HTF Anime Discussion Part VII - Page 100

Nah, I read a few reviews on some anime DVD review sites that are a lot worse.

I read about the bankrupcy debacle after I had ordered the 2nd collection. Although, I thought the producers saw that the show was a big hit, and ordered new episodes as filler? Wasn't Nadia supposed to be 30 episodes, not 39, originally? But then, that was from a random DVD review I found on Google. Not too hard to find negative reactions, it seems.

I like the series overall - I just wish I could erase those filler episodes from my mind, especially that African village episode.

Whats the general opinion on Noir?

I watched Noir as one of my first anime series to collect, if not the first.
I found it entertaining and the story was pretty decent. However, the shear number of flashbacks made it a little redundant. Bear in mind that the show could've been show in like 4 disks as opposed to 7 and you'll know how much filler is in there.
The music was awsome though and although I have since sold my set, I still wear the t-shirt as pj's if that counts!
Stacey

Andrew:

Noir had a really good starting premise that wasn't executed correctly throughout the series. A lot of us thought they could have cut out all the fluff stuff and reduced the episode count to like 6 or 13 episodes. Only Chloe is the saving grace of the show.

Ok thanks. I was just keeping a look out for another Series my wife would be prepared to watch. She's been enjoying Witch Hunter Robin and we only have the last disc to go. She quite likes the dark, gothic like atmosphere and tends to like films about Vampires, werewolves etc.

Noir is a solid show, but I agree that it should have been a 12 or 13 episode run. Be aware though that ADV is releasing the entire series on June 14. The 7 individual DVDs will be in a thin pak housed inside a collector's box. Best Buy has it for $57.99 and DDD should have it for $53.99.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....uct&id=1430162

Too all new posters and faces (and hello to all returning posters: Hope you folks had a good weekend - mind was sorta busy with hiking and spending time with my folks...) Welcome to the Advanced Anime Thread (tho' titled "Advanced" we are open to discussion of anime at any level )

I'll prolly get Noir but only after I get Full Metal Panic and Argentosoma box sets first....

Had a busy weekend so only got to finish disc 2 of Saber Marionette J (2nd viewing of the series) and Kiddy Grade #1 (first viewing). Kiddy Grade seems quite interesting, and now am curious about the pasts of Eclair and Lumiere that was hinted in episode 1.

On Nadia, even though those episodes were tedious, I still think Nadia is one of the stronger Gainax entries and rank it far above Evangelion. For me, the best Gainax was (and still remains) Gunbuster! Topo O Nerae! And Nadia is something like second in my Gainax Favorites list... (And for me Mahoromatic is higher ranked than Evangelion ^_^; as is FLCL... *throws in discs 1-2 of KareKano as well ahead of Evangelion*)

On Twelve Kingdoms - the show is heavy with terminology, so taking it slow (versus marathoning) or taking some notes while watching will aid tremendously in viewing this stuff... I am -quite- behind - need 4 more discs to finish that series.

EDIT: to add more comments, and to add brackets/parentheses missed third! time around...)

Woo:

Well, I finished up Nadia - The Secret of Blue Water with a marathon of the last four disks on Saturday. I'm going to have to disagree with Max for the most part. The island episodes were a low point, IMHO, but I think the last two disks (especially the ending) saved the series. I did notice some truly unfortunate technical issues with the source. I also noted that where NGE got some of its music . Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to watch the movie. My copy of Nadia - The Motion Picture was unplayable on either of my players; I secured a replacement, but it might take up to 3 weeks to arrive. Overall, I think Nadia - The Secret of Blue Water is a worthy series, that's different enough from 'the usual'. 'B+', recommended.

John.

Damn if this isn't a long thread Has Appurushîdo aka Appleseed been discussed somewhere in here?

Watched the first 3 Overman King Gainer episodes.

Man its good. It action/drama but clearly likes to stray off the line at times from taking itself seriously. Hence the opening credits. TONS of fun - in a "Full Metal Alchemist" kind of way.. Also tons of action and a blistering pace. I actually had to re-watch the first episode to get it all.

The show is hands down the most colorful pallette I've seen in anime which looks stunning with its 1.78 anamorphic transfer.

The goofball opening song with the line dancing cast, including mechs and villians has actually grown on me. I'll do my best not to do the little scissor dance to the tune stuck in my head. I wouldnt want to get the stares

I know Chris has done a review of it on his site.

Jason

Regarding Gainax, I think my 2 top series from them are Nadia of the Mysterious Seas and His and Her Circumstances. Nadia has been my favorite for a very long time and still is in my top 10 series of all time. Yes, the island episodes were huge fillers and there were some more fillers spread throughout the show but you can blame that on NHK for making them expand on stuff that shouldn't have been expanded on just to get in 7 more episodes (32 to 39).

My club is watching Kiddy Grade and so far it is a solid B series. Currently it is enemy of the week episodes but I think the intriguing part are the side characters rather than the main characters, Lumiere and Eclair.


Neil:

I think somewhere in here is a mention of Appleseed. I watched the dub in theaters. Only one I hated was the girl robot who wanted to find love. I think the rest were pretty good for dubs. My favorite actress in the dub was the one who played the woman who runs the cloning and rehabilitation for robotic humans (forgot her name).

