General anime discussion thread

Katrina S. Forest · Oct 25, 2012

Camilla Delvalle said:
Just saw Madoka Magica again, as an inspiration for nano, because it gave me many ideas for the next book. I've seen the beginning many times, but this was maybe only the second time I saw it to the end. I guess you already know how much I like the music.

I'm watching Madoka Magica right now on Hulu. Enjoying it quite a bit.

Sailor Moon was my intro to anime, and the creepy Lain-ish twist to the magical girl genre is a lot of a fun.

Ashley, not sure what you've seen, but some of my other personal anime favorites that are on Hulu:
http://www.hulu.com/now-and-then-here-and-there
http://www.hulu.com/haibane-renmei
http://www.hulu.com/rod-the-tv

ROD the TV is where my avatar came from. Also, imo, a show about three book-obsessed heroines should be required viewing for any anime fan who likes to write. ^_^

Dawnstorm · Oct 25, 2012

Katrina S. Forest said:
ROD the TV is where my avatar came from. Also, imo, a show about three book-obsessed heroines should be required viewing for any anime fan who likes to write. ^_^

You know, I almost sent a PM to ask you, once.

Read or Die has been on my to-watch list forever; I'll just need to find it. (Can't watch it on Hulu, as it's not available outside the US.)

ETA: Madoka is on Hulu? Go watch that. (And Haibane Renmei if you haven't seen it alredy [older than the Host Club].)

kuwisdelu · Oct 25, 2012

Oh man, I am so loving Chuunibyou.

AshleyEpidemic · Oct 26, 2012

Dawnstorm said:
Kimi to Boku 1 & 2 (Highschool life of a group of friends)
Myself, Yourself (romance/drama)
Shirokuma Café (a polar bear runs a café)
Saki (Mahjongg with superpowers)
Poyo Poyo Kansatsu Nikki (five minute shorts about a very round cat)

But those are picks from a very limited list, when compared to what's available in the USA.

Also, those are all subs. I know nothing about dubs, since I tend to avoid them.

Ah thank you mucho. Shirokuma Cafe sounds fantastic. I tend to like things like that. As far as subs vs dubs, I fall on the subs side of the debate. I freak out when I head Bleach in English because 8 years ago when I first heard of it the English version was years from existence. The voices just don't sound right. Although I will admit to listening to dubs when my boyfriend is around. He hates subs.

Katrina S. Forest said:
I'm watching Madoka Magica right now on Hulu. Enjoying it quite a bit.

Sailor Moon was my intro to anime, and the creepy Lain-ish twist to the magical girl genre is a lot of a fun.

Ashley, not sure what you've seen, but some of my other personal anime favorites that are on Hulu:
http://www.hulu.com/now-and-then-here-and-there
http://www.hulu.com/haibane-renmei
http://www.hulu.com/rod-the-tv

ROD the TV is where my avatar came from. Also, imo, a show about three book-obsessed heroines should be required viewing for any anime fan who likes to write. ^_^

Great shows, I can watch on Hulu! I have been trying to justify hulu plus(other than Misfits) for months now.

Dawnstorm said:
ETA: Madoka is on Hulu? Go watch that. (And Haibane Renmei if you haven't seen it alredy [older than the Host Club].)

So many suggestions, I think I may start with this one. It is time to let my nerd flag fly.

LOG · Oct 26, 2012

It seems to me that in anime/manga, when it comes to romance, men are easily moved by the physical, but rarely by the emotional or mental, with vice-versa for the women.

Any suggestions for series that undermine or play with that sort of thing?

sciencewarrior · Oct 26, 2012

LOG said:
Any suggestions for series that undermine or play with that sort of thing?

B Gata H Key. Popular girl wants to have 100 partners, chooses plain classmate to be her first one. Hilarity ensues.

SomethingOrOther · Oct 26, 2012

Katrina S. Forest said:
Ashley, not sure what you've seen, but some of my other personal anime favorites that are on Hulu:
http://www.hulu.com/now-and-then-here-and-there
http://www.hulu.com/haibane-renmei
http://www.hulu.com/rod-the-tv

I just started watching Now and Then, Here and There. After the first two episodes I was worried, because the morality seemed way too black-and-white. Seven episodes in, though, plenty of gray has been introduced, and I'm enjoying it a lot. The music score has this eerie arpeggio motif played by electric piano in triple time that I'm in love with (found it, although, in the show, it usually appears without the strings and all that). With its FM-mod-like sound, it reminds me of a similarly eerie bit from Penguindrum's soundtrack. Found it too! It's so amazing.

