Monkey_Orange

[quote name='Noside']If One Piece somehow survives past Loguetown I'm curious how Nami's Mom and Smoker are handled..[/quote] [COLOR=DarkOrange]I only watch random TV [B]One Piece[/B] episodes every now and then -- so I'm not exactly sure where the current story is now. BUT, my bro told me that he also caught a random episode a few weeks ago in which [B]Smoker[/B] [who we all know is a massive chain-cigar-smoker] had smoke RANDOMLY coming from his mouth. Yes, the cigar was edited OUT. So then, if smoke just randomly comes from his mouth, then is he a machine or does he just have bad breath? :animesigh Pitiful... Everything has been totally "KIDDI-fied"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]I used to think that Asusa was a jerk, but now I've grown to like him a lot. Shinogu...I totally adore! He's SUCH a wonderful & sweet guy *^_^* As for Ryoki...I never liked him, and never will. Honestly, I think that Hatsumi should DUMP him because there are obviously more worthier guys around her :animesmil [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]The OVA briefly touches the awesomness of Jinchuu Arc. And for THAT, I recommend going to the manga starting at volume 18 and ending at volume 28 :D If you check out the bookstores, I think that the manga has been released up to volume 16 -- so it won't be too long now :D But yes, Jinchuu is by far the best.[/COLOR] [quote name='Master_J']I agree, I would have loved for the Jinchuu arc to have been in the anime :( . Luckly Samurai X helped explain what happened :D . I'm waiting for the post-Shishio manga to hit US shores so I can get the whole story.[/quote]

[QUOTE=Touma Seguchi][FONT=Palatino Linotype]One of the reasons why Fruits Basket is done is because the people that worked on the project, myself included, feel that it is artisically complete by itself." That's kind of sad, but I can see his point. Your thoughts?[/FONT][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange] When I first finished watching this series a while ago, I knew that the story wasn't truly completed, but then again, I wasn't like dying to want to watch more - if that makes any sense :animeswea In terms of the anime, it would be nice if they continued it, but then I figured that I could always go to the manga to find out what happens in the end. Hmm...I think that it was...either volume 8 or 9 of the manga that takes off where the anime ends. But then again, some of the sequence of events in the anime are not completely lined up to the manga. Hehe, I'd definitely start collecting the manga to find out what happens and to meet the rest of the members. Man, this is the same situation as with [B]Rurouni Kenshin [/B]-- the second season was blah, and to truly find out about the best arc & ending you'd have to read the manga [and no, the OVAs do NOT count because they just barely scratch the surface of the coolness of the Jinchuu arc :animeangr][/COLOR]

