Author Topic: Anime [General] (Read 29399 times)

Bill Aurion · « **Reply #50 on:** July 12, 2006, 05:54:59 AM »

"Oh and they tend to make heroes way too overpowered (Utawarerumono is very excessive at that), sometimes you wonder why people even bother fielding ordinary soldiers when heroes could take down an army alone."

Well there is also the flood of anime/manga that have a main character that is absolutely worthless in every regard...

Athrun Zala · « **Reply #51 on:** July 12, 2006, 07:45:30 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: oohhboy
I reckon that the heros from Gundam SEED aren't that overpowered at all. The internal rules that they follow are fairly constant. Intially they are limited by power time. Then later they are simiply limited to where they can be at any one time.

I was thinking in SEED Destiny, where Kira is basically unstoppable (he only lost to plot devices). Shinn had the same problem.
But in SEED he was as well, as evidenced by the fact that he only had a hard time when he was outnumbered by other Gundams (against the ZAFT Red Coats, the Druggies or Raww and Providence

Kairon · « **Reply #52 on:** July 12, 2006, 08:04:19 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Bill Aurion
"Oh and they tend to make heroes way too overpowered (Utawarerumono is very excessive at that), sometimes you wonder why people even bother fielding ordinary soldiers when heroes could take down an army alone."

Well there is also the flood of anime/manga that have a main character that is absolutely worthless in every regard...

Yeah, but that worthless characters is, for some strange reason, the only one who has the strength of spirit to combat giant uber pseudo-psychological mechs that, by sheer force of will, overcome impossible odds to defeat the baddies.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

bustin98 · « **Reply #53 on:** July 12, 2006, 08:57:10 AM »

Aside from Miyazaki, Steamboy from the creator of Akira is an excellent piece of work that stands above the crowd. The only downer for me is Anna Paquin doing the voice of the boy. How hard can it be to find a boy that can do the job? Whoever had the bright idea that a girly girl like Anna could pass as a boy should be looking for a new job. At least Patrick Stewart does an as always teriffic job.

Bill Aurion · « **Reply #54 on:** July 12, 2006, 09:36:50 AM »

Oh, and I haven't yet mentioned that The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is the best anime ever...It excels story-wise, production-wise, and everything else-wise!

Shakugan no Shana is awesome, too, but I'm finding it near-impossible to compare anything to the pureness of Haruhi...

Kairon · « **Reply #55 on:** July 12, 2006, 10:05:28 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: bustin98
Aside from Miyazaki, Steamboy from the creator of Akira is an excellent piece of work that stands above the crowd. The only downer for me is Anna Paquin doing the voice of the boy. How hard can it be to find a boy that can do the job? Whoever had the bright idea that a girly girl like Anna could pass as a boy should be looking for a new job. At least Patrick Stewart does an as always teriffic job.

No. Steam Boy sucked. It was transparent and sophomoric and tried to be all over the place resulting in it failing to maintain a single powerful narrative thread.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

oohhboy · « **Reply #56 on:** July 12, 2006, 04:49:55 PM »

I haven't watched SEED Destiny yet. How does it stack up to the first series?

Athrun Zala · « **Reply #57 on:** July 12, 2006, 05:14:11 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: oohhboy
I haven't watched SEED Destiny yet. How does it stack up to the first series?

it's considerably worse, a lot of plotholes, unresolved things, and badly developed characters (I blame all that on Fukuda giving up to fan pressure and letting his wife do whatever she wanted with the script). But overall it isn't so bad and quite entertaining (and the first 13 eps are awesome), and it's not the worst Gundam serie/movie/whatever either (that "honor" goes to G-Saviour)

I forgot Shakugan no Shana! that one was after FMA in the "to watch" list....

EDIT: clarified some things...

bustin98 · « **Reply #58 on:** July 12, 2006, 08:43:19 PM »

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No. Steam Boy sucked. It was transparent and sophomoric and tried to be all over the place resulting in it failing to maintain a single powerful narrative thread.

I didn't come away from it feeling like that at all. I didn't go into it with any expectations, nor read up on it before hand. So I was easy to please. I thought the art was clean, the animation fluid, and the story was what I expect from anime. After all, who keeps a little girl in a war machine?

