The Anime/Manga Discussion & Recommendation Thread

[Lord Yupa]

The funny thing is, most anime fans bash Disney. And most Disney fans bash anime. It's very sad. I think anything can be a good movie/show regardless of the brand name slapped on the covers.

Well, unfortunately, some Disney fans can't get past what they feel is "sub-par animation" in anime, even in Ghibli's films . And anime fans forget that Osamu Tezuka, the founder of anime, was heavily influenced by Disney in his character designs.

[Little Red Henski]

Tezuka was actually more influeced by the Fleischer brothers. The same way Disney was also influenced by them.

[Evil Genie Jafar]

Ok....

A couple of days ago I went back into anime. When I say back to it is because I have "seasons" where I like to watch certain types of movies. Be them, action, Disney, anime and such.... In the case of Disney and anime it is very hard for me to go back and forth between both seeing how much different they are.


Well, I got back into it by buying 2 series: Rune Soldier and Descendants of Darkness.

Rune was hilarious! I just love it it. It is fantasy/comedy... more on the second category. I just had so much fun time with it... that I actually saw the whole 24 episodes in 2 days... and I was left wanting more.

Descendants I need to watch again. It is a horror/suspense/detective series and as a whole if fell very well but I didn't feel all the emotion that this anime supposedly has by reviews everywhere . I don't say it was bad but I do need to give it a second viewing very soon.


.... so, after the fun I had with Rune I ended up buying Gokudo on the Net... knowing it falls on the same category.


PS

1.So, I'll make my list of anime with my feelings for each one.

Angel Sanctuary: So awesome, I ended up buying the manga to know the rest of the story.

Animatrix: eh. I just bought it because of all the Matrix phenomenom

Appleseed: I really like it. The right amount of action and story filled with GORGEUS animation and a very active soundtrack.

Bastard!!: Just to fill the space of action anime in my collection. Not bad but not great either.

Blood: The Last Vampire: AWESOME as a movie experience.

Castle in the Sky: Weird movie for me since it takes me so much time to actually get to watch it, but once I do I like it.

Devil Lady: This one I actually bought because I wanted a horror series. And besides , I read quite so many good reviews about it. And it was at a great price (26 episodes for $30). But yet again, this one deserves a second viewing for me ASAP since I didn't get the wole concept... except for the incredible twist it gets in the final episodes.

Earthian: eh. Very good drama but the series has a HUGE gap in the middle of the stories so you don't get to understand what just happens.

Escaflowne: After avoiding it because of the similarities with Lodoss War... I must say I did like it a LOT.

Fake: A nice, fun and funny gay movie.

Haunted Junction: My first anime. This one is just hilarious.

Kiki's Delivery Service: Relaxing, beautiful and very touching.

Metropolis: High quality values in all sides... but the movie is SOOOO slow in pacing that becomes boring easily.

Night Walker Midnight Detective and Eternal Darkness: My second anime series. Especially good the first half of the series, the other half isn't bad but not as good.

Please Save My Earth: Unbelivable how this anime gets you glued to the screen to make you know what's going on there.

Princess Mononoke: My least favorite of the Miyazaki movies.

Record of Lodoss War TV: I like this one much better than the OVAS mainly because you get to spend more time with the characters and this universe that it actually feels epic. I also had the OVAS but the second disc got damaged!

Spirited Away: LOVED IT! My favorite Miyazaki film... and the one that made me buy the other 2 releases at the time.

Video Girl Ai: Very nice romantic comedy. Also, one of my favorites.

Witch Hunter Robin: My most expensive anime so far. It is sold in stores for $130... I bought it for $80 on the Net. This one actually deserves a third viewing. What this series has going on for it is the animation and the atmosphere. Sadly, the ending wasn't such a surprise for me since I recently played a GC game before it... and it ended up being the same thing.



2.In the end I must say that it is really hard to buy anime. Not just because it is expensive but because there are no places where you can rent it and see for yourself if it's worth it.

And right now it isn't just that there are tons of bad anime out there. Quite the opposite I'd say. The problem now comes by the fact that: 1) there are so many of your tastes you have a hard time to decide and 2) most people need anime that surpasses their expectatives and that is very hard at this moment.


