Dagger

EDIT: The latest episodes have been so incredible that I just [i]had[/i] to bump the thread. My old comments are beneath the line break. This new arc is just absurdly good. I watched episodes 17 through 19 in one sitting, and I was absolutely blown away by how fast-paced and exciting they were. The imagery in episode 19 is nothing short of stunning, and the animation seems to be getting steadily better and better. I only wish I knew how long the show was going to run, so I don't needlessly get my hopes up for 60+ episodes. These last few episodes have elevated it to the level of Get Backers' Limitless Fortress saga, though the actual content is more reminiscient of the training sequences in Hunter x Hunter. On a related note, I [i]loved[/i] all the shots of [spoiler]Ichigo's chain of fate eating itself up.[/spoiler] That was very creative and unexpected and weird. [center]---------------------------------[/center] Some thoughts on episode 13... Firstly, Orihime's sudden awesomeness stunned me. [spoiler]She became slightly, uh, less awesome when it turned out that her cool wind-whipping power was being created by a bunch of mildly psychotic fairies, but I'm just happy that she has a talent in the first place. I had been so convinced that she would end up being the token useless female character. Her relationship with Tatsuki is really sweet and touching (and even more homoerotic than before, haha), and I can't help but feel fond of the red-haired girl. Is Chizuru her name?[/spoiler] Secondly, is it weird that I think [spoiler]Urahara looks very villainous? Though I do like him and his ever-present air of mystery, to me everything about him just screams "secret bad guy."[/spoiler] Maybe I'm merely getting paranoid or something. I was surprised by the borderline camaraderie between Ishida and Ichigo at the very end of the episode. I had expected them to immediately rip each other's throats out (or try, at least). I guess they do have their priorities straight, after all. And it's great to know that Ishida will receive some decent character development. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Godelsensei]Perhaps the fact that it is scheduled to air on Toonami and that any anime that ever goes to television is targeted at eight year olds. (Aside from those few occasions where one might air at midnight or something like that.) One cannot pretend to be optimistic when things like American One Piece exist. *dies*[/QUOTE] One Piece aired on FoxBox. There's a huge difference between that and Toonami. Yu Yu Hakusho (which belongs to the same genre and is similar in certain respects) underwent some pretty thorough "violence" censoring in order to air on Toonami, but the essential spirit & heart of the show remained unchanged. The relationships between the characters, their group dynamic and their actual personalities were not toned down. Naruto, too, has more going for it than sheer goriness, so even if it were to air on Toonami, I don't think it's fair to compare the potential consequences of that with the heart-breaking travesty which is the American version of One Piece. The material I've read doesn't indicate whether Naruto will go to Toonami or Adult Swim. If you've seen something that delves into this & perhaps other specifics, could you point me to a link or something? *pat on the back* Hey, it's better than 4Kids. Or, for that matter, Tokyopop. Keep hope alive, lassie. ;) ~Dagger~

Viz... not my favorite company, but I don't really have any idea what this means for Naruto, Bobobo or later ShoPro/Viz releases. They seriously need to drop the three episodes per disc schtick and start including song subtitles, but they're much better than Tokyopop or (insert shudder here) 4Kids. You know what would be cool? If they re-worked and de-edited the One Piece dub for CN. Not going to happen, but it'd certainly be nice. Apparently it was doing pretty badly on FoxBox, which will hopefully discourage 4Kids from mauling whatever action/adventure series they happen to get their greasy paws on in the future. No child nowadays is going to be entertained by the oh-so-wild exploits of lollipop-smoking, pop-gun wielding pirates. :rolleyes: ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Godelsensei]The thing that pisses me off, more than anything else, is how the franchise's reputation is going to take a serious beating. Targeting Naruto at eight year olds was something we were all hoping would be avoided, but, alas, it was not to be.[/QUOTE] Er... on what are you basing the assumption that it'll be targeted at eight year olds? ~Dagger~

