HTF Anime Discussion Part VIII (1 Viewer)

[JohnAD]

* bump * for quietness

No anime for me so far this week, although I do have Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust scheduled for Friday as part of my horror month.

John.

 

[Doug R]

Anyone have info on Ergo Proxy (www.ergoproxy.com)

New series from ex-Bebop/Champloo creators.

 

[Rob Lutter]

Long time no be (on HTF that is), how goes it? I'm still moderating on www.orangeanime.com (the biggest anime forum in Florida, by the way, with 1863 registered members at the current moment) and we've got our bi-yearly convention coming up this weekend here in Orlando, FL (we have an "Anniversary" [this is our 3-year this coming weekend] and another "Winter Gathering" down in Fort Lauderdale this coming Spring) ... should be around 200 people if the earlier-this-year's Winter Gathering is any indication. Booze, anime, and friends, can't beat that.

Anyways... anime.... I've been watching Urusei Yatsura (picked up the first 15 discs on eBAY for around $100) and that's pretty much it for right now. I've got the first Clow Book set of Cardcaptor Sakura coming in the mail (probably) tomorrow, so I should be starting on that series (which I previously owned up to disc 5 and sold in anticipation of the boxed releases). Otherwise I've been catching up on my Hitchcock (I just picked up both the Signature and Masterpiece Collections in that Wherehouse.com 33% off sale) and working my arse off in school and work. There's a certain American-animated cartoon character that works me day in and day out here in Orlando, but I can say that he's greatly helping me with any future jobs I may get.

Anyways, I'll check in a little more often, but for now, chao.

 

[Max Leung]

Just watched the 1st disc of Last Exile - I like it. The animation is stunning. For the most part, the CGI/2D animation integration isn't that bad at all(but GITS: SAC is better).

The story sounds interesting and I like the music. The world seems believable, so far.

The bad guys remind me of the big bad in the Nadia series.

I really should get back to finishing Twelve Kingdoms though. BTW, Zip.ca is still pissing me off. Grrrr. I hate them - customer service has been non-existent for 3 weeks now.

 

[ChristopherDAC]

This is pathetic. If we don't get more posts I'm going to explain that joke! I don't think any of you want to know about the Michelson-Morley experiment. Anyway, I've still got LDs to watch. More later.

 

[ChristopherDAC]

Capsule Review: Here is Greenwood

This is a wonderful little gem of a 6-part OVA. Hasukawa Kazuya leaves home to live in the dormitory of the High School he has gotten into, because the girl he fell in love with married his brother [as orphans, they live together]. Since he spent a month in the hospital with an ulcer, he gets assigned to the last available spot, in the dormitory known to its residents as "Greenwood" -- as the jacket reminds us, English argot for a place where outlaws gather. Of course, this is the dorm full of strange characters.

This is where Here is Greenwood excels. The characters have their quirks, but the quirks are not the characterisation. Kazuya's room-mate is far more feminine in appearance and manner than the typical student of an all-male school, and in another series this might have been the subject of a running gag, but in Greenwood Shun is just Shun -- nothing is said about it until it comes up rationally in the plot [overheard in the hallway: "Who's that girl?" "You're sure it's not just one of Shun's relatives?"]. The biker on the third floor who carries his 650cc Suzuki down the stairs every morning is not a cipher, or a muscle-bound lunkhead; in fact we even meet the girl who's sweet on him. And so forth.
To put it simply, the viewer gets to caring about the characters, the vicissitudes of their lives, their joys and sadnesses. This is very well done. Additionally, the wirter is brilliant at building a mood: the final two episodes are particular examples of this.
The artwork is a little unusual -- in the first episode particularly, it looks like a manga which has just been coloured in with watercolours or pastels. It's lovely though.

Strongly recommended.

 

[JohnAD]

Yeah, it's been quiet lately. I still have Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust on my schedule for tonight, but I think that may be the last anime for me until November. I still have the two MSG boxes to watch, and Samurai Champloo vol. 05. I don't think my backlog this year will be as big as last year's. Hopefully I can get everything watched before March .

John.

 

[Kong Chang]

The trailer for Blood+ (Blood the Last Vampire TV series) is out on bittorrent with subs for those of you who want to watch it.

Honey & Clover (hachimitsu to kuro-ba- OR hachikuro for short) has ended its viewing run with 24 eps but there will be an ep 25 & 26 on the last DVD released (vol. 13). These two eps will be especially made for buyers of the series. A live action movie or tv series is in the works for this show. Normally live action is not created unless there is a huge popularity and this show is really damn popular and one of the best new drama from Japan based off manga.

Rozen Maiden 2 will be starting soon. Gothic Lolita dolls with special powers with a dark story. The 1st series was awesome and because of its good ratings, they made a 2nd series and it will be airing soon.

My anime club started showcasing a nice little gem last week which we continued this week. The title is called Kamichu which is about a junior high girl taking on the role of a god in her local village. It is very cute and the animation is top notch. So far, 2 eps in and I'm really liking the whole story.

