HTF Anime Discussion Part VII (1 Viewer)

[Tony-B]

Did you watch the trailer? It looks extremely good. I just hope that it comes to a theater in my city, so I don't have to travel to Minneapolis to see it. The chances are pretty good, becase as I recall, it will open in roughly the same amount of theaters as Spirited Away was in right after the Oscar win, which would be about 750 or so. Just for comparison, Fahrenheit 9/11 was in 100 more than that during its first weekend.

Anyways, I've really been out of the loop when it comes to anime lately. Do you guys have any recommendations for good new series out here in the USA or currently airing in Japan?

 

[Woo Jae]

Bleach, Samurai Champloo, Samurai Seven, Gankutsuo, Yakitate! Japan, Monster are some of the top titles that are currently out in Japan/US. Of course, I can suggest other favorites like Naruto, Prince of Tennis, and One Piece as well.... but Tony-B ain't much a fan of those kinds of shows ;

Full Metal Alchemist is good as well, and is getting a very good release here in the US by Funimation. Paranoia Agent is also an awesome series released here by Geneon that deserves attention by anyone who is a fan of Satoshi Kon...

A title I feel should get more attention (being released by Geneon) is Hajime no Ippo AKA Fighting Spirit which is a boxing anime that just does not stop getting better with each episode. At 70+ episodes it ain't short, but it's SO GOOD.... The manga has been running since the 1990s, and the anime is very faithful to it. And the dvds, though short on extras per se, has five episodes per dvd, and it just makes you want to see more...

By the way, who has picked up Hikaru No Go here in the US? Was it Viz?

Anyhow, besides suggesting those series, I did watch some stuff last night.

Finished Saber Marionette J Again: Plasmatic Crisis and was well entertained by it. SMJ is one of my fan favorites, which is why my grade is so different from many online reviews. If I were to try and be completely objective, the series would be a B or B-, with Plasmatic series being 1/2 letter grade below (e.g., B-/C+) as it has fanservice and is sort of a side story. But as a fan of the show, I rate the series a B+ and Plasmatic Crisis a B.

Also watched Kiddy Grade #2 and some of #3. Interesting stories...

 

[Todd McF]

Has anyone seen Parasite Dolls?

 

[JohnAD]

Todd:

I knew about the manga, but I didn't realize that someone had done an anime. From what I've seen, it's sort of a goth/shoujo story.

Woo:

I was LAN gaming yesterday, so I didn't watch anything (again). Kiddy Grade's main story arc starts around disk four, so you should notice a marked increase in your enjoyment of the series .

Tony:

If you buy just one series this year, it should be Paranoia Agent. It's only four disks, with the last disk coming out on 5/10. If you really splurge and buy two, the second one should be Samurai Champloo.

John.

 

[Tony-B]

Woo:
My friend has been giving me fansubbed episodes of Bleach. I have up to ep 10 on my PC right now, but I just haven't had time to check it out. I'll let you know what I think of it when I get around to watching it.

Samurai Champloo: Good stuff. Can't wait until this starts on Adult Swim.
Samurai Seven: Seven Samurai? Is it based on that Kurosawa film at all?
Gankutsuo,Yakitate! Japan, and Monster: Never heard of them.
Full Metal Alchemist:Sucks
Naruto: Sucks
Prince of Tennis: Haven't seen it.
One Piece: Haven't seen that, but I have seen this awesome flash parody of what 4Kids will do to One Piece: http://www.deviantart.com/view/11707485/

You know, Fighting Spirit sounds like it might be pretty cool. I'll check that one out eventually too.

John:
What's Paranoia Agent about?

 

[JohnAD]

Tony:

It's really hard to say; that's ironic, considering that I've watched the first three disks. It's mostly centered on a mysterious young man named Shounen Bat, and the lives of the people he affects. It's very strange, but very good. If Satoshi Kon had done Serial Experiments Lain it might have turned out something like Paranoia Agent. It's one of those series that you really have to watch more than once.

John.

 

[Todd McF]

Full Metal Alchemist sucks? Based on what criteria?

 

[Tony-B]

John:
Saying if Satoshi Kon did Lain, it would be like Paranoia Agent really doesn't help me out...at all.

Todd:
Based on the "How much Tony enjoys it" criteria.

 

[James_Kiang]

Based on the criteria that if Tony doesn't like it, it sucks . Actually, my nephew has a very similar attitude. I have the first two discs but I haven't gotten around to watching them yet so I can't really comment. The two episodes I've seen on Cartoon Network did enough to get me to pick up the series though.

 

[Tony-B]

James, you got the right idea. After all, I am the supreme authority of opinion.

