Advanced Anime Discussion Part II (1 Viewer)

[Todd Terwilliger]

Kong,
I agree. That's the sort of thing I'm looking for.
I watched the first two episodes of FLCL. That is one wierd show but I really like it. It's very wacky but it's got charm.

 

[JohnAD]

Hey all:

Just got some bad news here. Yesterday, someone broke into my apartment and stole my DVD player (region free!), my PS2, some PS2-related items (memory card, extra controller, game), and an old computer scanner we had in the front room. These guys obviously weren't too bright - they didn't touch my computer or my DVD collection which was worth a lot more than the stuff which was taken. We've got insurance, so everything is covered. I guess there is a silver lining to this - I've got a good excuse to pick up a Malatta...

John.

 

[Eugene Esterly]

My Princess Mononoke DVD came thru the mail several days ago. I watched it this morning. WOW, IMO, the animation in Princess Mononoke is excellent. There were times when I thought that I wasn't watching an animated movie because the animation looked very lifelike. I listened to the English dub & found nothing wrong with the dub. The characters were all excllent (IMO, Princess Mononoke & Prince Ashitaka are the best). The movie is great. I wish & hope that Disney/Miramax would release the rest of Hayao Miyazaki's animes on DVD.

I watched Pefect Blue last night (I ordered this anime used several days ago & it arrived yesterday afternoon). Pefect Blue is an ok anime. The plot was ok. The animation is ok & this movie did keep me interested. It's one of the weirdest animes that I have seen. There were scene's in this movie which confused me. All in all, an ok psychological thriller. This movie in not for young people since this movie contains graphic violence, nudity, adult language & adult situations.

I also have Wicked City & City Hunter: Secret Service coming to me (order used DVD's of these movie several days ago). My used copy of A.D. Police has not arrived yet.

About the Perfect Blue DVD, the aspect ratio is not listed on the DVD case but the movie is in Widescreen (Amazon.com has Perfect Blue listed on their site as being Fullscreen but in actuality the movie is in Widescreen on the DVD)

 

[Morgan Jolley]

JohnAD:

OUCH!!! Sorry man, just hope you didn't have much saved on those PS2 memory cards.

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

John,

Sorry to hear. That blows!

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I wish & hope that Disney/Miramax would release the rest of Hayao Miyazaki's animes on DVD.

Just for the new people: Anime is singular only. it's an adjective, not a noun.

"An anime movie" "an anime TV show" etc etc

 

[JohnAD]

Todd, Morgan:
Thanks . Actually, my PS2 memory card had my finished game of Devil May Cry, and all of the stuff my wife and I had unlocked for DOA2:Hardcore. Grrr...
John.

 

[Kong Chang]

Jeff K.:
anime is a noun in Japan. It works as both noun and adjective in English.
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JohnAD:
Sorry to hear about your loss, man. It sucks when your house gets broken into and all the good stuff is taken. :frowning: At least now you should buy a new Region Free player, eh?
---
Eugene:
Perfect Blue is a very typical Japanese psycho-thriller genre plot that you will find in many Japanese psycho-thriller live-action movies. What makes this movie unique and worth a lot of attention by hardcore anime fans is that it is the first psycho-thriller in anime form. That's what is amazing about it. Just as Record of Lodoss War was the first OVA anime series to introduce RPG/Fantasy into the anime canon, so does Perfect Blue bring psycho-thriller to anime.
---
Todd:
We should make such a site for all of the newbies. If anyone wants to help out, that'll be a plus.

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

Kong,

Sounds like a great idea. I'll look into it. I can do some web coding but as far as info goes, I'm still basically an anime noob.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Kong, in English it's just an adjective, while you are correct that in Japan it's a noun

 

[StevenA]

...in English it's just an adjective, while you are correct that in Japan it's a noun

Well, it seems to me that anime is used in English as both a noun and adjective, but usually as a noun, just like the word animation.

Examples: "Blockbuster doesn't stock much anime", "Let's watch some good anime".

Or, in the case of an adjective...

"That's a great anime series".

I agree, however, that whether indicating singular or plural, an "s" is not added.

 

[Ken Lemons]

According to dictionary.com (which uses American Heritage) and Merriam-Webster Online, 'Anime' is a noun with no change between singular and plural. I would think noun or adjective, but neither site mentions adjective.

