Anime recommendations

[Stormwaltz]

I mentioned it under its NA release title (Ceres: Celestial Legend). My extended review:

--

A sixteen year old girl discovers she's the descendant and reincarnation of a mythical tennyo (“celestial maiden”) wronged a thousand years ago.

Talk about dashed expectations on this one. We watched the first half of the series years ago, and really enjoyed it. It was elegant and creepy, like a good Tanith Lee novel, yet with a strong sense of grounding in everyday life. I loved the mix of mythology, genetic engineering, and cockeyed love quadangle. Aya falls for enigmatic prettyboy Toya, while Ceres – the thousand year-old tennyo who shares a body with her – prefers sensitive nice-guy Yuhi. Yuhi inexplicably prefers the vaguely obnoxious Aya. How like real life – the teenage girl wants the bad boy, while the older, wiser woman wants the good boy.

A shame they only developed this angle for maybe three episodes.

The second half of the series falls apart completely. The story they seemed to be building – Aya travels around Japan with a handful of comrades, rescuing other girls with tennyo blood from her family’s genetic experiments – is abandoned after the discovery of young Chidori. For that matter, Chidori and most of said comrades also disappear until the end of the series.

Instead, the story hops around, skipping weeks or months between episodes, disjointedly leaping from plot point to plot point and character to character. In one particularly baffling move they introduce, then kill, a new character in half of the third-to-last episode and expect us to be moved by their death. I don’t know if the manga proved too long for them to adapt, or if this lack of cohesion is Yuu Watase’s own fault. All I know is that every episode left me with the bewildered feeling that I must have missed the two or three before it.

Another problem is the relentless piling-on of misery. Sometimes the sturm und drang gets so heavy as to provoke unintentional hilarity. The death of a supporting cast member (all but forgotten for the preceding ¼ of the series) is intended to move us, but the reaction of another cast member – a long, high-pitched shriek to the heavens – is so overwrought that my wife and I burst out laughing.

One surprising thing about Ceres is its harshness. Perhaps our palette is limited here in America, but I don’t recall any other mainstream shoujo titles with plots based on incestuous rape, or with this many gruesome, blood-soaked deaths.

[SimuKaren]

All apologies, Stormwaltz, I missed that.

It was definitely best at the beginning, but I felt that they did an ok job of holding together the storyline throughout. It definitely became increasingly disjointed, but I got the feeling that was intended as Aya's life got more and more confusing. Just my personal interpretation.

And I must confess that one of the parts I liked best was the bloodbath element. Definitely not recommended for children.

[Lantyssa]

That was one of the series I never got around to watching.  It was at the height of my anime watching days, so I had far more shows available than I ever had time.

[schild]

I'm really enjoying Ghost Hunt.

[angry.bob]

I'm really enjoying Ghost Hunt.

Ghost hunt was really good. I'm hoping there's a second season. It felt like they just barely finished the character development in time for it to end.

[Stormwaltz]

We haven't watched much lately... I only have two nights a week I'm not crunching.

I rate on a scale of 1-5 stars. Everything starts with 3. Shows lose stars for disappointing me and gain them for impressing me.

Bottle Fairy (**) - As cute and insipid as the name implies. Not bad, just dull.
Strawberry Marshmallow (****) - It's as if someone recast Azumanga Daioh with grade school kids. Wouldn't be half as funny without Miu.
Inuyasha Season 3 (***) My wife's birthday present. I like to think of this show as "Sango and Her Awesome Demon Cat Tolerate Stupid Teenagers."

[schild]

I'm really enjoying Ghost Hunt.

Ghost hunt was really good. I'm hoping there's a second season. It felt like they just barely finished the character development in time for it to end.

No spoilers! I'm 10 episodes from the end.

[WindupAtheist]

You can put Big O on the list of shit WUA gets insane about, right next to Star Wars and Ultima Online.  I'll kill all you fuckers.

[stray]

Really? I don't dislike it like some here, but if you like it that much, then you'd probably love a lot of anime then. As long as you're a little open minded, then there's basically someone for everyone -- and a lot of it.

[Strazos]

WUA...Fullmetal Panic. You'd probably like it if you can even tolerate Big O.

Even as far as old-er school mecha goes...Eva is still better than Big O. Then again, I don't have much of a thing for Mecha.

[schild]

If you tolerate Big O, you can tolerate fucking anything.