[quote name='Goddess][color=navy][font=tahoma]I'm going to admit, so far, out of the 8 volumes, Mad Hatter has to be my favorite character. She's so witty and sexy. Admittingly, I thought she was a man when she first appeared two or three volumes back XD. She's just so entrancing and very manipulative. I can't wait to meet Lucifer ^~^[/color'][/font][/quote] [COLOR=DarkOrange]I seriously thought Mad Hatter was guy :animecry: Eh. But you know what else I wonder? I wonder who Mika's brother is? Hmm???[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Well folks, it's almost at an end! This July marks the final installment of [B]Gravitation[/B]. But you know what? I get the feeling the ending is gonna be a bit sudden :animeangr I think that [B]Dagger[/B] mentioned somewhere/sometime that the mangaka will be continuing the story, right? If that's the case, then yay! I'd definitely read more...plus I LOVE her artwork.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Sometimes I ask myself why I am still reading this series. The story ain't that great, or original, and the main character...well sometimes I just wanna strangle her. Be stronger, woman! True, your boyfriend is uber sexy but...why are you always the one getting into problems :animesigh Geez. I guess...my contiunous reading of this series is similar to the reason why housewives usually watch daytime soaps -- there simply is no logic whatsoever :animeswea Ah well, I don't mind a little smutt in my life. It's sad, I know :animeswea [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]I just finished reading volume 8, and as always, the story is getting more intense & suspenseful especially with [spoiler]Sara's awakening in Gebril's body AND Sevvy's true identity & intentions[/spoiler]. I know that this story is a bit messed up and confusing, still, [B]Angel Sanctuary[/B] is one of my favorite manga series to read.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]You know, I will most likely go INSANE once the final episode of Loveless has aired. Why? I just don't think that 12 episodes is enough to cover the entire story. There are still many questions & issues that have yet to have been addressed. Thus, this anime will just serve as a sample to the series :animesigh Ock! There are still so many things I'd like to find out :animeangr Geez...I simply hate it when stories are left unfinished. :animestun [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]I thought that there may be some hope in a better version when I watched the premiere of[B] 1P[/B] on Cartoon Network -- sadly, it was still as horrid as when it first debuted on FoxBox :animeangr Whatever. I took a peek at the article that Dagger posted [the inteview w/ the 4Kids CEO]. An uncut version, eh? Sounds good. [B]1P[/B] is truly too good to remain in that dubbed, and edited state. I noticed something funny when I watched the second episode Saturday night. The second episode is pretty much about how Luffy met Zoro at the prison. In the original version, a little girl approached Zoro with some yummy riceballs. In the edited version from Saturday, the little girl approached Zoro with...cookies, and not riceballs. Well...needless to say, I had to chuckle a bit to myself. I think that one of the things that I really miss the most from this edited/dubbed 1P version is the original score/music. The orchestral and nautical music is totally replaced by kiddish, boingy, bouncy background music. THAT's enough to make me cringe, honestly. Okay. No more complaints. Some is better than none, I guess. *runs off to watch her reserve original [B]1P[/B]*[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Kaikan Phrase is a new manga series that I have started reading. At first, I was a bit reluctant to try it, but I eventually gave it ^^;; Mind you, it's probably not the most original piece of work, BUT if you're looking for romantic smut, then it's perfect. Yep, I was in the romantic smut mood when I decided to start it. *feels all warm and lovey, dovey inside*[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]The recently released volume 7 was excellent. The Book of Hades finally ended, and we are now starting on the Book of Ghenna - which I've been quite excite about *^_^*. Truths revealed and new characters are introduced [Micheal and Rapheal *^_^*]! Honestly, the deeper I get into this series, the more I love it![/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Sorry, but I do not have a top 10, instead I will be submitting a top 8 ^^;; [B]1. Vision of Escaflowne[/B] More than meets the eye! This series is unique in it?s own class as the ultimate fusion between shoujo and shonen. Ancient mecha action, tales of destiny, personal growth, and romance ? good stuff! And I?d also like to mention that this series features some of the best music I?ve heard in any anime. [B]2. Full Metal Alchemist[/B] This series exceeded my initial expectations. At first, I wasn?t really interested in watching it, but then a friend sent me the entire series, and I turned out loving it. Brotherhood, alchemy, and action - a wonderful story that flows nicely! [B]3. Fushigi Yugi[/B] If you are looking for the ultimate shoujo of all shoujo, then FS would be the series. One girl, many guys, a best friend who hates her, some people who wants her dead, hooks-ups/break-ups?yep, this series is THE soap opera of anime! [B]4. One Piece[/B] Pay no attention to dubbed version that is currently on TV! One Piece is about action, fun, and adventure! I can honestly NOT think of another show that I have SO much fun watching. Luffy is simply adorable. The sea-faring orchestral music is great [which was also brutally killed in the dubbed version]. Such pirate goodness! [B]5. Kyou Kara Maou![/B] Okay. I must admit that this is probably one of the most random series I have seen, BUT it has also become one of the most random series that I?ve enjoyed watching. The second season of KKM is a must watch! This series is a fun satire of all things fantasy! [B]6. Fruits Basket[/B] I gotta say that I enjoyed this story very much. This anime is funny, cute, warm, mysterious, dark, and sad. I experienced quite the rollercoaster of emotions while watching this series. Definitely a favorite! [B]7. Hunter x Hunter[/B] This was another series that also exceeded my expectations. At first, I didn?t expect much from this shounen series [you know, like thoughtless action & stuff], but I was surprised to have developed a fondness for all of the main characters and their stories. Overall, to me, HxH is a good shounen series with thought! [B]8. Prince of Tennis[/B] True, this series can get a bit repetitive and the moves aren?t always realistic, BUT it?s one of the few sports anime I am totally addicted to watching. One of the surprising things about this show is that I find myself liking both the characters of the main team [the protagonist] in addition to the rival members [the antagonist]. And how can I not enjoy those adorable chibi episodes![/COLOR]