Perhaps my judgement is flawed from years of exposure to Bubble Gum Crisis and the likes of Voltron and Tranzor Z ?

Kairon · « **Reply #59 on:** July 12, 2006, 08:55:30 PM »

See? Told you I was a hater of anime!

Now... I wonder what will be the next anime I watch that I hate utterly and completely?

Oh, I also hated Metropolis and Cowboy Bebop the Movie...

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

KDR_11k · « **Reply #60 on:** July 13, 2006, 04:28:16 AM »

Oh, I also hated Metropolis

What's your problem with Fritz Lang?

(The anime movie had to be renamed in Germany because people wouldn't like such a bastardization of the classic. That's like having Arnold Schwarzenegger star in a Citizen Kane remake.)

Caliban · « **Reply #61 on:** July 13, 2006, 06:19:59 AM »

Fritz Lang is awesome!

Kairon > Have you watched "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust"?

Kairon · « **Reply #62 on:** July 13, 2006, 08:44:35 AM »

I watched Vampire Hunter D, the 70's/80's era cult classic. Not the bloodlust though, unfortunately no. Am I to understand that you're recommending me the Vampire Hunter D: BLoodlust series? I would not be averse to watching it, the original (and, I understand, flawed) version was not altogether unseemly.

Indeed, there seems to me something more pure and less contemptible in older, non-modern anime. They seem somehow less... spoiled by the commercialism, sensationalism, and rampant mediocrity that runs amok these days.

Yes.... quite right.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

UltimatePartyBear · « **Reply #63 on:** July 13, 2006, 10:21:05 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
Oh, I also hated Metropolis

What's your problem with Fritz Lang?

(The anime movie had to be renamed in Germany because people wouldn't like such a bastardization of the classic. That's like having Arnold Schwarzenegger star in a Citizen Kane remake.)

Was it really supposed to be based on the old silent movie? I noticed the similarities, but the differences were great enough that I didn't think it was supposed to be a remake or retelling. It seemed like an homage at most.

Caliban · « **Reply #64 on:** July 13, 2006, 12:03:46 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
Am I to understand that you're recommending me the Vampire Hunter D: BLoodlust series?

It's a movie.

http://www.vampirehunterdbloodlust.com/

http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,864,khbolp,vampire_hunter_.html

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=238

Review: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/reviews/display.php?id=255

I'm a fan of Miyazaki too, but I'm open to other artists too. Let's just say that Miyazaki makes animation of a certain theme but that theme alone isn't enough to satisfy my mind.

mantidor · « **Reply #65 on:** July 13, 2006, 03:38:32 PM »

Bloodlust is visually mind-blowing, I just loved the whole style and animation, the story is also good but don't expect an oscar worthy script or anything.

And I also saw Metropolis as a homage not only to Lang's work but to Tezuka as well, as I understand the story was written by him inspired by the original movie, but he never finished it. I also have vague memories of Astroboy so the film made me feel kind of nostalgic. I disagree that it bastardize the original it was a very well done movie.

And it has been a while since my first post in this thread, now that Monster has finished I cannot recommend it enough, is the best series Ive ever seen animated or not.

Caliban · « **Reply #66 on:** July 13, 2006, 06:27:30 PM »

I've heard alot of good things about Monster, one of these days I will either decide to download the anime or buy the manga which is supposed to be already licensed in North-America. Is it any good as DeathNote? I know DeathNote doesn't have an anime version, it has a movie though, but I would still like to know if Monster is just as good.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #67 on:** July 13, 2006, 09:41:34 PM »

I saw Metropolis (aka Robotic Angel) as the typical butchering anime makers do with any source material.

wandering · « **Reply #68 on:** July 13, 2006, 10:03:19 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
I am a hater of anime. This is because I loved 'em as a child.

I grew up with only a limited exposure to anime.

Interesting that I was kind of the exact opposite. I started with Dragon Ball Z (edited and dubbed, no less). Back in the day, I told anyone that asked how much I hated Japanamation. After telling one such person, he recommended Cowboy Bebop. I wasn't that big on westerns (or anime, obviously), but I made a note of it.

