HTF Anime Discussion Part VIII (2 Viewers)

[Woo Jae]

And hello to the rare poster/ master lurker/ droogmaster Steve Christou, of the infamous Testy Thread fame...

Todd McF - dammit, more series I want to get like Texhnolyze ... you had to mention it didn't you? :wink:

 

[ChristopherDAC]

I wanted to know, by the way, about the Appleseed dub: how badly did they mess up the names? Shirow named most of his characters after Greek mythological figures, but the American translators have uniformly been insufficiently erudite to render them back out of katakana properly. Briareos Hecatoncheires [the hundred-handed Titan] has particularly gotten the short end of the stick. So, what was Geneon's botch job like?

 

[James D]

Todd- you can get Texhnolyze Volume 5 for $14.99 at Best Buy.
All- Speaking of Best Buy, they have X-TV series volumes 1-4 for $39.99 and volumes 5-8 for another $39.99. Seems like a good deal, but I have never seen the show. Any comments about the show would be most appreciated.

 

[Woo Jae]

James D:

It's a pretty show, but as I haven't watched it yet - got it a few months ago. No time to watch..... ;_;

 

[JohnAD]

Sheesh - I spend a couple of days off from my bad deeds, and I miss a whole bunch .

Rob:

Good to see you posting. Long time, no see.

Christopher:

Considering how much Greek names are Latinized and Anglicized, I'm not surprised that they're messed up.

Woo:

Get TeXhnolyze. Now.

As for Kiddy Grade, WAFO (Watch And Find Out).

All:

I got some anime watched in the last few days:

Tenchi in Tokyo vol. 7 - I actually liked this disk quite a bit more than the previous couple of disks. It's getting close to the end of the series, and we're finally finding out some more about Yugi.

Saiyuki vols. 5-7 - It was good to get back into watching this series after the six-month delay. Some pretty deep episodes mixed in with some fluff. Not quite check your brain at the door, but it's not RahXephon. Lots of action and lots of fun.

Hand Maid May vol. 1 - I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. Another non-deep series, but it does have some similarities to Chobits. I'm looking forward to watching the rest of this series this week.

John.

 

[James D]

Woo-thanks for the reply.

I am currently flying through Heat Guy J. I was able to get the first three volumes from Best Buy for $19.99 and the last four volumes from Rightstuf for $38.99. Don't be put off by the cheesy cover art because it has been quite a fun series. A question for anyone that owns Heat Guy J volume 6-can you fast forward or rewind during episodes 22 and 23? I can fast forward and rewind during the first episode on the disc, but I cannot during the last two episodes. Strange. Thanks.

 

[Woo Jae]

Heh why was I inspired to get X TV? Mainly because of an AMV I saw at otakon 2004's amv contest. I was like, "Damn - it's so pretty and shiny. " It's also why I decided to get Shamanic Princess as well.

 

[Todd McF]

Heat Guy J has such a horrible trailer. Is it good? Comedy? Serious? Violent?

 

[James D]

Todd- Heat Guy J is a buddy-buddy cop show set in the future. It is an action show with elements of comedy, sci-fi, mafia and revenge drama. The two main characters are a laid back cop(in the Spike from Cowboy Bebop mold) and his android partner, J. J is a by the book android, but he has an artificial intelligence that gives him an amusing personality. He is always preaching about what a real man would or should do. I wouldn't characterize it as an important anime like Eva, Rahxephon, Lain, etc., but it is a highly enjoyable show.

 

[DaveGTP]

X TV - I really liked the music to this show, and the animation was awesome. The show is sort of cliche as far as characters with super-powers, clamp-style lightpost jumping, etc. But the characters are cool, some of them with well-developed stories and personalities. And the story is good too. I'm a sucker for anything apocolyptic. B. Upgraded to an B+ for the
#1) Beautiful animation
#2) Awesome music (I bought both soundtracks, a rarity, not much anime music I like that much).
#3) A few very interesting characters

Escaflowne the movie: Personally I didn't like it much. The series is excellent, a favorite, addresses issues of destiny and predicting the future and stuff. But the movie is just kind of a bland fantasy show. I'm a sucker for fantasy and all but the movie was uninspired typical fantasy. Movie: B- TV - A-

 

[TheLongshot]

Oh dear, a Mike Patton project. I must have...

Jason

 

[James D]

Now that a new thread is up, I think that it's time for a top 10 list. Name your top 10 anime series(not movies) and your bottom 5.

Top 10
1. Evangelion Platinum
2. Rahxephon
3. Cowboy Bebop
4. Last Exile
5. Escaflowne
6. Texhnolyze
7. R.O.D. the TV Series
8. Boogiepop Phantom
9. Serial Experiments:Lain
10. Witch Hunter Robin

Honorable mention:Gungrave, Heat Guy J, Paranoia Agent, Tenchi Muyo! OVA and Noir.

Bottom 5
I only have one because I do a lot of research before I pick up a series and have been very successful in my picks. Anyhow, the one series that I just couldn't get into was Gasaraki.

I found it difficult to rank my top 10 and I could have easily changed the order. I always like reading other people's lists because it gives me ideas for new series to invest in.

 

[JohnAD]

James:

OK, I'll bite:

Top 10:
Cowboy Bebop
Berserk
Macross
RahXephon
Tenchi Muyo! OVA
Serial Experiments Lain
Escaflowne
Haibane-Renmei
Someday's Dreamers
Chobits

Also on my 'A' list: Fushigi Yuugi TV, Last Exile. Note - this only includes my completed series.