It's a butt-turner (my possibly stupid amalgam of "page-turner" and "butt at the edge of seat" (edit: ignore the possibly)) so I'll be done soon, so the question I asked under kuwi's cake is still active.

I liked Haibane Renmei a lot, too.

kuwisdelu · Oct 26, 2012

SomethingOrOther said:
Can y'all recommend some good and readily available dubbed series? I usually watch TV/film when I'm drifting off to sleep ~~at night~~ in the morning, when looking at the screen continually can be difficult and subs are annoying. Dark and weird and character-driven, preferably. Cute is okay too.

I've used Fullmetal Alchemist, Code Geass, Eden of the East, Welcome to the NHK, and Haruhi for those purposes.

I also use Ghost in the Shell, Darker than Black, and Serial Experiments Lain when I'm programming.

kuwisdelu · Oct 26, 2012

Alright, I usually don't do this, but I'm looking for recommendations.

Ya'll probably have some idea of what I like. Anything not on this list.

(I've seen lots of stuff not on there, too, but that's what happened to be on my hard drive...)

ETA: Unix is so convenient.

ETA2: One of these days I'll get my MAL up to date.

retlaw · Oct 27, 2012

kuwisdelu said:
I've used Fullmetal Alchemist, Code Geass, Eden of the East, Welcome to the NHK, and Haruhi for those purposes.

I also use Ghost in the Shell, Darker than Black, and Serial Experiments Lain when I'm programming.

Nice list!

Camilla Delvalle · Oct 27, 2012

kuwisdelu said:
Alright, I usually don't do this, but I'm looking for recommendations.

Ya'll probably have some idea of what I like. Anything not on this list.

My own list is not available this minute, so I can't compare, but I notice that .Hack//Sign is missing from your list. I don't remember if you have seen it, but if you haven't, I think it is time to try it.

Dawnstorm · Oct 28, 2012

kuwisdelu said:
Anything not on this list.

It's surprisngly hard to find stuff that's not on this list (and that I don't know you watched even if its not on here, such as NGE). This is pretty much all I could come up with:

Kurenai
Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu
Time of Eve (Eve no Jikan)

A long shot, but maybe:

Peto Peto San

And that's about it.

SomethingOrOther · Oct 29, 2012

I marathoned Welcome to the NHK in a couple of days. I liked it a lot. What are more series featuring loneliness as a dominant subject?

SomethingOrOther said:
The music score has this eerie arpeggio motif played by electric piano

It sounded like an elec piano in the show, when it was kind of quiet, but it's a pizzicato string patch or something. Derpderpderp.

Kyra Wright · Oct 29, 2012

I'd sell my soul for this shirt:

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

Camilla Delvalle · Oct 29, 2012

kuwisdelu said:
Alright, I usually don't do this, but I'm looking for recommendations.

Ya'll probably have some idea of what I like. Anything not on this list.

Did you see Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi? I think you might like it since it's made by Gainax. It's a comedy, and contains some certain references that I know will make you smile.

Camilla Delvalle · Oct 30, 2012

Are you guys doing nanowrimo?

Dawnstorm · Oct 30, 2012

Kyra Wright said:
I'd sell my soul for this shirt:

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

Be careful. Be very, very careful. (And tell me what powers a T-shirt wish confers.)

Camilla Delvalle said:
Are you guys doing nanowrimo?

Doesn't fit my writing style. I'm not a speedwriter, and I tend to prefer short fiction to novels. If I were to try it, I'd want to get it over with, and I'd end up with relief that it's over rather than with a sense of accomplishment. It's just how I tick.

Shadow Dragon · Oct 30, 2012

Found an interesting new anime from this season called Psycho Pass. Basically, the area it takes place in is ruled by a computer system that constantly checks the citizens mental stability. If something seems off, they have to go to enforced therapy for rehabilitation. If they refused, they'll be hunted down by the police force and then made to go. Though if they're deemed as too unstable, then they'll either be killed or jailed for life. Thing is, they don't actually wait for you to commit the crime before basically imprisoning you.

It stars two detectives whose job it is to bring in the unstable people and a few enforcers, 'criminals' who are used as backup for hunting down other criminals. To me, this seems like it could be the most interesting show of the season.

Here's episode 1, subbed, if you want to see what it's like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYrh_FFHs1Y
(Content Warning: Blood and a couple disturbing scenes of a guy threatening to rape his hostage. Note, they don't actually show him doing anything to her on camera, of course.)