Great DTS soundtrack if you can find it. Well the R2 Japanese DVD has a great DTS

Jason was referring to Chris Beveridge (sorry if I spelled that wrong), who runs (owns?) animeondvd.com. He occasionally posts here though I don't think I've seen anything from him in some time. His site though is a pretty good resource that I check out at least a few times a week.

Kong:

Kiddy Grade really starts to pick up around the fourth disk.

Christopher:

Appleseed comes out on May 10.

John.

HEADS UP

I just found this great bargain on The Right Stuf's site and thought I would share it with you all:

Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi for $49.99 SHIPPED.



Also I though I would share my thoughts on some current series I am collecting:

Samurai Champloo -- this show is HOT SHIT and it does not disappoint

Paranoia Agent -- from the great Satoshi Kon -- if you are a fan of his films, you MUST check this out

Cromartie High School -- low budget but very funny, almost Larry David-esque humor

Full Metal Alchemist -- fun fantasy series which you can check out on Adult Swim

Midori Days -- I did not care for this title. I admit I bought it because I like the melon flavored liquer by the same name. All the characters are interesting and have some depth EXCEPT for the title character (the magical girlfriend who just LOVES our hero SO MUCH, and wants to do all his housework)

Madlax -- Didn't care for this one either. I found it boring. Haven't seen NOIR or HACK//SIGN so I have no frame of reference for works from this studio. However, reviews indicate that NOIR was superior, so I may check it out

I'd be happy to trade MIDORY DAYS Vol. 1 or MADLAX Vol. 1 if anyone is interested.

--Until next time

Agreed. On the first watch through, us and our friends were like "Who is the what that has do that?" The fantasy terms get quite confusing in the first 2-3 discs, since they are frequently kind of Japanese-sounding. A great show, but the terminology can be confusing. A rewatch of the first few discs helps a lot, or maybe taking a few notes or something to help you keep track. It is of the old normal-person-whisked-away-to-a-fantasy-world schtick, but they do a very good job with it.

On Noir: Stacey got Noir. I liked the show at first, but it started getting some major problems in my book.

#1) The action starts out awesome, but later gets absurd. It turns from very cool action to impossibly silly bad guys can't shoot syndrome. I mean at least in action movies the heroes take a little bit of cover or something. For example: person walks straight towards 5 guys (asassins) firing at her and shoots them all. There's an awful lot of this after the first disc or so.

#2)It does have too much filler. It would have been an good 13-episode show.

Fans of Hellsing:

Over at Anime on DVD there is news that Geneon is doing a new Hellsing OVA based on manga material.

John.

Jello Biafra's long lost cousin?

Oh no, Neil Joseph, admin extrordinaire has found the thread! JUMP SHIP! JUMP SHIP!

I've got a quick little question for you all. How many episodes is Lain?

13 mind-bending episodes.

On Hellsing:

Whoa - ought to be awesome if they bring back the original seiyuu - Alucard kicks some serious booty in the manga ( behind, but have read up to 5. Awesome stuff, and Alucard just becomes more badass all the time...) It also would be cool for dub fans if they brought back the dub cast too for the dub fans... but as the industry currently is, well... not sure if it will happen...


Rob: Midori no Hibi was pretty cute and entertaining - a B- series but still quite cute and fun (if you like that sorta thing). Weird but in a cute way... (This assumes that Midori-Days is same as Midori no hibi - think it translates the same) Saw it at my monthly club, and was charmed (but it doesn't take that much to charm me ^_^; )and at 13 eps, it's not a bad investment.

I'd be interested but have nothing to give ya in trade (well except moolah, but moolah is always good ) That's assuming I don't find it used first at Suncoast ^_^;

Tony-B:
Lain is 13 mind-numbing/screwing/bending episodes.

All:

I finished Saber Marionette J Collections 2 and 3 and have to say this is one of my favorite series. A B/B+ series with an interesting premise - in a world populated only by men, a Japoness boy activates three marionettes with "Maiden Circuits" and becomes embroiled in a life of fun, tragedy, comedy, and love.... (Damn, that sounded cheesy.) BAH! Just read reviews for it. Here's one of my favorites:

http://amr.nextstudio.net/html/saber_marionette_j.html

Sadly, Chris Beveridge didn't like the series much but you can read his reviews at the AnimeOnDvd site....


It has a cast of top seiyuu (Megumi Hayashibara, Yuka Imai, and a boatload of top seiyuu - just go to this page for a seiyuu list (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...nime.php?id=77)), and at 25 episodes is quite fun. Don't know about availability as it is an older series.

OK. Thanks for telling me with all those extra adjectives.

Woo:

Yup, that's what the translation means. Now my interest is piqued; I may just have to get the series, too .

John.

To the resident Sith Lord:

On Midori no Hibi

Just remember that I am pretty generous with my ranking so what may be a B- to me may be a C+ to you. The grades are Subjective, but I can attest that the show is a pretty light cheery show with a bit of drama thrown in to an odd situation.

I can't say that Saber Marionette J did much for me. It was a cute premise, but the show really drags for me in the middle. I guess I tire at all the "harem" anime conventions.

If someone want to buy my copy, contact me offline.

Jason