The awesome anime thread.

Excel Saga was not my bag. I have very little patience for slapstick/parody anime, because it's usually tons of cheese and not much clever. Anime loves to indulge in its more embarrassing facets under the facade of irony when it's really just obnoxious fan crap.

Recently finished Gankutsuou, which was enjoyable enough. Visually gorgeous, and the Count himself was a wonderfully ambiguous antihero.

I'm kind of itching for something truly spectacular and timeless right now.
 
Anyone enjoy Welcome To The NHK? I thought it was fucking great. The Japanese voice acting is great too. The central character grutns and sniffles and cries of anguish crack me up. The art is lacking at some points and extremely lacking at others, but most the time in looks decent and seeing as the show has zero action and is a drama, the lack of super smooth animation is not much of a hindrance. I have found that recently I am far more drawn to Dramas and character based anime over flashy action titles.

Also been enjoying silly pointless comedies like Azumanga Daioh.:tickled:
 
NHK was very interesting. I'll admit that I'm a guy who has serious problems with depression and there've been several times in my life where I haven't left the house for months, except to maybe walk a block or two to grab food. So while plenty of this was far-fetched dark comedy, some of it rang true. Satou's apathy, shame, addictions, etc. Familiar stuff. And speaking of cries of anguish, I didn't realize I was getting so wrapped up in the show until the end of the internet suicide arc... avoiding spoilers, but that scene on the cliff? His shrieks of grief hit me like a truck. I am, of course, talking about the subbed version...

I've since meant to read the manga, which I've been told is far more fucked up and grim, still comedic but lacking much of the levity of the anime.
 
I would be interested in checking out the manga as well. Ya, that cliff scene had me on the edge....Hahahaha. No really, it was pretty intense.

Anyone see Koi Kaze? Definitely not for everybody, in fact probably not for most. A drama/love story about a 27 year old man and his 15 year old sister. A taboo subject matter handled very well. Despite the obvious problems with the characters and the relationship you really feel for them.
 
As long as it's handled more thoughtfully than a thinly veiled excuse for a loli pedo fantasy, it could be interesting. (My only problem with that is that that sort of thing can be intellectually degrading -- I don't personally have any real moral hangups about the loli thing, but I fucking hate it when a show tries to be sly about it and fails pathetically, like Elfen Lied.) Anime has the power to touch on some pretty taboo subjects and explore them in a way that film might not dare to.
 
It is handled in a mature way and the art style is very low key and that keeps it at a different level than if the girl were to be in some tiny school girl skirt with big hair. The shows only comedic element actually pokes fun at the loli fantasy thing through the central characters workmate. It is very calm and quiet show without any really flashy moments. It is not something you watch for pure entertainment.
 
Evil? said:
Anyone see Koi Kaze? Definitely not for everybody, in fact probably not for most. A drama/love story about a 27 year old man and his 15 year old sister. A taboo subject matter handled very well. Despite the obvious problems with the characters and the relationship you really feel for them.
Click to expand...
I've watched the first episode and have meant to watch the rest, but I'm so skeptical to the story and always have had other series to watch so I've never gotten around doing it. Guess I'll do sometime soon.

I also really liked Welcome to the NHK! I was skeptical to it too after the first episode and sometimes it was kinda annoyingly over the top but overall it was a great show that really got to you. IMO much more thought provoking and emotional than most of those so called "philosophical" animes that tries to be artsy without lots of substance behind it in reality!
 
Anticitizen One said:
I'm kind of itching for something truly spectacular and timeless right now.
Click to expand...
Yeah! Me too, I'm in a anime low right now. Feels like I don't find any really good series anymore, either I start watching and get bored or I already feel like the series will be boring when I read about it. I need like you said something timeless right now so I get in the mood again. I've gone over to read mostly western comics instead which while really good too it is fun to pic the best from both worlds!
 