Camilla Delvalle · Oct 31, 2012

Dawnstorm said:
Doesn't fit my writing style. I'm not a speedwriter, and I tend to prefer short fiction to novels. If I were to try it, I'd want to get it over with, and I'd end up with relief that it's over rather than with a sense of accomplishment. It's just how I tick.

I feel the same. It's like a huge shore that I need to do before I can do more pleasant things that I'd like to do this year. Planning for nano has kind of blocked other interests and fun things a bit this autumn. It will just be nice when I'm done with it, and with a brand new novel to my name.

Melanie Dawn · Oct 31, 2012

I'm not super familiar with anime, but i loved Ghost in the shell, appleseed, and the like.. any recommendations?

Camilla Delvalle · Oct 31, 2012

Melanie Dawn said:
I'm not super familiar with anime, but i loved Ghost in the shell, appleseed, and the like.. any recommendations?

Just look at kuvisdelu's list in a previous post.

Vaulted · Oct 31, 2012

SomethingOrOther said:
I marathoned Welcome to the NHK in a couple of days. I liked it a lot. What are more series featuring loneliness as a dominant subject?

Serial Experiments Lain, although I think this is overrated.
Boogiepop Phantom is all about teh alienation.
NieA_7 is about a lonely cram school student (among other things)
Paranoia Agent - maybe.

These are the only ones I can think of.

LOG · Nov 1, 2012

So I know a guy who's been trying to watch sci-fi anime, but what he's found so far has been rather . . . juvenile.
He wants stuff that's more mature--more well thought-out and better designed. Kind of . . . more art and less entertainment.

A few I've thought of suggesting:
Wolf's Rain (kind of sci-fi)
Cowboy Bebop (doesn't always show it off, but it is sci-fi)
FLCL (really not sure about this one)
GitS: SAC (he expressed a particular displeasure for how the Japanese cater so heavily to males in art design of the female form i.e. certain exaggerations of the body. On the other hand, that's one of the questions of GitS--why DOES the Major use that body . . .)
Revolutionary Girl Utena (not really sci-fi, but if we wanaa talk about artsy anime, I think this one ranks pretty high)
FMA (both Brotherhood and the original, though arguably they're fantasy)
Crest of the Stars (more serious sci-fi, though I think it's only above-average as anime space sci-fi works go)
Neon Genesis: Evangelion (I think it'll work--the only form of extravagant male pandering is probably in the Misato scenes)
Gundam Wing (not sure it's sci-fi enough. Kind of an action series . . . and it tends to get pretty corny whenever Relena appears on screen)

Any other recommendations? Particularly anything lacking women with breasts the size of grapefruit for a minimum. maybe shoujo stuff . . .

Vaulted · Nov 1, 2012

Wolf's Rain is a good mature suggestion.

Gunslinger Girl (abandoned girls used as killing machines)
Gundam Seed (the best of this mecha franchise, that I've seen)
Chobits (slice-of-life high-concept sci-fi comedy romance)
Last Exile (alt world science fantasy adventure)
NieA_7 (slice-of-life sci-fi comedy, with melancholic undercurrent)
Planetes (sci-fi about orbital detritus removal, i.e. garbage collectors in space)
S-Cry-Ed (best shonen fighting show I've seen)

Other mature animes from my list:

Boogiepop Phantom (contemporary horror)
Fruits Basket (touching reverse harem)
Berserk (sword & sorcery, emphasis on combat and politics)
Genshiken (character-based comedy at a university anime club)
Azumanga Daioh (slice-of-life comedy; a classic)
Bamboo Blade (one of the few high school-set dramedies that's actually good)
Hellsing TV series (not the later 'Ultimate' series; horror)
Someday's Dreamers (gentle story of young girl coming to the big city to be a Mage)
Strawberry Marshmallow (slice-of-life comedy about 10yo girls in Tokyo)
Welcome to the NHK (slice-of-life dramedy about hikkikomori)

Could probably give better recs if we knew the guy's tastes and interests.

kuwisdelu · Nov 1, 2012

Vaulted said:
although I think this is overrated.

Heresy.

LOG said:
Neon Genesis: Evangelion (I think it'll work--the only form of extravagant male pandering is probably in the Misato scenes)

Only the best series, period. The movie is timeless.

There's also Serial Experiments Lain.

And Texhnolyze, which may even be too mature.

General anime discussion thread

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