Novice Anime Discussion Part I (1 Viewer)

[Woo Jae]

Hey Zen - it's good to see new faces. *has seen Zen on testy*

Well, you could try Samurai X OVA collection. Good action and story, imho, and a fine fine introduction to Rurouni Kenshin. Alanna's Fruits Basket is a good recommendation as well. Patlabor Movies are also a good introduction to a series with good characters/narrative as well.

 

[Zen Butler]

Woo, thank you

Rob, you already sold me on Fushigi Yuugi but was under the impression that there is to be a re-release?

X (the series) is already on my wishlist. The X preview on the Armitage III disc looked killer.

Hellsing- is also on my wishlist. This beast though is a lot of cabbage.

Crest of the Stars looks great. (I like when you can get all episodes at once), I'm a freak like that.

Gonna wait on Kino's until they are all out. I hate waiting for resolve.

Would Last Exile fall into this category(drama)?


Tonight Searching for:

Vampire D
Vampire D: Bloodlust
Ghost in the Shell

 

[Ted Lee]

hey zen -

just an fyi, the picture quality in vampire d is just *horrible*. it was so bad i ended up selling the dvd. washed out colors, crappy transfer, etc. but the story was pretty good.

bloodlust, otoh, looks great and still had a nice story.

last exile is great - i'm collecting the series right now. definitely worth checking out.

 

[Tony-B]

Tony really likes Crest, but I like Banner a little more myself

I haven't seen Banner yet. Haven't gotten around to watching my tape of it. Thank god for TechTV and VCRs!

I'll jump on the bandwagon and HIGHLY recommend Crest of the Stars. This is the best anime I have ever seen in my entire life. Also, CotS was the anime that made me actually stop hating anime. You see, around the end of 2002, I was one of the most anti-anime persons you could ever know. I hated every single anime in existience, most likely based on the crappyness of what is shown on Cartoon Network most of the time. But, thanks to TechTV's decision to show anime and me being intrigued by Crest of the Stars, I am now a fan of it. Plus it's only like $40 or so at Deep Discount DVD for all 13 episodes spread across 4 DVDs.

Zen, just wait until you and I are talking anime in the secret area. I can only imagine what Mr. Hobbitron's reaction will be!

 

[Zen Butler]

Zen, just wait until you and I are talking anime in the secret area. I can only imagine what Mr. Hobbitron's reaction will be!

Out of respect to that thread's starter, let's keep the anime talk here.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

I noticed that Serial Experiments Lain and Trigun and possibly some other Pioneer discs are now available in cheaper "signature collection" editions. ANy difference between these and the regular editions besides the covers?

 

[Dan Rudolph]

I noticed that Serial Experiments Lain and Trigun and possibly some other Pioneer discs are now available in cheaper "signature collection" editions. ANy difference between these and the regular editions besides the covers?

 

[Rob Lutter]

The only difference is the ugly red "Geneon Signature Series" banner and the 19.99 price point... same discs inside

 

[Rob Lutter]

The only difference is the ugly red "Geneon Signature Series" banner and the 19.99 price point... same discs inside

 

[Derek N]

Just want to say hello and thanks for all the info in this thread. (Ok I read the first 5 pages and the last 3, will get the rest as time allows).

I am completely new to anime. I watched "Animatrix" and recently also "The Cronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury".

I am now in the process of making a list of things I might like to begin watching. I tend to like sci fi but am open to anything that's a good story.

I know asking for a list is the total noob thing to do but I am going to ask anyway. I am making my own but thought I would solicit an independent list just to see the response. I can then post mine to see how far off I was!

*Also, I am an audio/video guy so picture/sound is very important. Story is most important so should be the overriding factor in making a list however anything that's visually first class or has an outstanding 5.1/DTS track can also be mentioned.

Format of the list -> Perhaps a top 5/10 purchases to make in order.

Again I realize that there are recommendations already contained in this thread (i have read them and based my own list on them) but I wanted to get an idea of what you thought a complete noob should get to start.

Thanks (and sorry for the long post)
Derek N

 

[ChristopherDAC]

I, for one, am only too happy to help, but my recommendations may not be what you want. All right, for a SF guy with an A/V bent, wanting stuff available in the U.S. on DVD, I recommend:

Bubblegum Crisis 8 episodes, available from AnimEigo in the U.S. The SF anime everybody has, but worth it all the same. With a new video transfer &c. the always-stunning visuals and heavy soundtrack should have particular impact. Safely ignore Bubblegum Crash, AD Police, BGC: Tokyo 2040 at least for now.

