Anime recommendations

[rk47]

Trinity Blood's ending is sooooo rushed, which is a shame since the presentation is so stylish. I love their outfits design, unfortunately they just ran out of episodes to go deeper into character. SEQUELS PLZ 

Bleach is probably going downhill after diverging from the manga a bit. I can't really follow it well after they went the Dragon Ball (ban kai = super saiyan form etc) path, the power ranking is just way off, no way telling who is stronger than who etc. In the end I just end up catching it on Youtube weekly just to know how it's doing. I admit I was really into Dragon ball when I was 5th - 6th grade, but 10 years later, I've outgrown it >_<

[Strazos]

Reminiscent of DBZ? Cool, sounds like something for me to avoid like the plague.


DBZ was single-handedly responsible for keeping me away from anime for Years.

[Margalis]

My problem with a lot of stuff is that it is just too slow.

For example Inuyasha would not be bad if it moved at about 5x the pace. I like the atmosphere and the overall plotline, but it is just soooo tedious to watch. DragonBall Z was the same way. (Although DragonBall was not bad nor was the first season of DragonBallZ) It seems that in a lot of anime there is a LOT of people just standing around, slowly talking while nothing animates.

Trigun was the last thing I saw that I really liked, mostly because things happened at a decent clip. Cowboy Bebop was also good in that regard.

Inuyahsa, Bleach, Trinity Blood, Naruto - all too slow. A crazed editor could make all of these shows way way better. And in DragonBall Z they got to the point where just getting ready to fight would take 2 episodes...

I just cannot stand to watch a show for a half hour when absolutely NOTHING happens.

[rk47]

Believe it or not, that is how they make filler episodes in DBZ, because the show was catching up to the manga, they decide to slow it down with flashbacks, long talks before fights or a 15 minute power gathering session in order to overcome the ultimate bad guy. This happens a lot in the manga as well when I was reading it, 5 pages of nothing but holding palms up to the sky growing a huge ball of energy 

[Strazos]

Just went through all the stuff I have stored on my PC...

I really need to hurry up and get a DVD burner and about 50 DL DVD-Rs. I only have about 100GB of anime sitting around soaking up space.

[Llava]

Here's the thing with Naruto.

It fucking sucks.  I mean, it's really awful.  But some of the character designs are cool, and the strategic misdirections they use in fights are awesome.  Every month or so there'll be something really cool that happens.

Example:  Kabuto escaping from Kakashi in the hospital room was great.

Knowing the particular skills of the characters and seeing how they use them to overcome their opponents skills is a lot of fun.  What's not fun is watching the recap of what just happened, with a five minute monologue from each observing character on how they felt about it, accompanied by chakra diagrams and a 10 minute flashback to the ninja as a child.

Fuck, it's been 20 minutes and he's thrown one punch so far.

So it's sort of a "I have nothing to do, and Naruto's on, let's kill a half hour." thing, but I couldn't become invested in that show using someone else's emotions.

EDIT

Oh, I was over at a friend's a while ago and his sister is a big anime fan, and has some of that Azumanga Daoiohoyodelayheehoo anime, so I watched the first two episodes of it.  I watched the second episode because I didn't want to judge a show by its first episode alone.  What the fuck is the matter with you people?  Am I just not Japanese enough?

[Arrrgh]

Is that the "COOKING IS SO FUN!" show? I kept seeing that on the top 10 lists of people that had a lot of other shows I liked on their list...I've no idea how people who share my tastes on so many other shows could like that one.

[rk47]

Lol they're pretty diverse anyway, they have anime about bakery, cooking and other sorts of really obscure materials. Heck there's even a manga about cooking curries.
It gives you plenty of choice doesn't it?

Which brings me to my next point, I'm pretty disappointed Guilty Gear doesn't move into anime, Street Fighters did it, King of Fighters did it....with cooler cast, I'm sure GG would be a great hit. I saw an animated trailer of the game 3 years back, but nothing else >_<

[Strazos]

Oh, I was over at a friend's a while ago and his sister is a big anime fan, and has some of that Azumanga Daoiohoyodelayheehoo anime, so I watched the first two episodes of it.  I watched the second episode because I didn't want to judge a show by its first episode alone.  What the fuck is the matter with you people?  Am I just not Japanese enough?

I have no idea. Maybe you're broken. Maybe you're watching crappy English dubs. Somewhat possibly, the first 2 episodes are not the best (I dunno, I remember liking it all).

[Yoru]

stuff

Stop watching the anime equivalent of sitcoms then. Go get The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Or Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni. Those are the two highlights of last season, in my book.

[Strazos]

Stop watching the anime equivalent of sitcoms then. Go get The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Or Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni. Those are the two highlights of last season, in my book.

I second that motion. I would also rank School Rumble season 2 and (especially) Black Lagoon very high on the list.

Though I will concede that Higurashi got a bit odd in spots.

[Yoru]

I second that motion. I would also rank School Rumble season 2 and (especially) Black Lagoon very high on the list.

Though I will concede that Higurashi got a bit odd in spots.