[quote name='demonboy']Since it's half way through the series I doubt that everyone will stop subtitling it, however, that is an extremely likely possiblity.[/quote] Some of the big groups have dropped it (and kudos to them from doing so). Others have announced that they will definitely continue with the series. Given what happened with Inuyasha, One Piece and Fullmetal Alchemist, I doubt Naruto fansubs are going to vanish entirely. Of course, that hasn't stopped people from complaining. In a way, this may end up being a test of the current incarnation of fansubbing. Pretty much everyone and his little sister knows that Naruto has been [i]insanely[/i] popular on the digisub circuit. If, for some bizarre reason, the show doesn't do that well in terms of DVD sales and whatnot, it'll be crystal clear that digisubs can have a noticeable negative impact on the industry. At the same time, one can also look at it more optimistically--Naruto is already very well-known in the States, thanks both to the manga and the fansubs; this is an amazing chance for the pre-established fans (particularly those who were introduced to it by BT) to vote with their wallets and show the licensor & CN that they are a force to be reckoned with, and don't mind spending money and/or time (via television viewings) on something they were previously getting for free. ~Dagger~

It looks like all the recent discussion of Cartoon Network and Naruto was pretty timely. The following quote was taken from [url=http://turnerinfo.com/newsitem.aspx?P=CARTOON&CID01=5991e4de-e163-4bac-bbf5-e81422aa3796][u]this[/u][/url] page. [quote][b][i]Acquisitions[/i][/b] [b]Code LYOKO:[/b] Cartoon Network has acquired 26 additional episodes of the animated series that blends traditional 2D and 3D animation. Code LYOKO tells the story of a group of students who uncover a parallel digital world named LYOKO that is threatened by a deadly virus that could ultimately destroy Earth. [B]Zatch Bell:[/B] The new series takes viewers to the world of good and evil demons as Zatch Bell seeks to become the benevolent king over all of the demons that have come to Earth to conduct the ultimate battle. Reluctant as he may be to fight against the evil demons, Zatch battles his adversaries with the help of his human friend, Kory. The power of the duo grows stronger as their relationship develops. Cartoon Network has acquired 52 episodes of Zatch Bell, which will debut in March. [B]One Piece:[/B] A boy, whose body has the properties of rubber, and his friends are on the search for the treasure left behind by a pirate king called ?One Piece.? Whoever finds this treasure will become King of the Pirates. One Piece will begin in May. [B]Naruto:[/B] Twelve years ago, a nasty demon decimated a village but was contained in a baby who is now a student at a ninja academy. But this antisocial boy does not know that he is possessed. As he evolves as a ninja, his inner demon gives him more and more powers. To become a master ninja, he must learn to control his powers without destroying those around him. The series is scheduled to air in third quarter. [B]Bobobo-bo Bo-Bobo:[/B] In this silly action series, BoBoBo can talk to and understand hair. With the help of his blond hair, he is out to save the land from the Hair Patrol posse and their leader, Baldy Bald, who is forcing everyone to be bald. The action series is scheduled to air in fourth quarter.[/quote] The Naruto license was announced yesterday, but I wasn't aware that Bobobo had been licensed until this popped up. Thoughts? ~Dagger~

Your question is vague and unlikely to attract helpful responses. In the future, I recommend turning to the Manga Workshop or the Art Studio for advice on how to draw manga and anime style characters. It would also be nice if you provided us with more information about whatever art-related problems you may be having. If you have any questions, feel free to private message me or one of the other moderators. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

If you want to bump a thread, copy your last post to Notepad or something, delete the aforementioned post, and create a new reply with whatever you said before plus whatever you urgently needed to add. Goal accomplished, the contents of your post preserved and no rules broken. :) EDIT: Naruto [i]has[/i] been [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/pressrelease.php?id=851][u]licensed[/u][/url]. Let the weeping commence! *grabs a bowl of popcorn and prepares to enjoy the show* I doubt there'll be too much of an uproar here, but at some of the boards I visit, the leechers will be going freaking insane. It's going to be very entertaining. :D ~Dagger~

Thanks for the summary! At least I'll get to see it in full when the third or fourth DVD comes out. Now I can go into next week's episode without wondering if I had missed something really crucial. ^_^ ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=ukoku]Well, Wild Adapter's main chara Kubota and Tokitoh are also used in another manga; Executive Commitie(sp?) Those aren't really anime, since they were never animated (too many nasty bits I guess) but it's the only one I currently know[/QUOTE] Hey! You've read Wild Adapter? Apparently it was turned into a music video (?) or something, but never an actual anime--which kind of sucks, given that a Wild Adapter TV series or OVA would kick [i]so[/i] much ***. That's a pretty good example, actually. Can't believe I didn't think of it myself. *slaps forehead* :p ~Dagger~

