The Anime/Manga Discussion & Recommendation Thread

[orestes.]

Like American cartoons, or toons from any other country, it is not so much I like anime as a whole (because I don't like US animation as a whole either), but there are certain aspects of it that I like in some products more than others.

Generally, anime is cool because it doesn't assume that the audience are children, and when it does, it doesn't assume that they are idiots. As anime/manga is such a big part of the Japanese culture, they tell interesting and mature stories that hold up for both adult and kiddie audiences.

I also like the stylistic design in many of the films and shows I have seen, but again, this differs from show to show.

Well there is how I feel too.

[Alan]

Besides Ghibli movies I also like other anime. I use to love Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, and Digimon.

all my god, you like DIGIMON!? How old are you?! Thats the worst piece of anime that even existed. Its even worse than Blue's Clues!

[Little Red Henski]

Then why does he make anime movies?

If you want to know what Miyazaki really thinks about anime.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainmen ... 829431.stm

[orestes.]

Okay just to expand a bit...

I really like anime but I love all forms of animation and I think it's safe to say I love it more than most people on this site. Japanese, American, Russian, British, Canadian, French... I love it all. I love traditional animation, 3-D animation, claymation and everything in between.

However, yeah there are stinkers in animation and anime is no exception. There is anime I can barely stand (Megaman NT Warrior) and anime that I think is an abomination (Dragonball).
Some anime really puts me to sleep but some captivates me such as anything Miyazaki or Ghibli I have seen so far and Escaflowne.

It's nice that anime is accessible in most cases for adults and children and they don't dumb it down like they do with North American animation. (I don't mind NA animation at all but I wish there were more serious series instead of tons of comedy and just mostly that)

I try and get people into some kind of anime or actually animation in general. Most of my friends like Disney so I have no problem with that BUT some won't try animation outside of Disney and that is horrible! There are some great Canadian animated shorts, and great movies out there that are not Disney like The Iron Giant and Watership Down.
I try and get people connected to animation again if they believe Disney or WB's Looney Tunes are strictly for kids. You don't know how many people I run into in the span of a week that will say something like "Bugs Bunny is for little kids."

With anime I know some people who won't touch any Miyazaki movie because of these reasons:

1. They think all anime is hentai and about sex with tenticles and all that. Honestly some people I meet think anime = sex.

2. They think anime is just for kids and crappy because of Pokemon or Digimon.

3. They won't watch Miyazaki movies because there is too much thought involved and they believe animation is just throwaway entertainment.

What people don't know they fear.

I'm on my small quest to educate people about animation, widescreen and correct aspect ratios and Canadian television. Let me say it's not easy for any of them at times!

[orestes.]

Then why does he make anime movies?

If you want to know what Miyazaki really thinks about anime.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainmen ... 829431.stm

He thinks anime is dead. I think anime just needs a breath of fresh air.

[Little Red Henski]

Miyazaki has a point in calling the modern age of anime "the copycat generation." You rarely find anything original anymore. In my opinion the golden age of anime was the 70's to the early 90's.

[Disney-Fan]

Miyazaki has a point in calling the modern age of anime "the copycat generation." You rarely find anything original anymore. In my opinion the golden age of anime was the 70's to the early 90's.

You can say that for ANY movie these past years...

[Lord Yupa]

I personally have no patience for man-made boundaries whatsoever, such as anime being distinguished from American cartoons. It's all animation. Period.
I myself am a fan of Old Disney, some New Disney, and Studio Ghibli. I hate Don Bluth.

[iloveghibli]

Miyazaki has a point in calling the modern age of anime "the copycat generation." You rarely find anything original anymore. In my opinion the golden age of anime was the 70's to the early 90's.

I beg to differ. TV anime had a big jump in animation quailty thanks to digital technology in the late 90's. There were also a lot of notable shows during that time. TV anime didn't start to drop off in quality until after 2000. Film anime had a bit of a boom in the early '00s, but there's been a drop in the last year or so.

(1995) Neon Genesis Evangelion
(1995) Memories
(1995) Ghost in the Shell
(1997) Princess Mononoke
(1997) Perfect Blue
(1998) Trigun
(1998) Cowboy Bebop
(1999) Excel Saga
(1999) My Neighbors the Yamadas
(2000) FLCL
(2001) Spirited Away
(2001) Millennium Actress
(2002) Lupin III: Episode 0 'First Contact'
(2003) Tokyo Godfathers
(2003) Kino's Journey
(2004) Paranoia Agent
(2004) Monster

And of course popular anime such as Inuyasha, One Piece, Full Metal Alchemist, and Naruto...

[Little Red Henski]

I was talking about originality in the stories. Excluding the theatrical films and Eva from your list none of those anime are original in my opinion. I am not familiar with Exel Saga and the last 3 on your list though. I can't stand FLCL.

Do you really think Inu Yasha, One Piece and Naruto are original?

[Pasta67]

I can't stand FLCL.

Do you really think Inu Yasha, One Piece and Naruto are original?

FLCL is one of my favorites. The plot is so well thought out and the characters are so complex. As far as originality goes, I'm pretty sure an alien who can make robots come out of people's foreheads by hitting them with a guitar hasn't been done before.

Inuyasha has a very original story in my opinion. What have you seen in Inuyasha that has been done before, besides the action/adventure part of it?

I can't defend Naruto or One Piece yet because Naruto has yet to be dubbed (but it will be soon) and I refuse to watch the dub of One Piece since 4KIDS Entertainment basically destroyed that series in the dub.