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1] The one I personally ascribe to--or at least find most intriguing--is the idea that [spoiler]Kakei and Saiga are future versions of the main characters. Kakei looks [i]very[/i] similar to Kazahaya, and this would explain why Saiga wears sunglasses all the time (assuming he's not a vampire or something). Maybe I simply relish imagining how each of their personalities might evolve to that point; i.e. the earnest and spastic Kazahaya becoming calm, manipulative and just a little bit sadistic.[/spoiler] [/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange]That's a definitely interesting theory. I can [spoiler]see how Kazuhaya resembles Kakei, but I'm a bit iffy on Riku to Saiga -- well, personality wise. ^^;; LOL! [/spoiler]. Interesting, nonetheless *^_^*[/COLOR] [QUOTE=Dagger]Legal Drug is simply riddled with mysterious insinuations, particularly in the latter half of volume 3. I will be extremely disillusioned with CLAMP if they never follow up on these hints. [/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange]So I've finally managed to pick up volume 3 yesterday, and read it last night. What can I say? I want more! No, honestly, I have been enjoying this series very much. Aside from it's ties to pharmacy [though a bit miniscule :animeswea ] , I liked learning more about the characters volume by volume. Of course, all the teasing that poor Kazuhaya has to endure is hilarious! But yes, there are still many more mysteries about these characters' personal lives that I want to learn more about. ESPECIALLY that particular extra story at the end of volume 3 -- the story about when Rikuo arrived w/ Kazuhaya. Very interesting... I took a peek at TokyoPop's site and saw that they have posted volume 4 but...with no date. Sadness... :animecry: Those CLAMP ladies are evil! First, they've abandoned[B] X/1999[/B]....which, for heaven's sake, only has a few more volumes in order to conclude it. And now...they've done the same with [B]Legal Drug[/B]. That's just plain cruel! Well, hopefully once they are finished with[B] Tsubasa[/B] THEN they'll return to this series. Hopefully :animedepr [/COLOR] [color=darkblue][size=1][b]Double-posting, even if it's five months after the first, isn't allowed. ^^; -Lady K[/b][/size][/color]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Ooo...seiyuu *^_^* The sound of the seiyuu can make quite an impact on how I feel towards certain characters...and the anime in general. But since I'm a proud fangirl, I shall admit that I pay more paticular attention toward that male seiyuu as opposed to the female ones ^^;; -- unless they are female playing a male role. My top 3 'ear'-gasmic seiyuu include: [B]Junichi Suwabe[/B] [Fuma fr.[B] X TV[/B], Atobe fr. [B]Prince of Tennis[/B]] [B]Inuoe Kazuhiko[/B] [Eiri fr. [B]Gravitation[/B], Hatori fr. [B]Fruits Basket[/B]] [B]Sho Hayami[/B] [Naoe fr. [B]Mirage of Blaze[/B], Father Remington fr. [B]Chrno Crusade[/B]] Definite ear candy *drools*[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][QUOTE=Dagger IX1] EDIT: Apparently [b]Paranoia Agent[/b] and [b]Samurai Champloo[/b] are both coming to CN this summer. Let the celebrations begin! [/QUOTE] That's excellent! Do you have any idea when CN will be airing these shows?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][quote name='Dagger IX1'] Unfortunately, Legal Drug seems bound to suffer the same fate as X/1999 and Clover. [/quote] I think that it was actually you, Dagger, who showed me the way to the site with the scanlations *^_^* From what I've read over a year ago, I really enjoyed the series. THAT, and the fact that I am also currently in Pharmacy school. LOL! A story that sets in a Pharmacy? What a great coincidence! I absolutely love it. Perhaps I should some day open up my own pharmacy, and call it the Green Drug Pharmacy.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Alchemy was also known as the 'Divine Art'. The basis of alchemy started out from a spiritual and religous background -- the purification of one's soul in order to achieve the highest state...the state of the Heavens. Alchemy became very popular in Europe during the Renaissance era -- and started to fuse into both sience and art. On a side note, you guys you check out Northern Renaissance art. Paintings and printings of this era are great example of how Alchemy was a fusion of religion, science, and art. Very interesting. Back to point... The three goals of Alchemy are: to obtain the Philosopher's Stone, to discover the Univeral Solvent, and to create the Elixir of Life. All three of those goals heavily involve both purification and transmutation *^_^* Hmm...why am saying this? Ah yes, the topic of Alchemist 'Specialists', right? I see your point in that its kind of strange. Perhaps they specialize in that 'area' [or given the specific] title because they've mastered the transmutation and purification of that particular substance/meterial/element. I think i'm looking too much into this. FMA is a good show. To be honest, I only started watching it because it dealt with alchemy -- which I studied a bit of when I was in college ^^;; And now that's it's winter break, I'm gonna try to see if I can finish up this series before I head back to school. Good suff. The US version is okay. I...don't really like Ed's voice. ^^;; Aside from that, I still watch it...if I'm still awake, that is. ^^;;[/COLOR]