Best "reason for editing" note ever. "Gao" power! ^_^ [quote name='AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]QuincyArcher brings up a very good point. I would have to say BitTorrent is strongly responsible for anime's increased popularity and the increased activity and number of fansubs available. Think about it: [B]how many of you actually used UseNet or IRC to grab releases?[/B] *does nothing* [B]How many of you got into anime d/ling because of BT?[/B] *raises hand*[/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote] *raises hand* At the same time, I still plan to start using IRC--if only for manga, which (for various reasons) isn't as well suited for BT. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that the increased popularity and wider distribution of fansubs doesn't really correlate to increased revenue for American anime licensors. That is, even while the number of fansubs being created & downloaded steadily increases, the American anime industry seems to be poised on the verge of a downturn. The market is almost saturated. And yet personally, I can say with confidence that I would not pre-order nearly as many different series if it were not for fansubs. This works both directly and indirectly; even if I haven't seen the anime in question myself, fansubs basically ensure that [i]someone[/i] else has, and so it's much easier to find pre-release reviews and opinions to help me decide if/when I want to buy the R1 DVDs. As an example, anime that aren't fansubbed end up seeming obscure once they're licensed, even if they're fairly recent. Two upcoming shows I'm interested in are Overman King Gainer and Shingu (Gakuen Senki Muryo). Part of Gainer was subbed, but it was never finished; I don't think Shingu ever got fansubbed. Because of this, up until a little while ago it was virtually impossible to find information about/reviews of Gainer, and even after some pretty vigorous searches, I've only found one or two people who've seen Shingu. So I'm much more hesitant about purchasing these series than I would be about a show that has already won over an enthusiastic & vocal English-speaking fanbase. Unfortunately, people who download fansubs, love them, and are thereby inspired to buy more R1 DVDs often seem to be in the minority. Have you read the Cnet article on fansubs? I found it very impressive; I thought it was surprisingly balanced and well-researched. Anyway... [b]Do you think anime influences you as a person? if so, how?[/b] Yes. As someone who very much enjoys writing, I feel that the storytelling devices and conventions used in certain anime have influenced my own work. [b]Why is it that more and more western viewers are interested in anime?[/b] Television. From what I've seen, it's people who already have a cursory interest in/knowledge of anime who start with fansubs; wholly new fans are generally introduced to it via Cartoon Network and such. The Internet obviously plays a role as well, in allowing disparate fans to come together even when that would be impossible in real life. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Annalisse][color=darkslategray']I've been known for this, and it may drive everyone insane; changing my banners/avatars and myO site theme. I have to do it maybe three times a month XD[/color][/quote] Ooh, that reminds me. I love changing my avatar--I'd do it just about every other day if I could. I don't know if that qualifies as an addiction, since I can (mostly) restrain my urge to constantly switch images, but what the hey. ;) ~dagger~

[quote name='EVA Unit 100']I dislike Sailor Moon, but I respect it because it was original and helped define shojo. Wedding Peach is just a very crappy rip-off with painful characterization (all very annoying characters without a hint of humor, dpeth, or development) and butt-ugly animation (come to think of it, the only anime I've seen that looked worse was Beyblade).[/quote] [i]Mahou[/i] shoujo, maybe. But shoujo? Not quite. The main thing Sailor Moon did was expand & popularize the idea of a "magical girl" transforming into her alter ego for the purpose of fighting evil. Nearly all previous mahou shoujo anime had the protagonist transform in order to achieve some kind of personal dream--i.e. becoming an idol singer. As such, I think it's unfair to characterize later series as being rip-offs, when they're ultimately just anime made in the same mold. Similarly, one could pick on RahXephon and Soukyuu no Fafner for being Evangelion clones, but at this point there are so many series which are specifically Evangelion-esque (and one or two of them even out-do Eva), that they can simply be lumped together as shows belonging to the same sub-genre or what have you. As another example, Pretty Cure is very much like Sailor Moon, Wedding Peach and so forth, but it deserves to be considered on its own merits. And going back to Wedding Peach, I'm not saying that it's a work of philosophical brilliance, or even that it's among the better mahou shoujo anime out there. However, it accomplishes what it sets out to do, and does that in fewer episodes and with less filler than Sailor Moon. You don't have to respect it or anything, but it's possible that you're judging it by what it isn't. Er... wow. Sorry for getting so off-topic. I suppose this is vaguely relevant in the sense that dubbed Sailor Moon was the first anime I ever saw, but that's kind of a stretch. Whoops. ^_^;; ~Dagger~