 

[Woo Jae]

Heh. Been very busy at work and watching crap. Lots to do, but too little time >_>;;

 

[Todd McF]

*sigh*

Youth these days...

Studio Bones works around the clock, including weekends for over a year to create FMA ... and one work sums it up.

 

[JohnAD]

Tony:

Sorry, it's just one of those shows you have to watch for yourself.

Todd:

I seem to remember that Tony liked RaXephon. I guess there's hope for Studio Bones yet .

John.

 

[James_Kiang]

Not to derail this thread too much - and it's pretty much been discussed before - but I think there's a lot of truth to this. My nephew is 22, just a little older than Tony-B iirc, and like I said, has a very similar attitude about things. (side note to Tony - if this is just an online persona, my apologies, but I believe that how people conduct themselves online is usually a decent indicator ofg how they are in the real world) My nephew can be even stranger as he will flip flop his opinions very quickly. He can play a MMORPG and think it is the greatest thing, then two weeks later it's total crap in his eyes. I know we all have been this way at one time or another, but the common element does seem to be age.

Back on topic, I am addicted to buying dvd's though I don't get to watch most of them. Anime in particular ends up sitting on my shelf waiting to be seen. Here's what I have still to watch:

Chobits (volume 2 on)
S-Cry-Ed (volume 2 on)
Last Exile (volume 3 on or so)
Twelve Kingdoms (volume 4 on or so)
Now and Then, Here and There
Berserk (volume 2 on)
Someday's Dreamers
RaXephon movie (did finish the series though!)
Chrono Crusade (only have volume 1)
Ninja Scroll TV
New Fist of the North Star
Fullmetal Alchemist
Evagelion Platinum (the hand of JohnAD has kept me from buying volume 7)
Yukikaze

Wow, that's like 50 discs or something....

 

[Woo Jae]

James, it adds up quick, and as you get older - between a job, relationship/marriage, and other duties it's very difficult to watch stuff.

I am lucky at the moment since I am single and I don't watch much broadcast or cable tv, but between work and life in general it's tough to find time to watch stuff...

Hmm I don't think I was like that when I was young, but hey - memories do get "rosier" over time. Today's youth are even more vocal about their tastes and opinions. As they say it's a whole new world...

 

[JohnAD]

James:

Mwa ha ha. Feel the power of the Dark Side of the Force!

That's a lot of disks. Speaking of Yukikaze, was the one disk that's been released the whole OVA, or are there more disks coming out?

John.

 

[James_Kiang]

I thought there was more to come for Yukikaze, but to be honest I don't really know. I'm curious about that as well - it would be a rare single disc series for me if it was complete.

EDIT: My wife is definitely not an anime fan. She has the notion that it's all about "mouse-girls with big eyes and big boobs". I want to pick up Grave of the Fireflies and watch that with her . My daughter shows interest in it, but she's only 4. I figure she should be at least 5 before I start watching Elfen Lied or Gantz with her . Seriously though, she does need to be a bit older to watch the stuff I'm interested in.

 

[TheLongshot]

Hey, I know that feeling. *looks at all the unwatched anime on wall*

Since I'm a night owl, I do have some time in the evening to watch some stuff, but it isn't as quick as I'd like sometimes with some shows. Particularly since my DVD player in the basement is my computer...

Jason

 

[James_Kiang]

Jason - I used to do the late night dvd watching thing, but then City of Heroes came along. Then World of Warcraft. And now, the PSP. I'll eventually get my priorities straight .

 

[Todd McF]

Sorry, didnt mean to come down on Tony-B. He likes Rahxephon so he's alright in my book!

I honestly think Bones is the best studio. Consistent excellence - Rahxephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess, Bebop, FMA geesh. Talk about a run!

And...

On Yukikaze:

"Apr 07 2005: Aarrgghh! More delays in Japan on this series and its Mave-chan off-shoot means a longer delay for those of us in the US/Candada. Oh, well. The cover is pretty! From Littleharlock's Newslog: "For all those waiting for the Sentô Yôsei Yukikaze FAF Kôkû Senshi DVD release (see my 2005/02/27 entry for release details) out of Bandai Visual´s Emotion Plus line, you need some more patience. Originally scheduled to be released in February 05, the DVD plus Book has been pushed back to a May release date and now all shops list that it has been delayed back to be released on 22nd July 2005."
"

News from
http://www.absolutetrouble.com/yukikaze/

I've never seen this but I want the DVD set myself. The only fansub Torrents I see listed for Yukikaze are 1 & 2 - so perhaps its held up in Japan as well?