Evil? said:
Anyone enjoy Welcome To The NHK? I thought it was fucking great. The Japanese voice acting is great too. The central character grutns and sniffles and cries of anguish crack me up. The art is lacking at some points and extremely lacking at others, but most the time in looks decent and seeing as the show has zero action and is a drama, the lack of super smooth animation is not much of a hindrance. I have found that recently I am far more drawn to Dramas and character based anime over flashy action titles.
Click to expand...

I liked it a lot. I'm going to watch it again soon. It had the right balance of drama and comedic elements.
 
Vilden said:
Yeah! Me too, I'm in a anime low right now. Feels like I don't find any really good series anymore, either I start watching and get bored or I already feel like the series will be boring when I read about it. I need like you said something timeless right now so I get in the mood again. I've gone over to read mostly western comics instead which while really good too it is fun to pic the best from both worlds!
Click to expand...
I presume you've seen TTGL. How about Kemonozume, Kaiba, and/or Mushishi? Those are the series that have kept my hopes highest for anime's continued existence as a potentially beautiful artform in the last few years. Well, TTGL is more just fun (and epic/exhilarating later in the series), but the others are what I'd call beautiful. If you've missed them, they're about as good as it gets in my opinion.

There's unfortunately not a ton else I hold in such high regard. Even shows that I feel have a lot of promise (Eden of the East for example) have ended up disappointing me. Every new list of anime coming out from season to season is full of garbage, and I'm lucky if there's one thing that looks at all interesting.
 
I'm looking to get back into anime. What I am looking for is something with a lot of good action that doesn't get boring or totally suck in other areas.

I have seen and enjoyed Cowboy Bebop,Samurai Champloo, and Berserk, as well as the requisite old movies (Ninja Scroll, Akira, Ghost in the Shell etc.)

Thinking about trying Death Note, Elfen Lied, and Guardian of the Spirit.
 
First and foremost, fuck Elfen Lied. Do not degrade yourself with that bullshit.

Or I guess you could watch it like I did and be amazed at how vile and insulting it all is. Unless you like indulging in ultraviolent loli pedo fantasy, don't mind me...

It does have an unfairly gorgeous opening song, though.

Death Note is one that I both love and hate, though I'm a bit more toward hate. It's absolutely fucking ludicrous, and the characters are all cardboard props with little to no actual depth, but it is undeniably riveting because it's just so over the top. I can understand enjoying it as a piece of trashy entertainment, but the kids who act like it's the greatest thing ever are simply wrong.

I actually don't know a thing about Guardian of the Spirit, so I'd have to look that up.

Here are my recs:

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Dead Leaves
Kemonozume
Mind Game
Xam'd
Now and Then, Here and There (but prepare to be depressed.)
 
Couldn't tell ya, haven't seen it. I first saw TTGL while it was still airing and being fansubbed, so I haven't really had any reason to pick up a dub. I kinda prefer watching most anime subtitled anyway (though there are some pretty good dubs I'll make exceptions for, even if I still don't go out of my way to get them).

Stick with TTGL if you liked that first episode. It'll get a bit sillier for 4-5 episodes, but then the major plot kicks in and the first arc changes the tone of the show quite a bit. By the time you're halfway through the scope of it is pretty epic, and it's still barely hinting at what's to come. Awesome and extremely fun show.
 
You mean fucking awesome.

I wish all anime looked that good.

Admittedly, yes, it's a very stylized look and sort of an acquired taste, I suppose. It doesn't look like what people expect from anime. It's raw and sketchy and messy and at times become fucking psychedelic. I really love it.



 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Sabin Frost
Anime
Replies
181
Views
8K
GMD Social Forum
wandering_taco
W
monoxide_child
Favorite Anime
Replies
4
Views
2K
Pop Culture
Kara-Shehr
K
CiG
The Animation Appreciation Thread
Replies
550
Views
32K
GMD Social Forum
CiG
CiG
Liverslapper
Anime Thread
Replies
159
Views
5K
Nevermore
Karmic
K
rockmanxpr
Anime Video of "Fallen"
Replies
15
Views
814
Symphony X (Unofficial)
mandaX
M
Top Bottom
Back