[quote name='EVA Unit 100']I dare you to watch one episode of Wedding Peach. If you can survive that, you are very strong. If you can find anything good about it, you are very crazy.[/quote] I do think many anime really aren't very good, even in an objective sense, but in this case there's a good chance that the genre as a whole just isn't your cup of tea. One must accept certain things in order to enjoy series like Sailor Moon and Wedding Peach for what they are. ;) ~Dagger~

Could someone please summarize the most recent TV episode for me? I missed all but the last few minutes of it, as I had completely forgotten about the time slot change. Thanks in advance! ~Dagger~

I'm somewhat addicted to buying anime. So I guess that, too, plays into the whole "online shopping" thing. :p Seriously, though, deal-hunting can be a lot of fun... stumbling across a great sale is actually rather exhilarating. I just have to make sure I don't start purchasing stuff solely because it's cheap and/or some kind of limited edition thing. ~Dagger~

Sea of Chaos, please watch your post quality. Solo's comments in the reply above yours also apply to you. [quote name='Aerain']I have been using Fan sub to watch some anime currently unavaible in Canada; however I feel that some animes are childish at times. Do you know any good anime you could suggest to an amateur like me? I tend to like anime with a lot of fighting and drama so if you can name some that fit this genre then I will be pleased to hear all of your suggestions. Thanks in advance[/quote] It would help if you mentioned a few anime which you consider to be "childish," because my definition of that word may not necessarily line up with yours. But I'll try to recommend a few titles, all the same. >_>;; [b]Monster[/b] is very dark and mature. Its (mostly) superb writing and well-paced storyline are supported by detailed, realistic character designs and consistently impressive animation. The main character, Dr. Tenma, is a young, brilliant Japanese surgeon who works in a German hospital--until a mysterious series of events (trying not to be overly spoiler-rific, sorry) lead him to become a fugitive from the law. Monster features a vast array of side characters and sub-plots, but manages to be dramatic and suspenseful rather than confusing. [b]Yugo[/b] is a much shorter anime, with only 13 episodes (Monster is currently ongoing, but will probably be between 70 and 80 episodes in total). It's undeservedly obscure, considering that it has decent artwork and one of the most intelligent and discreetly badass main characters you'll ever come across. The eponymous protagonist is a negotiator; the series covers two of his cases, the first taking place in Pakistan, the second in Russia. Be warned that there are quite a few scenes dealing with torture and other forms of severe physical abuse. Both of these shows are unlicensed. As for licensed anime, you can't really go wrong with [b]Requiem from the Darkness[/b], [b]Kino's Journey[/b] (which is not at [i]all[/i] childish, despite appearances), or [b]Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal[/b] (the first set of Rurouni Kenshin OVAs). As a group, the titles I've mentioned tend to err on the side of dark & somewhat/very violent. Again, it would help if you specified what you're looking for. :) ~Dagger~

Yeah, I almost had a hernia trying to merge two threads earlier today. ^_^;; At first I assumed this had something to do with the server-switching that was mentioned on theOtaku's main page a little while back... but I also thought that would lead to real downtime, not whatever's happening at the moment. In sum, I have no idea what's going on. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Xander Harris']Hm. I'm not quite sure what ya'll are talking about here, but I got a new copy of the full series on DVD from a second party dealer on Amazon.com... I don't think Amazon dealers sell bootlegs, although I think what I have is a version released in Japan and not the U.S., since most of the writing on the box is Japanese... whattya think??[/quote] Sounds like a bootleg to me. ^_^;; Amazon's marketplace dealers are kind of notorious for this--when it comes to the ratio of legitimate products to bootlegs, they really aren't much more reliable than eBay. If the item you got has the series spread over three DVDs, or is listed as all-region (region-free), it's definitely a bootleg. Japanese anime DVDs are almost always far more expensive than American anime DVDs, and very few come with English subtitles. ~Dagger~