He could probably, somehow, enjoy Harmageddon and Lensman. *shiver*

[WindupAtheist]

I don't have anything special for mecha either.  Scenarios that depict them as mainstream war machines, superior to tanks and aircraft of the same tech level just because OMG MECHS R UBER, usually annoy the shit out of me.  I liked Big O because of the characters and the general mood.  It could color in those characters without going out of the way to slap you in the head with anything.

The Christmas episode is a good example.  The crazy scientist making apocaltyptic threats and the giant evil plant he turned loose were really just big fat MacGuffins.  The points of interest were Dorothy getting Roger a present, Roger being sort of oblivious, and old Norman the butler making up bullshit about her birthday to make sure Roger got her one too.  That and the bit about nobody in Paradigm having any actual memory or knowledge of Christianity, except for the head of the corporation, who seems to believe it.

It all sounds sickeningly cute, but the show avoids ever addressing that sort of thing directly.  You realize that Norman looks out for Dorothy in a grandfatherly sort of way, despite the fact that he has all of maybe ten lines in the episode, and none of them are addressed to her.  It's understated and believable.  You could replace the giant robot fights with fistfights, or gunplay, or whatever, and the show would be no worse for it in my opinion.  It might even be better.

[angry.bob]

While technically not anime, I just downloaded the full series of Cybersix and rewatched it. I think it's generally very good and you should all watch it. From what I understand it's based on a faily large comic series. If anyone knows where I'd be able to snag translated scans/issues or the live action TV show I'd greatly appreciate it.

Also, I never watched them before, but the first couple episodes of Elfin Lied I watched this weekend were pretty good.

10 episodes from the end of Ghost Hunt means you haven't gotten to the best ones yet Schild. Watch! Watch like the wind!

[stray]

I don't have anything special for mecha either.  Scenarios that depict them as mainstream war machines, superior to tanks and aircraft of the same tech level just because OMG MECHS R UBER, usually annoy the shit out of me.  I liked Big O because of the characters and the general mood.  It could color in those characters without going out of the way to slap you in the head with anything.

The Christmas episode is a good example.  The crazy scientist making apocaltyptic threats and the giant evil plant he turned loose were really just big fat MacGuffins.  The points of interest were Dorothy getting Roger a present, Roger being sort of oblivious, and old Norman the butler making up bullshit about her birthday to make sure Roger got her one too.  That and the bit about nobody in Paradigm having any actual memory or knowledge of Christianity, except for the head of the corporation, who seems to believe it.

It all sounds sickeningly cute, but the show avoids ever addressing that sort of thing directly.  You realize that Norman looks out for Dorothy in a grandfatherly sort of way, despite the fact that he has all of maybe ten lines in the episode, and none of them are addressed to her.  It's understated and believable.  You could replace the giant robot fights with fistfights, or gunplay, or whatever, and the show would be no worse for it in my opinion.  It might even be better.

Dorothy is probably the only thing that makes me tolerate that show.

It's also why I said there's probably a lot of anime you'd like. Nothing to do with mecha. There's a lot of good character focused stories out there. Sometimes in the most unlikely of places.

[Fabricated]

The Big O was really cool until the second season, then it just fell apart Matrix-Triology style. The first season was cool, even with the just utterly blatant cribbing from every robot anime in existence. Giant Robo style mecha and vaguely-steampunkish technology is just cool goddamn it.

[Simond]

First episode of Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann is  .
In fact, it's better than that - it's  :mrgreen:

Of course, it's Gainax so it will either run out of budget, spiral towards madness, or both.

[stray]

Been watching Salaryman Kintaro. Perfect thing to get me out of a GTO jonesing (which had been going on for a year now).

Why isn't there more stuff like this? I've been searching high and low for comedies in this vein, but it seems like the anime world is filled with more things like Azumanga and the like.

Also watched Gankutsuou. Probably has the worst intro song ever, but seeing that the Count of Monte Cristo is my favorite work of fiction, I thought everything else about this series was pretty slick.

 

[Strazos]

Does Kintaro have anything to do with that avatar Schild formerly used? I notice there was also a TV drama based on the same stuff as the anime...

[schild]

That avatar was from Yakitate Japan.

Man, was that show fucking great.

[stray]

Just found that Miike made a film based off of Kintaro (holy shit).

[edit]

That avatar was from Yakitate Japan.

Man, was that show fucking great.

Sounds like a cool premise. Will check it out. 