...when I caught Bebop on TV a year later, I was surprised (and not just because it was more science fiction that western.) It wasn't like any animated series I had seen before. Yes, there were fight scenes between people with weird hairdo's. But between them....there were characters sitting around... bored, hungry. Real people, doing what they would really do in the situation they were in. And even the fight scenes...they didn't involve static pictures of people shouting as a blurry backdrop moved behind them. They were well choreographed, fully animated and, of course, set to jazz music.

Bebop was the beginning of a whole new world for me. I rented Grave of the Fireflies (and was moved to near tears). I drove 50 minutes to a screening of an acclaimed film from an apparently famous director who I'd never heard of: Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away (and was blown away).

Nowadays, when I hear someone like you say they hate anime - I think of them the same way as someone who says they hate books or film. It's such a broad and diverse genre, I think saying you just outright hate it is silly. Sure, baseline anime sucks...but so does baseline film, books, paintings, and what have you. With anime, you have to cherry pick, just like you do with any other entertainment medium.

Quote
Seriously, it's almost a crime to call Miyazaki stuff anime. He's heads and shoulders above anything else on the market now.

I think it's a crime to say Miyazaki's stuff isn't anime. It is. And Orson Scott Card's books are science fiction/fantasy. And the Mona Lisa is a painting. Yes, Miyazaki's work is exceptionally good, but to say it isn't anime is an insult to the genre.

Kairon · « **Reply #69 on:** July 14, 2006, 09:40:11 AM »

To say Miyazaki's stuff is anime is to insinuate that his work is at the same level as the commercialized factory work that most anime and manga is in Japan. That's why it is a crime, because most commercial anime has clearly emerged from a factory product creation process, whereas Miyazaki's work is of much higher quality. Of course, this is all in IMHO.

Also, Grave of the Fireflies is friggin' cathartic man. I mean...yowza. Dear god.

And Cowboy Bebop did have the strong points of their musical choices and their slight twist on the future-western genre (which, really, is not exactly brand new), but in the end it still contains anime throwbacks like funny/silly/non-sensical/genderless Ed, self-pity in the form of "we-can't-afford-food-let's-eat-the-last-ramen," and stereotypical femme Faye. Again, all this IMHO after watching a handful of episodes and watching the movie.

The thing that irks me most about most anime is how much it panders to it's own cliches, panders not references or pays homage to, and how transparent an attempt it is to capture a sense of hip coolness that it can translate into merchandising and a fanbase almost as if it had been demographically studied. In essence, I rarely see art in anime, and I rarely see an attempt at it, and I much, much, rarely, see any success in that attempt.

All inmo of course.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

couchmonkey · « **Reply #70 on:** July 14, 2006, 11:22:29 AM »

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust -- not a bad movie, but I found the female kidnapping victim incredibly hard to take. She's so wishy washy and emotionless all the time. It's like she doesn't even care what happens to her. Granted, this was the dub, maybe the possibly is a lot better. That said, I'm not a sub 4eva, I hate dubs kinda guy, I'll watch either and I'm about 50/50 split on which ones I like better subbed or dubbed.

mantidor · « **Reply #71 on:** July 14, 2006, 02:58:20 PM »

Theres no dub in Bloodlust, the original movie was made with english dialogue, the director wanted it that way.

Death Note is amazing, just in terms of quality I think its equal to Monster, but Death Note is more fast paced and its more like an intellect battle, Monster is much more full of suspense and takes its time to develop. Ive read the anime is an excellent adaptation of the manga so I guess the manga or the animation are both good choices.

Caliban · « **Reply #72 on:** July 14, 2006, 05:13:23 PM »

So by full of suspense and that it takes its time to develop, do you mean, it's as good as 20th Century Boys? (No, I'm not doing this on purpose)

mantidor · « **Reply #73 on:** July 14, 2006, 09:50:25 PM »

I haven't read 20th Century Boys, but since its made from the same author I'd say that they are probably similar.

oohhboy · « **Reply #74 on:** July 14, 2006, 10:38:02 PM »

Got a question. Is tiku tiku tiku! Grade any good? I have seen the first disc and it has potenial to be quite amuzing. I also know that the first is not really indictive of how the series go.

I don't need some high brow crap here. I am looking for enterianment.

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Author Topic: Anime [General] (Read 29399 times)