Armitage III OVAs: 4 episodes, available from Geneon [formerly Pioneer] worldwide. The DD 5.1 of the English-only "Polymatrix" movie cut is marred by the curious scripting of the dub [Kiefer Sutherland and Elizabeth Berkley], also material animated for 4:3 TV is matted to 11:6 theatrical ratio, and the editing cuts out some particularly choice bits in going from 2 1/4 hours to 90 minutes. I cannot comment on the "Dual Matrix" sequel.

Wings of Honneamise Movie, available in U.S. and Great Britain from Manga Entertainment [at least formerly, may have reverted to Bandai now]. An excellent film by GAINAX, which went hideously overbudget because everything was done RIGHT. A real pleasure just to watch, full of very fluid and skilful cel-animation.

Cyber City Oedo 808 3 episodes, available in U.S. from Central Park Media [their "U.S. Manga Corps" brand I think]. Slick in the extreme. Crisp MADHOUSE visuals, well done sound.

Ghost in the Shell Movie, available in U.S. and Great Britain from Manga Entertainment. Sequel will be in limited theatrical release here later this year. Strong use of computer graphics integrated with cel techniques. Excellent sound, at least for the original Japanese soundtrack [the English dub has slightly different sound effects and music, which I don't think too highly of].

 

[Tony-B]

I am completely new to anime. I watched "Animatrix" and recently also "The Cronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury".

Sorry to burst your bubble, but that Chronicles of Riddick thing isn't anime.

Anyhoo, here are my recommendations for you...

Akira
Cowboy Bebop (both the movie and the series)
Crest Of The Stars

Not sci-fi, but still really good...
Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X OVA (original animated video) too)

Sorry I can't be of more help, but I honestly have not seen much anime.

 

[Tony-B]

Actually, I'm wrong. It is anime, I was thinking about something else. :b

 

[Derek N]

Supposedly its the bridge between Pitch Black and the new release.

Thanks for the advice! I have made a list!

I went and got Akira, Ninja Scrolls and started on Cowboy Beebop. I am searching for Crest of Stars but haven't found it yet locally. Although paying $49 for it instead of the $29 I have seen online is less than appealing even if all the $29 places are out of stock.

Derek N

 

[Tony-B]

Derek, Crest of the Stars is pretty hard to find in the local stores (at least from what I have noticed). I highly suggest buying online in this case. As you said, it's only $30 at Deep Discount DVD, and I think it is worth every single penny, especially at that low of a price. I should also mention that there are two series that follow Crest of the Stars: Banner of the Stars and Banner of the Stars II. There are 3 DVDs for each series, and they are selling for $18 each over at Deep Discount DVD.

Or if you don't want to buy Crest of the Stars and Banner of the Stars I, you could watch them on TV. Just as long as you don't mind watching it dubbed, you get a channel called G4TechTV, and you have the patience to wait for them to start the series over. That's how I got into Crest of the Stars, which was the first anime I ever liked.

Also, what version of Akira did you get? I think there are 4 different DVD versions of Akira floating around at this present time. The 2-Disc SE, the regular single disc version, the DTS single disc version, and the Geneon Signature Series version.

By the way, you are about to get into a money-sucking genre of DVD. Run away while you still have the chance!

 

[Zen Butler]

Where to start collecting Love Hina?

The films, series?

I'm the type to pull the trigger on complete series/box sets.

Where do I go?

Thank You

 

[Zen Butler]

edit

 

[Tony-B]

Series.

 

[Andrew Beacom]

Figured I'd resurrect this thread. I've slowly climbed onto the Anime band wagon this year.

Currently on my active list are Berserk, Cowboy Bebop and Gungrave. Seen all of the Gungrave discs released so far (1 to 3) and I'm on disc 5 for Berserk. I've only watched the 1st Cowboy Bebop disc though.

Funds are short so I've signed onto Greencine to see how things go. That way I can get exposure to more stuff without buying it first. Vampire Hunter D and Hellsing (1) are on their way.

 

[Matt_M]

Another newbie here.
What really got me into anime was the movie Jin-Roh. I both liked the story and the style. It sort of broke the stereotype for me that anime is like cartoons for kids.
Anyhow since then I got
Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Blood the Last Vampire and Cowboy Bebop movie and GITS movies and SAC and Appleseed.
Loved all the above and just ordered the Paranoia Agent Series.
I thought Akira and Princess Monoke and Ninja Scroll were OK and I know they are classics but they were not my favorite.

Based on my taste can anybody recommend any other series/movies. From what I read in this thread Lain sounds interesting. Also for some reason I prefer anime that looks more or less realistic rather then exagerated charachters with huge eyes. Maybe I'll get used to it later.