[stray]

Another thing, the other element that Onizuka and Kintaro have in common is that both are ex leaders of biker gangs. Onizuka has the funnier take on it, but the flashback sequences in both series are cool. Which makes me think I'd like a series completely about biker gangs. That both of these guys are ex-crazymotherfuckers is a big reason why I get a kick out of these stories. I can identify a little

Anything out there? The best I could come up with an 80's film called Shonan Bakusozoku (Explosive Biker Gang of Shonan), which....umm....is hard to find a torrent for.

I know Akira had biker gangs in it, but it was a small element (besides, I think Akira is hard to sit through anyways).

[schild]

GTO Live Action still > GTO Anime.

[stray]

No shit? I thought I asked you about that long ago --- and got a different answer.

I avoided it so far. Guess that has to change.

[schild]

No. You didn't get a different answer. My opinion of GTO has never changed.

Here's a quote from me in July 2005:

Ah, and GTO (the Live Action movie from Japan) comes out next Tuesday on DVD. it seems Media Blasters managed to secure the rights to the Live Action stuff. Let me just say that it's some of the best shit ever put on film - Takashi Sorimachi is fucking brilliant as Onizuka. Unfortunately the movie that's being released (which is obviously testing the waters for the possible release of the TV show) is the weakest link in the entire production (11 episode series + a special + this movie). Nonetheless, if you have any interest in seeing what Japanese TV or culturally entrenched movies are like, take a gander at this - shit, buy it. Supporting releases like this is the only way stuff like Hero, Beautiful Life, Concerto, Oyaji, Gokusen, Friends, Shota no Sushi, etc, and the rest of the GTO series will ever be released stateside with proper subtitles.

[schild]

And here's the Very Not Popular Japanese TV thread. Man. That didn't last and that post took so long to make. Oh well, the torrent links are dead (just get everything at d-addicts.com).

[stray]

Cool enough. Will check it out.

GTO seems perfect for animation though. Not that the animation was amazing or anything, but part of the humor are the facial expressions alone. And just the generally weird shit that wouldn't work in live action (like the silly chestbeating and/or fight sequences -- especially that Hokuto tribute).

[EDIT]

I had no idea this existed: Shonan Junai Gumi. I'm really out of the loop.

This is exactly what I want (referring to the biker gang stuff I mentioned earlier), but there hasn't been much done with it, as far as subs go

[Simond]

More 'New Shows' stuff:

Lucky Star (KyoAni's latest) has a good, if vaguely familiar, intro.
Pity about the rest, though - hit and miss is the most complimentary thing I could say about the show itself. Mind you, that might be because I was watching a quickly subbed version; it's entirely possible that it needs a better (more in-depth) translation for it to work properly.

Nanona StrikerS is starting slow, but they've got twice as many episode this time around, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for the moment. Still waiting for the decent fansub team on this one, too.

Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann remains  :mrgreen:

[stray]

Now watching Golden Boy. Funny shit.

[schild]

Yea, Golden Boy is classic.

[Strazos]

Kind of the progenitor of boob physics.

[stray]

I have no shame. Onizuka, Jiraiya from Naruto (Kakashi to an extent), and now Golden Boy are probably my favorite anime characters around.

List some more fumbling, dumbass pervert characters --- I'll probably like them.  Greatest archetype ever

[Strazos]

Not necessarily dumbass pervs, but I'm gonna randomly list some stuff anyway:

School Rumble's Harima Kenji vs Sawachika Eri. I also like Yakumo, just because.

Black Lagoon's Revy is just fucking awesome. And amusing when she speaks in Engrish.

Full Metal Panic's Sosuke vs Kaname. The haircut scene has got to be one of my favorites in all anime. Some of the other characters are very cool as well.

Maria-sama ga Miteru's Yumi. I watch that series for Yumi, and only for Yumi. Especially for when the other characters mess with her and she freaks out.

Haruhi's Kyon, and by relation, Kanon's Yuuichi. They're both voiced by the same guy in Japanese, and he's fucking awesome.

[Fabricated]

Haruhi and now Lucky Star make me want to vomit. Explain to me why people go nuts over these retarded anime dance number opening/closings now?

[stray]

I'm turned off by the art alone on those things. Pretty much can't stand the whole range of anime with artwork like that (I guess it's Sailor Moon-ish??). Can't go for anything with an all-bubbly-female-cast as well. I'm simply not the..umm.. right demographic for that (i.e. not a teenage girl).

Pretty much sophomoric perverts, martial arts, and the occassional supernatural type stuff is what works for me.

[schild]

Ultra Maniac was Sailor-Moonish, but I enjoyed it.