Bottom 5:
Betterman
Dominion Tank Police
A.D. Police
The Sorcerer Hunters
Happy Lesson OVA

These are 'C' and 'C+' shows. Luckily, I haven't gotten anything worse than a 'C'. As above, this only includes completed series.

John.

 

[ChristopherDAC]

Is this supposed to be out of stuff I actually have in my collection? Well, I tend not to buy things I don't like -- Genocyber for instance is something I have been offered many times but never picked up. But I'll give it a go anyway.
Favourite:

• Aim for the Top! GunBuster
• Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki
• Bubblegum Crisis
• Kimagure Orange Road
• Armitage III OVA

Least favourite:

• ADPolice Files

Maybe I can add some more as time goes on, but honestly I just don't think of my LaserDisc library that way. Most of the series I have are pretty short, and there is a fair number of one-shots and movies [what about movie series?]. Beyond the top 5 everything is about equally good, I guess.

 

[Rob Gardiner]

Todd McF and Alanna:

Put me down for another vote in favor of Trigun. The first disc left me lukewarm, but a recommendation by Rob Lutter convinced me to keep watching. The tone of the series shifts signifigantly around episodes 12-13, and the second half of the show was very satisfying. Right now, Anime Liquidations is selling 5 of the 8 volumes for only $8.99. (I can vouch for them, having purchased from them before).

 

[Tony-B]

Jason: +100,000 points. Saying that you like Mike Patton is like one of the best ways to earn points, since I am a Mike Patton fanboy. What Patton albums do you like best Jason? My top 5 would probably be this:

1. Mr. Bungle - California
2. The Dillinger Escape Plan w/ Mike Patton - Irony Is A Dead Scene
3. Faith No More - Angel Dust
4. General Patton vs. The X-Ecutioners
5. Fantômas - Suspended Animation

Oh, um, top 10 anime, let's see...

1. Crest of the Stars
2. Cowboy Bebop
3. Akira
4. Samurai Champloo
5. Kenshin
6. Trigun
7. Rahxephon
8. uh..coming soon
9. uh..coming soon
10. uh..coming soon

Bottom 5:

1. Dragonball Z
2. Yu-Gi-Oh
3. Pokemon
4. Super Milk Chan
5. Naruto

I could go on, but meh, don't wanna.

 

[Max Leung]

1. Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex (1st and 2nd gig)

I watched it twice! I'm a Yoko Kanno fanboi. Ok, I am still working on 2nd gig, but so far it is all good.

2. Cowboy Bebop

I plan on rewatching this soon. I even dug the movie! (Yoko Kanno is my goddess!)

3. Gundam Seed

I'm a sucker for space opera with high body counts - although I wish there weren't so many damn flashbacks - the same one every couple of minutes at its worst! Great music though - catchy, sombre, epic. As is the story!

4. Neon Genesis Evangelion

I couldn't stand it the first time - but I gave it a second chance. Quite different from the usual giant robot anime. Dark and introspective towards the end. I wish there was more Pen Pen fanservice!

5. Nadia

If I exclude the filler episodes, it's great! And I love the Electra fanservice. :p)

6. Full Metal Alchemist

Has light and dark moments. Great animation. Loses its way half-way through, but it's a good ride nevertheless! I like the concept quite a bet - original!

7-10. ??? I have to think about the rest.

I will start watching Kare Kano soon - I hope it lives up to the hype. And yes, I know the series is incomplete.

 

[Rob Lutter]

Here's mine:

1. Fullmetal Alchemist
2. Great Teacher Onizuka / Dragonball Z (TIE)
3. Escaflowne
4. Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
5. Cowboy Bebop
6. Neon Genesis Evangelion
7. Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki!
8. Naruto
9. Mobile Suit ZETA Gundam
10. One Piece
11. Yakitate!! Ja-pan

... which changes on a daily basis depending on what I'm watching

 

[Stacey_B]

Finally...RS ships out ROD #6. Anyone have any comments about this release yet? I must say so far it's my favorite release of 05' besides maybe Paranoia Agent and closely followed by Chrono Crusade....
Actually CC #5 shipped out with ROD

RS always either ships out Really early or Really late...sigh...cheaper than BB lately though!
Stacey

Alanna: I really enjoyed Ceres!! I bought it when they released it on the 2 ind. mini-sets. I liked the show a lot, very unexpectidly gory...I still like FY better though (or what I've seen of it so far!)
Are you collecting Chrono Crusade? It sounds and seems to be a show you would enjoy!

 

[Todd McF]

1. Neon Genesis Evangelion
2. Rahxephon
3. Last Exile
4. Full Metal Alchemist (based only on Eps. 1-8)
5. Witch Hunter Robin



Honorable Mentions:

Wolf's Rain
Texhnolyze
Ghost In the Shell SAC
Armitage III OVA

The only reason Cowboy Bebop is not on the list is the lack of story arc for most episodes. I'm not too big on stand alone episode - reminds me of american television - such as the X-Files where you have to sift though 20 filler episodes to watch 4 with an arc. Bah! What did arc in Bebop though was fantastic though.

Worst Anime:
AD Police
Silent Mobius
Robotech (sorry!!!!)
Lady Death