HTF Anime Discussion Part VIII (1 Viewer)

[Eric F]

DDD's 20% off sale is very close now. Let's see if they raise their ADV prices before like they did in June.

 

[TheLongshot]

Here we go again...

Just got an E-Mail from ADV announcing that they are releasing the brick for Chrono Crusade today. Makes anyone wonder why you should even bother with the individual releases. Just wait a couple of months after the end of the series and get a discount...

Jason

 

[James_Kiang]

Yeah, I have the box w/volume 1 of Chrono Crusade on my shelf. I haven't had the chance to watch it even after all this time, so I never bought the other volumes. Knowing a thinpak collection is coming, and at a reasonable price, makes it tougher to even think about going out and buying the other volumes. This does apply to this series in particular; the ones I watch right away I do make sure to pick up as they come out.

Speaking of...I did manage to pick up the first volume of Gankutsuou. It's good and has a unique look, but after two episodes (admittedly not enough to make a judgment), it isn't quite as good as I had expected based on the early word-of-mouth. Still, it is good enough that I want to see more of it - I'm not even all that familiar with the original story, so I should be in for some surprises.

Speaking of collections, is there any word/rumor on a collection of Gantz? I haven't picked up a single disc because of the 2 eps per disc schedule they originally had, and now I figure I can wait for a collection. Not a lot of talk on that series - any opinions?

 

[JohnAD]

Ahhh...it's nice getting back into watching anime again. I finished off my horror month with five (yes five) DVDs yesterday, finally shambling off to bed after watching The Exorcist. I woke up bright an early and watched The Count of Monte Cristo vol. 1. I found the visuals to be very interesting, and the story seems to have a pretty good start. I also picked up a new disk to day, and had one finally arrive in the mail. Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 was the disk that finally showed up, while I ran out and purchased Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I've already watched it, and I'll be watching again with my wife when she gets off of work .

John.

 

[Andrew Beacom]

Gantz is good fun. The story seems dragged out but I think a large part of that is that it's only 2 episodes per disc. Not a A series but probably a B. Don't watch if your easily offended though. Plenty of violence and nudity.

 

[James_Kiang]

Is Gantz filled with nudity or sex? I've been reading the reviews over at animeondvd.com and Chris Beveridge mentions that aspect of the show, though will all the violence going on I don't quite understand how it fits into the picture.

 

[Andrew Beacom]

It's more like above the waist nudity and panty shots. One of the techniques used in Gantz is to let you hear the thoughts of the characters. Kei is one of them and is a teenage boy who is obsessed with sex. Imagine that. So theres stuff like on Ep 1 where he daydreams in class and sees everyone half haked including his female teacher. He then gets woken from the daydream when a girl next to him spots his woody.

The violence is just violence.

Gantz also has quite a bit of humor in it.

 

[JohnAD]

Andrew:

Not a touch of the ol' ultraviolence?

John.

 

[JohnAD]

I got some more work done on my backlog last night by watching all six episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. A good story, although the first half was a little slow and the 'Kenny' factor was fairly high. The story really shined in the second half, and the ending was among the better ones that I've seen. The animation is a little old (it is from 1989, after all), but didn't detract from the viewing experience. The 5.1 sound (both Japanese and English) was a nice plus. 'B+', recommended.

John.

 

[Andrew Beacom]

John,

Depends on what you mean by that. Theres violence but it's Anime violence so it's not like watching a hoor flick or anything.

 

[JohnAD]

Andrew:

My comment was intended to be humorous, rather than serious .

John.

 

[Max Leung]

Watched the first 2 episodes of the 2nd disc of Last Exile (episodes 5 and 6?).

Somehow, the artwork reminds me of RahXephon - same people? The DVD transfer is also very good.

I really enjoy the opening and closing music. The animation is very good, and the CG parts integrate fairly well (although not perfect, but better than Gundam Seed). I am eager for more.

This looks to be a solid A series so far...

 

[Eric F]

I enjoyed most of it, although I found the end a bit confusing. It seemed to get into the mystical stuff a lot of anime does.