[quote name='James][color=#334366']There was a big push to start a yaoi/shounen-ai (or whatever it's called) sub-forum a while ago. The only reason that I didn't go ahead with it was mostly because I felt that such threads would be fine in Anime Lounge (ie: I didn't think we had enough fans to support it here).[/color][/quote] What's kind of funny is that nowadays it's called BL (boys' love). Only English-speaking fans use "yaoi" and "shounen-ai" on a regular basis; those words have long since been retired in the Japanese fandom. But while I now have three terms to throw around more or less interchangeably (uh, yay?), at least most English-speaking fans know exactly what yaoi means, whereas the abbreviation BL just leads to mass confusion. Cultural diffusion seems to lag a lot when it comes to things like this. Anyway, I definitely agree with you on the whole lack of support thing. I don't think I've ever managed to make a yaoi thread last more than five or six pages. :( Back on topic--well, sort of... Last year, I had no freaking clue what the "Deal with this member" thread was, haha. I didn't even make the connection until I actually became a mod. ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards. ^_^ If you had read the Rules and/or FAQ, you would probably be aware that introduction threads are not permitted here. I strongly recommend that you check out both pages (which can be found by clicking the links in the blue navigation bar to your left). This policy isn't meant to be discouraging; on the contrary, we want new members to feel that they can immediately begin participating in whichever discussions interest them most. As always, you can private message me or one of the other moderators if you have any questions. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Lady Asphyxia][font=Verdana][size=1]Man, I want a Yaoi forum! At the very least, a thread...>.>[/size'][/font][/quote] Then start one! Or else I'll be forced to. Yeah, this thread is pretty entertaining. I've really enjoyed reading all of the comments, responses to comments and totally unexpected side debates. :p ~Dagger~

I've been too caught up in the newest season of anime to educate myself about upcoming live-action films. However, I sincerely hope that 2005 will turn out to be a better year for movies than 2004. The only title I've taken serious notice of is one you mentioned--Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Johnny Depp is lovely, of course, but I would have killed to see Manson as Wonka. The trailer I've seen looks dazzling, with some really great use of color. How did the Japanese version of the first "Ring" movie end? ~Dagger~

Thanks for answering, Syk. ^_^ Not quite sure what to think of episodes 18 through 20. The most intense, violent parts were extremely well done, but I felt sort of removed from the situation at hand. They seemed to be going for a visceral (instead of emotional) reaction--i.e. trying to make the viewer clench up and recoil rather than empathize, I guess. On that level, at least, the scenes of [spoiler]Unit 03 being eviscerated[/spoiler] worked nicely. If what happened afterward (the long [spoiler]"ZOMG he's merged with EVA!"[/spoiler] sequence) can serve as a preview of the kind of thing I'll be seeing in the final two episodes, I'm a wee bit concerned. [spoiler]Unit 01's "Jin-Roh" moment was cool,[/spoiler] and Shinji is quite capable of kicking *** when he gets serious. However, the emotional/psychological themes of the series are starting to grow kind of tired and repetitive. I got the sense that I could no longer draw my own meaning out of the characters' interactions; instead, I ended up having a bunch of psychological & pseudo-philosophical stuff thrust in my face. To me, that kind of thing narrows the anime's scope, and makes me (as a fan) feel almost suffocated. And to be absolutely honest, it's kind of boring. I don't want to end up putting my brain on autopilot while we take another enlightening tour of Shinji's psyche, leaving the remaining characters to kind of languish on the sidelines. On the plus side, there [i]were[/i] some great moments. I loved seeing [spoiler]Asuka's EVA get decapitated--not that I dislike her, but it was an excessively awesome scene.[/spoiler] And with her raw, riveting acting, Megumi Ogata single-handedly kept me from becoming distracted during Shinji's seemingly interminable internal dialogue. By now I'm completely bewildered as to why people bother comparing Evangelion and RahXephon in such detail. The two anime share a few common elements, but they look and feel totally different. Moreover, they obviously have different goals. Color me confused. :rolleyes: ~Dagger~

Yay! Volume 1 (which contains four episodes) was released yesterday. There are two versions available--a regular edition and a special edition which includes the first soundtrack and a tin artbox big enough to hold the first five DVDs. Both come with a clean reversible cover and a nice, thick booklet that features production artwork, character descriptions (they're slightly spoiler-rific, so watch out) and the like. I ordered the tin version from Target, so I was slightly worried that it would get dented in the mail, but my copy ended up coming in pristine condition. The only problem was that two "as seen on Adult Swim" stickers were stuck on the actual metal, rather than the plastic around it. While I've heard that they can be a real ***** to take off, using a hairdryer on it makes the process go a whole lot faster. Anyway. The packaging is stunning, the extras are great, and overall this is well worth buying. The CD is fantastic--most of the music was played by a live orchestra (the Moscow Symphony something or other; it's credited in the liner notes), and this makes it sound many times better than most anime OSTs, which tend to have a sort of synthesized ring. It's full, rich, and with 33 tracks, it more than makes up for the additional expense. I enjoyed reading the composer's comments, which mentioned something about wanting to create angsty music that wouldn't leave scars. It's a nice concept. ~Dagger~