that I've seen. I describe it to people as  "the most epic video game never created" in that everything just keeps *levelling up* -- which normally would bother me if it were just mindless fighting but KLK is so smartly done. I found myself having to pause it occasionally because I missed something due to laughing too hard. 

Lol, nice description. At the rate I'm watching anime now, though, it'll take forever. 13 on my watching list, only an episode or two a day lately. 

[kitsune]

lol, I had to go down to just watching one series at a time (even though I was watching at the most 5 or so concurrently) -- I wasn't getting the plotlines confused or anything but the impact of each one individually seemed lessened (and I would've hated to not have been as affected by Steins;Gate as much as I ended up being)