I totally approve of the new avatar, btw. Kyon Solidarity, brother.

On Higurashi, quoth a friend of mine, "There's no problem that can't be solved with more axe murder."

[Lantyssa]

Oh, I was over at a friend's a while ago and his sister is a big anime fan, and has some of that Azumanga Daoiohoyodelayheehoo anime, so I watched the first two episodes of it.  I watched the second episode because I didn't want to judge a show by its first episode alone.  What the fuck is the matter with you people?  Am I just not Japanese enough?

I liked the first episodes, but it does take a bit to really get into it.  Once you know the characters it is beautiful.

Is that the "COOKING IS SO FUN!" show? I kept seeing that on the top 10 lists of people that had a lot of other shows I liked on their list...I've no idea how people who share my tastes on so many other shows could like that one.

Yes.  That was just the eye-catch for the first show's commercial break.  None of the others have that.

I just watched the short to verify we were talking about the same thing.  I could not finish the dubbed version.  The Japanese eye-catch I was going all fan-girl on before I was even a fan.  (As a side note, my ex who adored the show wasn't too hot on the eye-catch either.  Maybe y'all just hate cuteness.)

[Hoax]

AzuD put me to sleep in under three eps, School Rumble was not funny and the female lead was annoying (her sister was cool though).  I think Cromartie High is retarded, some people should just not watch pure comedy anime.  It doesn't work for them.

On the flip side I find the comedy in Full Metal Panic to be hilarious, same with MHS (Mikeru beam, roflsauce).

So you aren't alone on that front Llava, but really it seems like you haven't been listening to those of us posting in this thread.  Check out some of the fun time more action-y series that people have been recommending and keep away from big anime fan girl picks like AzuD and various anime about singers, gay pop stars and whatnot.

[rk47]

School Rumble Season 2 is marred with sporadic fillers and I think the writer is running out of ideas, kinda expected it.
One view of the 'One hour special for Season 2' convinced me something is really really wrong with this show 

I don't really dig Haruhi, lol the non-ordered episodes is one thing but the voice of the female lead turned me off as well as the personality. Seems like I'm only the minority since my neighbour and his friends liked it very much.

[Strazos]

Apparently, with SR s2, the anime was catching up too quickly to the manga, so the some of the episodes are in there to "slow down" the plot progression. Sucks, I know, especially that "2-parter." The episode involving all the main characters in that weird cyberpunk thing was ok, but the thing with the class rep? Unacceptable. I mean, seriously, she has about 2 minutes of dialogue throughout the series besides that episode.

And I can see what you mean by not liking Haruhi's "non-sequential" airing order, though oddly, the series still makes sense somehow (to me anyway). But anyway, I don't watch Haruhi for Haruhi herself; I was far more concerned with Kyon and Yuki, and Mikuru to a lesser extent. Some of Kyon's lines and commentary are absolutely priceless.

[Llava]

really it seems like you haven't been listening to those of us posting in this thread.

Nope,  I haven't in quite a few pages.  I just remember some love for AzuD (that's way easier to type, good idea) way back in the thread, and I've heard a lot of other people raving about it, so thought I'd check it out.

I just brought up Naruto out of nowhere for no reason, because that show pisses me off.

For most anime, I really don't give a shit.  There are certain shows I love, but the vast majority just doesn't interest me at all.  Since I don't really do the torrenting thing because I don't like to watch shows on my shitty old monitor, going out and buying a bunch of DVDs at $25 a pop without having ever heard of the show isn't really a viable option when, for the vast majority of anime, I could take it or leave it at best.

[Strazos]

Sounds like you need a new monitor then, or at least video-out on your video card.

[schild]

The last Good anime I saw was Yakitate! Japan! Even though I only watched to episode 43. Haruhi and that other shit from last season was overrated dreck. Hell, even Yakitate was only watchable for the "reactions" and SOME of interaction between the 4 main characters, particularly the teacher/sensei/head chef at that branch.

[Strazos]

For those interested, Black Lagoon Season Two has started. Shinsen Subs is subbing again. Note that they don't title the episodes as season 2. Rather, they start at 13 (since the previous "season" was 12 episodes).

[Strazos]

If anyone cares, the new version of Kanon is currently coming out. I'm going with afk's subs. They're currently at episode 3.

Yes, I already saw the original series.

Yes, I know this remake will be practically the same, EXCEPT for the voice of the male lead (at least, I dunno about any other changes) - it's being done by the same guy who did Kyon from Haruhi. The animation is also being done by the same people that did Haruhi (Kyoto Animation, they also did the later two Full Metal Panic series). This alone makes it worth it for me. I may even be able to replace my copy of the original series with this remake.

[rk47]

Not really an anime but TV-Nihon just subbed Akihabara@Deep, a live comedy series about otaku in Japan. I just downloaded 3 eps (one episode is 45 mins) and it's not bad for entertainment. 

[schild]

ah, I'd been waiting for that to get subbed.

[Strazos]

Schild, don't you have an old avatar from that series?

[schild]

I have avatars from Densha Otoko, Pride, uhmmmmmmm Engine, and GTO.