[quote name='Dagger IX1'] Speaking of more shounen-ai... I think that the two-episode Gravitation OVA is supposed to come out some time in the first half of 2005. Its character designs are slightly different from the television show's--Shuichi has red hair, green eyes and generally looks more like his manga self. The animation is markedly better and (at least in certain parts) the shounen-ai content is a bit more pronounced. It also has some fantastic music. So the Gravi OVA is definitely a title to watch out for. ^_^[/quote] [COLOR=DarkOrange] The music is REALLY good in the OVAs. Although...there were definitely times when I kinda wanted to shake Shuichi because he was being whinier than usual ^^;; Other than that, I enjoyed it *^_^*[/COLOR] Oh yeah...you also get to see Eiri in a thong. Teehee! [quote name='Dagger IX1']That aside, here's a general question for everyone: how does Gravitation compare to the other shounen-ai series and OVAs you've seen?[/quote] [COLOR=DarkOrange] Most of the Shounen-Ai shows that I watch are generally tame and involve viewer speculation. Gravitation was perhaps the first show that I watched that revolved around people who are openly gay. I think that if I were to go deeper into Shounen-ai, then I might find myself on the doorsteps of watching Yaoi ^^;; -- a line that I'm not willing to cross...yet ^^;; [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Holy crap! I think that I was the first to have voted between the ages of "21-25" ^^;; Ugh. I feel like a senior citizen, or something. 24. ...*wonders if she'll still be around in the next 5 years* Yeah, that'll be kind of...sad. ^^;; But hey...I may be old, but dammit, I love my stuff *^_^*[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]I started out with watching Anime first. Afterwards, I moved into the area of reading manga -- and pretty much prefer it over it's animated equivalent. With manga, both the artwork and story is more detailed -- of course, since it's the original, right? I find that the animated equivalent usually tones down/or simplify the original art. As the stories, details are usually omitted to save time...and let's not forget the insertion of meaningless fillers. HOWEVER, there are certainly other times when I prefer to watch anime over the manga. Actually, let me correct myself ^^;; I find that Anime is a good supplement to the manga series. Some people may dismiss this as repeatition, but it's true for myself. There are certain series with wonderful music, which is not provided when reading manga. Also, sometimes I get a bit lazy when it comes to rereading some of manga -- therefore my simple brain turns to watching the Anime. Sport Manga series are also best when animated -- I just find them more entertaining and amusing [like Prince of Tennis and Slam Dunk]. Okay. That's about it.[/COLOR]

[QUOTE=AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue] I'm asking because Barnes & Nobles had Angel Sanctuary and Chrono Crusade in the same section. B&N has an adult section, so I was wondering if it's tame enough to be sitting alongside other, less controversial manga since it wasn't placed separately. From what I've seen from the OAV, while there wasn't anything that crossed the line blatantly, it really looked like Angel Sanctuary was going in that direction. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange]Angel Sanctuary is only controversial in terms of themes like incest, homosexuality, and religion. Other than that, it's pretty much an adventurous and dramatic story about a teenage boy's love. There are no explicit graphic scenes of sexuality and violence -- so it really isn't THAT bad ^^;; But then again, I'm only at volume 4 out of a total of 20+ volumes. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Angel Sanctuary is among my favorite manga series. I've seen the OVA a few years ago, and felt that it left off at a horrid cliffhanger. Aside from the beautiful artwork, I think that the main force that drew me into this series was that the story wasn't 'lite and fluffy.' During the time when I first picked up the manga,I was already searching for a dramatic series with a touch of darkness. Yep, this story contains a LOT of emotions and some taboo subjects. Good stuff, all around. Speaking of which, I need to go to the store to pick up the fifth volume ^^;;[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Hey guys! A friend of mine posted this in another board, but i thought that I'd share it with ya'll : [URL=http://211.1.160.10/1101/nintendo/DS-demo.wmv]A Nintendo DS Orchestra playing "Melissa" the 1st OP theme to FMA.[/URL].[/COLOR]

[quote name='Dagger IX1'] Do you remember the part in which Gon and co. found Hisoka, er, bathing? As they walked down the forest path he started ogling Gon and Killua from behind. It was wholly unexpected and very, very funny.[/quote] [COLOR=DarkOrange]Yeah, that pretty funny...especially when Gon and Killua cringed after feeling some strange vibes.[/COLOR] [quote name='Dagger IX1']I just hope Yoshihiro Togashi recovers from his sickness and starts putting out manga chapters at a faster pace. Maybe then a new OVA or TV series can be released. [/quote] [COLOR=DarkOrange]I had no idea that he was sick. Yes. Let's hope that he get's better soon *^_^* Also, did you know that HxH Manga has been licensed for the US? Keeping that in mind, I think that it won't be too long before the show becomes licensed all together. If it does get licensed, then i just pray that the show doesn't get kiddified! *sighs* I mean, just look at poor Groove Adventure Rave and One Piece! Such sad fates! (>_