-klemons

 

[JohnAD]

Kong:
Thanks . Yeah, I think I'm going to pick up the Malata DVP-520, which does progressive scan, and PAL -> NTSC conversion. My chipped region free Pioneer DV440 did neither. Not that I'm big on Euro R2 stuff, but at least the option will be open. I've still got my old Toshiba 2008 which will play most of my disks. Getting GTO Vol. 5 tomorrow, along with LOTR: FOTR 5-disk and Star Wars Ep 2: AOTC will probably tide me over until the insurance can get me a check.
John.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Well saying "anime TV show" is not using anime as an adjective. If anything, "TV show" is the adjective.

 

[Woo Jae]

Finished Martian Successor Nadesico and am slightly saddened and confused to a relatively quick and strange ending. Not really sure what EXACTLY happened to the crew, ND-0001, but it was without doubt quite confusing. Can someone explain it to me? Thanks in advance (and don't forget to mark it "spoiler")
Short review:
Martian Successor Nadesico 1/2 from 5
It was a fun and entertaining series that blends an old anime called Gekigangar series from the 70's into itself, a crew of wacky and original characters, and some really cute girls and guys in a war of Earth versus the Jovian Lizards. Sadly, as cute and entertaining as Akito, Yurika, and Megumi are, they are not enough to lift this into the "elite" category of anime which I consider to be the "cream of the crop." It has comedy, it has fanservice, and it has a great interesting crew - but it in no way tops the show Irresponsible Captain Tylor, which was both a great parody of space operas and is more focused on the human interaction. Eh... Guess this is what happens when you throw in Mecha into a space opera - a slight bending of genres and a decent (but unspectacular) anime. That said, it is a fun series to watch - and relatively inexpensive for the box.
JohnAD: Sorry to hear about your loss. It stinks to have your home invaded by those with little respect for other's property. Good luck with the "new" player, and wish you the best of luck in finding the SOBs who did this.

 

[JohnAD]

Woo Jae:
Thanks . Actually, the cops talked to the people we think did it, and they found a PS2 in the kid's closet, which has mysteriously gone missing...It was also missing the power cord, which the thieves forgot to take. Unfortunately we didn't have the serial # written down, and I'm not sure if it was on the box, but we gave the officer the numbers that were on the box, so maybe that will help. I talked to the insurance guy today, and they will be sending us a check in the next couple of days.
Regarding your assessment of Martian Successor Nadesico, I would have to agree. It's definitely a 'C'-level anime in my book. It's been one of the few (along with Sorcerer Hunters) that I've seen that's been so mediocre. That's not to say I didn't enjoy watching it, just that it didn't really grab me.
John.

 

[JohnAD]

Hmmm...kinda slow today. Anyway, I ordered my Malata DVP-520 (Black) Region-free, progressive scan player today. I ordered it from Next Big Thing Electronics in Canada, and got a good deal, since the exchange rate is so much in the US's favor.

John.

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

John,
Nice. I want a Malata but I'm making do with a modded Daewoo.
I've started watching X the TV series and I like it. I saw the movie but found it nearly incomprehensible. Obviously, with more time to flesh out the details that the film can't, the series does a much better job, thus far, of making the characters and events accessible.

 

[Kong Chang]

Geez,
Nadesico is a hilarious romp of 70-80's anime genre spoofing that I've seen!! Naturally, for many newbies, it won't make any sense, but for us old-timers, it really showcases the anime in-jokes of those times.
Maybe, it's time to watch some old series.

 

[Woo Jae]

Hey Kong -
Nadesico - to me - was fun. But it wasn't an A or even a B title for me for a variety of reasons. Perhaps, like Excel Saga, it parodies things I haven't seen and thus I don't "get it". I have to admit I haven't watch much 70's/80's anime except for Urusei Yatsura recently, and a few episodes of Candy Candy, Gatchaman, and Mazinger Z when I was very small (4~6 years old).
But fundamentally, it doesn't pose too many questions and situations that appealed to me. Also, the human interaction in it was sort of predictable and weak. Akito's relationship with Megumi and Yurika, for one. Not much happened there but a slow very slow realization by Akito that he cares for Yurika.
Or the simplistic way the Jovians are portrayed, and the simplistic ways in which each side portrays the other was a NICE touch, but not enough to save a 26 episode TV series. The bottom line for me was that it was a series that had potential but let me down. The way it ended did not help any either. Can you explain the way it ended to me in a spoiler?
Much like Excel Saga it is a bit TOO derivative and covers little new ground on its own.
Irresponsible Captain Tylor is also a parody but also stands on its own as a great show. It shares with the viewer a unique situation, plays with the genre of space opera and military norms, and in the end has a message to deliver about wars and being yourself.
Oh - My scale is more of a LIKE/Dislike scale. Nadesico if you can rent it is a great romp.