3. And they're selling quite a few nice box sets. My best advice for anyone is to wait for this box sets. I know it is hard to make that kind of investment at once... but believe me, you can find really cheap series and in all is best to spend around $50 (or more) for a box set than having to spend $30 for each DVD (and we're talking about 7 DVDs at least; if the series doesn't have movies as well).

[anger is pointless]

i was wondering if anyone here watches anime and if you do which ones are your favorites

heres my favorites

naruto
bleach
yugioh
pokemon
digimon
monster ranger
hellsing
chobits
rozen maiden
rozen maiden traumend
wolfs rain

[Pasta67]

I've been a big fan of anime ever since I saw the first episode of Pokemon. My absolute favorite is Detective Conan (Case Closed in America), followed by Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragon Ball/Z/GT, Fullmatal Alchemist, and many, many more.

[RyougaLolakie]

I think I have a small history of anime thoughout my lifetime. Here's my point of view.

When I was in 5th-6th grade, my first anime is Sailor Moon, fallowed by Pokemon and Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z.
Those were generally my favorites until I finally stop watching them in 2001. In the year 2003-2004, my nostalgia of anime has finally caught my interest when I was addicted to Lupin III (1978 series) and Cased Closed on Adult Swim. Those two were certainly my favorites at that time. Last year, my recent favorite anime is Azumanga Daioh. That show is pretty hilarious and I'd enjoy the obnoxious scenes around the characters.

One of the members of my family were "small" fans of anime, except my little sister and my parents. My older sister loves Hello Kitty when she was young in the mid-1980's, then liked Sailor Moon in the mid-1990s. She also had a big collection of Sailor Moon and Hello Kitty merchandises at her appartment. As for my older brother, well, he liked Dragon Ball/Z/GT, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Inuyasha. He also played and collected Yu-Gi-Oh cards and he won dozens of times at the local Books-A-Million. He had quite of ultra-rares and super rares which it made my jaw dropped.

I read quite a few mangas at the school library. Osamu Tezuka's mangas were mostly my favorite because of the plots were breath-taking and the characters were truely memorable. I also have some mangas at home, including Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z. Those were very good too as the anime versions go.

Anyways, I always watch anime when I get bored most of the time.

[GaaraFan204]

Anime fans, i wish to know what anime/manga you watch/read. i need something new to watch besides Naruto,Inuyasha,and Bleach. ^^ but all Naruto,Inuyasha,and Bleach fans....YOU ROCK!!! ^^

[Mushu2083]

I've been watching Ah! My Goddess and SuperGALS! alot lately. Haven't been reading manga too much.

[GaaraFan204]

I've been watching Ah! My Goddess and SuperGALS! alot lately. Haven't been reading manga too much.

never heard of it but i will watch! ^^

[castleinthesky]

Films:
All the Studio Ghibli Films
Akira
Steamboy
Metropolis

Films I want to see:
The Neon Genesis Evangelion Trilogy
Ghost in the Shell 1&2
Pefect Blue
Memories
Wings of Honemaise (sp?)
Voices of a Distant Star
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Millenium Actress

T.V. Shows
Outlaw Star
Dragon Ball
Tenchi Muyo
Pokemon
Digimon
Sailor Moon
Yu Yu Hakusho

Manga:
None, too lazy

[anger is pointless]

i love watching anime its one of my favorite past times

these are some of my favorite animes

naruto
bleach
hellsing
monster rancher
rozen maiden
rozen maiden traumend
ah my goddess ova
ah my goddess tv series
digimon seasons 1-5
wolfs rain
samurai deeper kyo
omnyou taisenki (hmm i think i spelled that wrong)
chobits

[GaaraFan204]

awsome.... ^^

i love watching anime its one of my favorite past times

these are some of my favorite animes

naruto
bleach
hellsing
monster rancher
rozen maiden
rozen maiden traumend
ah my goddess ova
ah my goddess tv series
digimon seasons 1-5
wolfs rain
samurai deeper kyo
omnyou taisenki (hmm i think i spelled that wrong)
chobits

[TheSequelOfDisney]

digimon seasons 1-5

Weren't there only 4 seasons in the U.S.? Or am I forgetting a season?

[anger is pointless]

the new season started about 3 months ago its called digimon savers

its not in the us yet so you can only find the sub

[TheSequelOfDisney]

the new season started about 3 months ago its called digimon savers

its not in the us yet so you can only find the sub

I thought that U.S. wasn't going to broadcast any more seasons because of the lack of liking the 4th season Oh well, I wonder if the new season will be on ABC Family/Toon Disney? I remember that Digimon used to be on the WB in the mornings/Saturday, but for some reason, it's not.