[Strazos]

I meant an avatar of a goofy Japanese otaku from a JP TV series.

So, I guess not.

[schild]

Yes. Densha Otoko.

[Fabricated]

I don't buy anime on the recommendations of other people anymore since I've just been burned way way too many times doing it. A lot of people kept recommending me awful stuff like AzuManga/Excel Saga/etc.

So my exposure to new stuff is mostly limited by what Adult Swim picks up. Their new stuff...eh.

Trinity Blood is neat looking, kinda stylish, and has a lot of wacky hair/outfit styles. The action is alright, and it's kinda cool how people seem to actually you know...care when people (even badguys) die. However, it has that same "power levels" deal that most action titles have along with that wonderful Japanese Kabbalism what with the biblical names and odd interpretations of Christianity.

Bleach...why did I keep hearing this raved about by the kiddies as being the next Naruto again? It's basically a harder edged version of Yu Yu Hakusho only with much less focus on ridiculous power levels (at the moment at least) and more on the whole life/death aspect. It wasn't really all that interesting though.

Also, I loved the first...2/3rds of Fullmetal Alchemist. The characters felt very human in their reactions and emotional responses (Ed coming to pieces at some of the deaths, and especially after nearly being killed in one of the early episodes was really striking), the moral issues raised were interesting, and I liked a LOT of the characters in general. The people who made the series also had balls of steel regarding killing people off, and actually bringing back characters most people thought were cute throw-aways to provide filler...

And then they explained the true nature of alchemy and the backstory. Good fucking lord was it dumb. Easily the worst ending to a series I've seen in a long time. You have this interesting pseudo-science with a vaguely coherent series of rules that didn't shatter suspension of disbelief and then you just throw that shit out the window. Blech.

As for Naruto...I like the early parts of it I've seen so far. It's Harry Potter with Ninjas but for right now the characters aren't astoundingly over-powered, and the fights have a lot more trickery and clever use of known techniques instead of the dude with the biggest blast of energy winning. The fights in the episodes that seemed to get the big animation budgets are amazing to watch. Well, when they aren't lifting stuff from other anime.

[schild]

That had to have been an homage. And wait a second, didn't the same fighting animator do both things?

[Strazos]

Fab, why not just torrent some stuff, if you don't mind subs?

I can see why you might not like Azumanga, even though I think it's fairly awesome.

And yeah, Bleach sucks. For me, same for FMA.

If you want action, check out any of the Full Metal Panic stuff, or Black Lagoon. If you liked Cowboy Bebop, Black Lagoon is more in line with that, while FMP is generally more lighthearted.

[Margalis]

I liked the first few episodes of Naruto when Kakashi-sensei was fighting the dude with the giant sword and was copying his every move. Kakashi-sensei rules.

Unfortunately after that it started focusing more on various middle-schoolers, which I find very tiresome.

[Hoax]

I find Naruto tiring for the same reasons I found the Kenshin TV series tiring.  People talking about why they kicked ass, is stupid.

Fab, whoever keeps recommending you pure comedy shows is an idiot.  Comedy in anime is tremendously hit or miss for most American viewers.  I'll second Straz's idea when it comes to FMP and/or Black Lagoon, although FMP is not a very serious show I'd try renting it from a hobby/gaming/netflix style place first.  Black Lagoon isn't in US DVD yet (I'm sure it will be though), so torrents are a must.

[Simond]

By the way, Central Anime has recently released a couple more fansubbed episodes of Legend of Galactic Heroes...they might even finish it in a couple more years.

[Fabricated]

Fab, whoever keeps recommending you pure comedy shows is an idiot.  Comedy in anime is tremendously hit or miss for most American viewers.  I'll second Straz's idea when it comes to FMP and/or Black Lagoon, although FMP is not a very serious show I'd try renting it from a hobby/gaming/netflix style place first.  Black Lagoon isn't in US DVD yet (I'm sure it will be though), so torrents are a must.

I think most of the people who keep recommending me these comedies just want to act like they understand the usually VERY Japanese jokes in the series.

Yeah Mr. Friend-of-one-of-my-friends anime fag, like you fucking get the whole angle in FLCL about the curry and the bitter/sweet soft drinks and how they relate to Naota growing up. I understand the culture enough to get it...I just don't appreciate it since I'm you know...not Japanese. I didn't grow up there so it has no emotional context to me, all getting it does is make me not confused when they focus on it; it doesn't make me more interested. ...er, sorry. Needed to put that out there.

I'll probably take that advice and start torrenting stuff instead of just waiting for a dubbed DVD to buy. I largely can't stand listening to Japanese people talk (4 years of class will do that), but I think I can do it to avoid dropping $15+ on another coaster.

[Llava]

Harry Potter with ninjas is a very apt comparison for Naruto.

I love FMA, but I do have to agree that the explanation for alchemy was pretty weak.  But by that point I was so engrossed in the characters and intrigue, the mechanics of alchemy didn't really matter to me.  SPOILER: The final duel between Mustang and the Fuhrer was especially great.