[Kram Nebuer]

I'm not an Anime fan but I can tolerate it and enjoy some of it. All that I've seen I've enjoyed except Escaflowne (sp??) because it was too gross and confusing. I've seen:

- Sailor Moon (I've seen the very beginnings and the very end with the heart crystals and Hotaru and Sailors Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto)

- Pokemon (I used to watch it all the time when it was really popular but now I sometimes watch the movies if its on tv. The one with the ion and anion pikachus was good, but I fell asleep during the Celebi one)

- Digimon (I think this one is my favorite! It was like Pokemon but better. I liked the first few seasons except I always hated the DNA digivolving b/c they ended up looking stupid, especially Angemon and digmon or ankylomon or whatever. I haven't seen any recent seasons though.)

- Fruits Basket (I only saw the first few episodes but it was pretty good. I got kind of confused but my cousin tried to explain it to me.)

- Hamtaro (It wasn't the greatest Anime, but one of the cutest. Its most definitely geared more towards children)

- Dragonball Z (ummmm...that's all I can say. It was difficult to get into it and make sense of it so I gave up. I do have Budokai II though and it's fun.)

- Cardcaptors (Okay, but I didn't watch it too long)

- Kingdom Hearts (Lol, it's not a series but the characters look anime. This would make the most awesome television series though! There's too much for it just to be a movie but it definitely would be a great tv series or "television event" like Into the West. Good Gravy, Disney and Squaresomething needs to make this a series!!!!)

- Studio Ghibli (I've enjoyed all of this studio's films. Kiki's Delivery Service was the first one I saw and I thought it was great. It wasn't like anime I normally watached [magical magical creatures fighting] but it had a lot of real life with a little bit of magic that seemed totally normal in the movie's society. I also saw Spirited Away and it was very spirited and it took you away. I don't know why, but whenever I watch it I feel like it is a long long dream. I get so lost in the picture and everything is so mundane. It's like Alice in Wonderland but Japanese. I saw part of Castle in the Sky but not the whole thing so I can't really comment.)

[Little Red Henski]

The whole Inu-Yasha & Kagome romance has already been done in other Rumiko Takahashi Manga. Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku and even Ranma are better works. Naruto & One Piece look like Dragonball knock offs to me.

I hate FLCL because I hate the story. I also don't like it because of all its fanboys in the US who act like it is the greatest anime ever made. These same fanboys have probably never watched an anime outside of Cartoon Network or watched an anime subtitled. You know the type. I guess FLCL is original. I never seen another grade school boy get molested by teenaged females anime before.

[Pasta67]

- Kingdom Hearts (Lol, it's not a series but the characters look anime. This would make the most awesome television series though! There's too much for it just to be a movie but it definitely would be a great tv series or "television event" like Into the West. Good Gravy, Disney and Squaresomething needs to make this a series!

They might be. This came from an article on the G4TV website.

Also, a pleasant surprise came with the announcement; Disney also stated that they had plans to create an animated television series based on the characters from the Kingdom Hearts series. No word yet where the series will be developed for - it could be Japan, the US or Europe, but there is a possibility the show could be made with a worldwide audience in mind.

It's a very old article. I keep hearing that they cancelled the plans for it. But I wouldn't lose all hope.

[Isidour]

well, basically a lot of the animated anime come from the adaptation of the manga or the magazines of it was first released.

Saint Seiya,Cardcaptor, Yu-Gi-Oh!, ranma, Inuyasha, all started as a comic and then someones made them cartoon

[Pasta67]

Yes, that's the way it is with nearly all anime. There are very few shows that start without a manga, such as Dragonball GT. There are even shows that end but the manga goes on, such Inuyasha and Fullmetal Alchemist.

[Isidour]

And saint seiya too

[Starion]

I used to watch Pokémon and Digimon. The characters in Digimon are cute. Mimi has a really high pitched voice. I love the way the characters work together to prevail over evil. I haven't finished watching Spirited Away or Kiki's Delivery Service.

I gotta go.

[Disney's Divinity]

Besides Ghibli movies I also like other anime. I use to love Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, and Digimon.

all my god, you like DIGIMON!? How old are you?! Thats the worst piece of anime that even existed. Its even worse than Blue's Clues!

You're complaining about people who like Digimon but not people who like Pokemon? You're messed up. At least Digimon had a plot and SOME likable characters. Pokemon was nothing but a gimmick to grab as much money as possible from all the stupid little kiddies. Personally, I HATE DBZ. DBZ has a good story, but, like soap operas, it takes for-freakin'-ever for something to happen.

I, personally, love anime. While I like Disney as its own genre, I think anime TRIES to be more deep and adult/interesting. I like to watch something that doesn't seem to be glossed over for the sake of "protecting the children."

My favorite animes are Tenchi Muyo, Wolf's Rain, Sorceror Stabber Orphen, Gravitation, Ninja Scroll and Outlaw Star. Cowboy Bebop's another good one. Saint Seya was also recommended to me. I need to get it sometime. Inuyasha's okay, it just keeps on going and going and going and going...

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.

[Pasta67]

all my god, you like DIGIMON!? How old are you?! Thats the worst piece of anime that even existed. Its even worse than Blue's Clues!

Disney's Divinity's post made me motice this one.

Alan, first of all, get your facts strait. Blue's Clues is not anime, and even if you were joking (which I highly doubt you weren't judging by your logic in some of your other posts), pick an anime to use as a comparison, not just a random show.

Second of all, he/she can like whatever he/she wants. (It's hard to look serious when you don't know the gender of the person you're defending) Don't insult people's likes or dislikes, if they like something, they like something.

Inuyasha's okay, it just keeps on going and going and going and going...

Actually, the anime ended in Japan not too long ago. The manga is still going strong, though.