[Kossage]

There are quite a few interesting anime series, and here are some of the series I liked.

If you want something dark and touching with nice animation, an interesting story, well-developed characters and an memorable soundtrack, I suggest you watch Wolf's Rain. At first I was a bit worried about which direction the show would take, but the show soon plunged me into the desperate world it takes place in, and I grew to care for the characters who are quite complex with their own agendas and whatnot. The series is a tearjerker, especially in the later episodes (although the desperate atmosphere is always around), and Yoko Kanno's work is very good in this particular series with some of the best opening and ending themes composed as far as I'm concerned.

<i>Vision of Escaflowne</i> is another interesting show, dealing with a bit of romance, adventure, war and psychological drama. The characters develop throughout the show, and the animation looks nice. Its soundtrack is one of the most ambitious ones for anime shows (another series with a similar type of soundtrack is <i>Fullmetal Alchemist</i> which is a nice series as well), and at some points its choral and orchestral beauty reminds me of Alan Menken's work in Disney films. The film based on this anime series isn't as good as the series, but the film too offers some nice animation and a very good soundtrack, so it's worth watching.

<i>Fullmetal Alchemist</i> is quite interesting as well and quite long too. The storyline starts off in a relatively simple way but gets increasingly more complex and fascinating as it progresses and introduces new characters. There are a couple of flashback episodes which make the story deeper, and the villains are occasionally shown in a rather sympathetic light whereas the actions of some heroes can be quite questionable, which in turn shows that the distinction between good and evil isn't that easy to make. Its soundtrack is quite nice with memorable themes, and the animation looks very nice. Even though the film that takes place after the series falls a bit short at times, it offers an intricate story with nice animation and a memorable soundtrack.

<i>Ginga Nagareboshi Gin</i> and its continuation <i>Ginga Densetsu Weed</i> are worth watching as well. The first series was made in the 1980s whereas the "sequel" series was made quite recently. However, don't let the old age of Gin fool you, because it does have an interesting storyline although it gets quite violent at times. Weed is a bit softer as far as violence goes, but it too has an interesting albeit straightforward story with memorable scenes and a nice soundtrack. The animation is a bit crude in Gin but is better in Weed, although the sometimes crude animation in Gin never bothered me that much.

<i>Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex</i> and its follow-up series are interesting as well, although the storylines tend to get so complex that it might take several viewings before one can truly grasp the whole story. It has an interesting soundtrack, and the animation looks quite nice, and the story of course, is the main attraction as it has both stand-alone episodes and longer story arcs throughout the seasons and offers quite a few twists and turns. It does get quite violent at times, but it's still worth checking out with its interesting characters and well-developed storylines.

[Spongebob Squarepants]

What about Bobobobo and Ultimate Muscle!?

[yanya]

.hack//(Sign or Legend of the Twilight Bracelet)
FLCL
Hand Maid May
Love Hina (I'm not a big fan of this one personally, but lots of other people do like it ... so I'll throw it out there.)
Outlaw Star
Read Or Die
Tenchi Muyo!
Trigun

[TM2-Megatron]

digimon seasons 1-5

Weren't there only 4 seasons in the U.S.? Or am I forgetting a season?

For me, there were only 3. The fourth season was so sickeningly awful that I strike it from the record. And why can't Disney get it together and release the first 3 seasons on DVD, already? Why in the name of some nonexistent deity would they buy the rights to the show if they were going to do jack with it?

As for me, I haven't watched an anime TV series in a while, but these are the ones I have watched:

Digimon
Dragonball/Z/GT
Samurai Pizza Cats (as a kid)
Medabots

There are more I'm interested in seeing, but haven't had time to find them on DVD, or some TV channel I get.

Movies:

Most of the Studio Ghibli stuff Disney's released so far, although I haven't bought many of them due to terribly inadequate DVD releases.
Digimon: The Movie (American)
Digimon Movies 1-6 (Japanese)
Grave of the Fireflies
Metropolis
Akira
Appleseed
Ghost in the Shell

I've only read one manga so far, that being the original Japanese Digimon one, "V-Tamer 01"

[bennyb98]

I personally LOVE Sailor Moon! Not the American dumbed down dubs but the original versions.