Doug R:

I am afraid of ergoproxy just because of the production staff. Most of the credits of what they used to do...like the director used to do Witch Hunter Robin which the show was dry and boring and was extended far more than it should have been. The writer, although he has credits for GitS:SAC, but he also did Eureka 7 which is like...huh?...so kinda sceptical there too. And then the production staff did Samurai Champloo which I never thought was that great to begin with...in terms of animation...of course great work...but in terms of overallness...blah...unimpressive.

 

[JohnAD]

Quiet again. I'm done with anime watching for the month, but I will be picking up volume two of Samurai 7 next week.

John.

 

[Jesse Blough]

I just finished a marathon session of The Original Dirty Pair OVA and I was wondering when somebody was going to release the original TV series. What's the hold up?!

 

[Eric F]

So much stuff to watch! Right now I'm working on Batman:TAS V3, but after that what then? I'm holding off on SG:1 S8 until they exchange for the full episode of Threads.

Right now I have on the backburner- Mospeada, Southern Cross, Argentosoma, Gunparade March,The Guyver, Dai-Guard, Devil Lady, Soul Hunter, Princess Nine, Boogiebop Phantom, Dragon Kings, et al.

Any suggestions where to start?

 

[Kong Chang]

Jesse:

Old series will most likely not going to be licensed anymore with the current rut the anime industry is in (thanks, ADV, for starting the trend of ruining the anime market!). Plus the fact that anime buyers these days don't know old anime so it's not profitable to license old anime. Only the old hardcore anime fans will most likely buy it and that is not a lot to support the cost to license it.

 

[Max Leung]

So, any explanation as to why Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu? released by ADV has such terrible video quality? The shimmering in virtually any scene is driving me nuts. Good thing I rented these and not bought them - I'd be steaming mad!

The pixel crawling around line edges is just insane - it looks like it was recorded in composite video! WTF? ADV needs to be shot! (I bet those who bought the Farscape Starburst Editions agree with me - quality control? What's that?)

 

[James_Kiang]

I almost picked up the second volume of Samurai 7 the other day, but I wasn't sure if I could beat the price - 39.99 (which DDD can beat btw) - and I was already spending a bundle on some hardware.

For anyone who is interested, I'll just say this - what is the common side included in most combo meals at fast food restaurants?

 

[Andrew Beacom]

Watched GiTS:SAC a 2nd time and it was most enjoyable.

The ending was better the 2nd time but I still think it was bit of a cheat to have Aramaki and the Prime Minister hatch a secret plot. Apart from that it was done very well.


Also watched Texhnolize disc 3 and things really started to take shape. The main character is now delivering whole sentances. I like the content but the style of showing parts of an incident with the viewer left to join the dots is a little distracting IMO.

 

[ChristopherDAC]

Meanwhile, I'm still working on my backlog. Also trying to get my software problems solved. Oh well.

 

[JohnAD]

James:

French fries?

Christopher:

I know what you mean. I had to spend a couple of days last week cleaning out a viral/spyware infestation from my computer. unfun.

John.

 

[TheLongshot]

Finally got around to seeing Megazone 23 Part 3. Looks like their budget went south a bit, because some of the animation quality that was in the first two isn't there.

With my 10% Best Buy coupon, I picked up the first "Twelve Kingdoms" box, and "The Place Promised In Our Early Days".

BTW, Geneon is offering a $10 rebate on the purchase of two titles from a short list.

http://www.rightstuf.com/news/docs/h...nspread_r2.pdf

Jason

 

[James_Kiang]

John - Yes, that is what I was hinting at. Now, if you deduce the name of a store using that clue and if one is in your area, you could go check to see if they have it a little early. I'm still debating myself - I have some Best Buy Rewards Zone discount and McDonalds Best Buy Bucks I could use to drop the price a little and get it right away from them when it releases.

Did I mention I watched the third volume of Elfen Lied? I hope I'm not repeating myself, but I must say that while I am enjoying the series, it is not quite as good as I have heard some say it is. This third volume does offer up some insight to some characters' backgrounds, but I didn't find anything to be very emotionally impactful.
I do hope that before it's all over next volume they explain why Kohta does not seem to recognize Nyu.

 

[Woo Jae]

Hello all - am alive, just buried under the pressures of a diet (blech - lost 7 lbs of water weight - now the hard part starts) and work (big workload for everyone.)

Got Maisson Ikkoku Collection #5, Fighting Spirit #8, Jubei-Chan 2 #3. I'd recommend the first two to any fan. The last is good and fun with awesome swordfights (not to mention freeshea is rediculously cute - and deadly) but may turn off some with is slighly off center humor.

And to those of you that have not seen a good sports anime - go get Fighting Spirit #1 (too bad that coupon earlier doesn't apply.] I guarantee you'll have lots of fun with that series. Never knew anime could make boxing fun, but with the right combination of characters, down to earthness and humour, Fighting Spirit succeeds in spades. One other good R1 Sports anime would be Princess Nine (B+/A- title for me)...