 

[Max Leung]

Mystical stuff? CRAP, not again! It's not as bad as Neon Genesis Evangelion right? How would you rate the mystical stuff as compared to the ending of the RahXephon series? (I didn't see the movie yet)

 

[ChristopherDAC]

Of course, the Japanese are closer to "mysticism" than most of the rest of us. In no other modern country, I suppose, is "anima mundi" as mch a part of daily life as in Japan -- though, sadly, that may be changing now.

Word to the wise: AREA 88 ends on a down note. :frowning:

 

[Woo Jae]

Last Exile is a great series with great plot, characters, and well thought out world. Easily and A series in its own right, and exciting to watch.

As usual still buried under work. Other than that, I've been able to w atch some new things - commercial and non-commercial.

As many of you know, I've been on a sports-anime kick for a while now with me trying to promote Fighting Spirit (a.k.a. Hajime no Ippo) and Princess Nine. I can confidently add another series to the list of things to look out for - Eyeshield 21.

Eyeshield 21 is the story of a young small but extremely fast young man, Sena, who is just starting highschool to live a more independent life Not Being Bullied or protected by his older female friend. He is drafted to be the star runningback of the DevilBats - his highschool football team (which coincidentally is short on members and drafts other members from other clubs for the minimum of 11 peeps). The cast of characters is extrememly entertaining - Hiruma, the insane, evil, diabolical QB is the master of plays and blackmailing. The huge but powerful and kind hearted dumpling shaped member, Kurita, is a sympathetic character that loves football. The transformation of Sena from being a gopher for bullies to the anonymous Eyeshield 21 is extremely entertaining, as are the opponents one of whom is the best linebacker in Japan named Seijuro Shin ( reminded me instantly of Hiko Seijuro of Kenshin). Currently, this is available here as a manga in the US by viz under their Shonen Jump Advanced line ( believe 3~4 volumes are out).

Also watched 3 discs of Mao-chan - entertaining light series, but only rates a B or B- for content/themes...

Other than that not much going on. Anyhow, those who haven't tried sports anime, try renting either Princess Nine or Fighting Spirit. HIghly recommended.

 

[ChristopherDAC]

Has anybody here seen Weiss Kreuz?

I picked up some LDs of this a while back, and only just got around to watching them -- had to work the warp out first, they looked like they'd been stored in a trouser press. Anyway, the youngest of our four heroes, Omi, has the worst imaginable home life. Fratricide and incest, these guys can't seem to get enough of it! Without that, this would just be another run-of-the-mill story of vigilante florists, corrupt politicians and businessmen, gun-wielding psychics, and REVENGE; but Omi's family of fiends in human form just gives it that added punch. Am I being sarcastic? I can't even tell anymore!

 

[JohnAD]

I managed to watch a few new anime disks this weekend:

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Official Log vol. 1 - An interesting summary of the first season. I didn't really watch any of the interviews on the regular disks, so the interview section on this disk was new to me. Not a bad way to spend 90 minutes.

Samurai Champloo vol. 5 - Episode 17 was absolutely great, finishing up the cliffhanger from the previous disk. The middle two episodes were pretty good, but not spectacular, while episode 20 set up another cliffhanger, and revealed a bit more about Fuu and the samurai who smells like sunflowers. Good stuff.

Samurai 7 vol. 2 - So far, of all the series I'm collecting right now, this is my favorite. The disks can't come out fast enough, and I'm really looking forward to volume three.

John.

 

[Max Leung]

Finished disc 3 of Last Exile. Still quite good. The cinematography is fantastic!

I am a little worried that Last Exile is falling into the usual anime cliches - captain with mysterious past brooding in silence (and the pretty hair and the flowing black cape!), the X.O. that has the hots for the captain, the kid with mysterious world-altering power but doesn't know it, the bad guy who is quirky and psycho (and the calm, humorless sidekick), the innocent protagonists caught in the middle, etc. It gives me severe flashbacks to the Nadia series (except Last Exile is a lot better especially with the story execution).

The animation is amazing, the character designs are appealing, and I really dig the music. The story seems to be going somewhere too.

I added Fighting Spirit to my Ziplist queue. With luck zip.ca will actually ship them in order.

 

[Woo Jae]

Max, try to watch the discs in order. One good thing - all the fights are contained in each disc so you won't be waiting for the next disc in terms of cliffhangers per se (e.g. like Samurai Champloo's cliffhanger eps.)