Dagger

Legend of the Twilight should be discussed in [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=41038][u]this[/u][/url] thread. If you'd like to talk about the manga, feel free to post in the Manga Workshop. In the future, please check this forum's Directory sticky before creating a new series-specific topic; often you will find that a pre-existing "official" thread is already listed there. Thanks. ^_^ Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=DarkOtakuBoy]Thank you for clearing that up, Dagger! ^_^ So, conversely, the reason why shonen anime like Gundam Wing was able to get a large female fanbase is because of the bishonen characters, right? I guess the walls of all genres eventually get broken over time, and theres an exception of every rule. I also wonder about Rumiko Takahashi's work. She seems to me like she doesnt pay attention to genre stereotypes, because her work (granted, I only saw Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha) tends to be a mix of both.[/quote] Exactly. Gundam Wing is actually a perfect example of that. I'm pretty sure Ranma and Inuyasha would both be considered shounen (although Inuyasha's basic set-up seems very shoujo-ish, so I can see why that would lead to some confusion). Maison Ikkoku (and probably Urusei Yatsura, too) is seinen. Interestingly, a lot of female manga-ka have created shonen/seinen series, but the reverse doesn't seem to be true. Sometimes shonen anime are based on shoujo manga, and vice versa. And sometimes it's just hard to tell--for example, I would never have guessed that Twelve Kingdoms was based on a series of shoujo novels, but when I think about it, it sort of makes sense. But genre distinctions are definitely quite useful, at least up to a certain point. [quote]Also, as a quick aside, I recently read in a magazine that most Japanese horror (anime, manga, and live action movies) are widely shoujo. Seems obvious, now that I read that, but I haven't thought about that before. In any case, thats facinating to me. Such a difference to the male dominated American horror counterpart.[/QUOTE] I had no idea... heh, that's really cool. I wonder if it applies to popular franchises like the "Ringu" manga and movie. ~Dagger~

I'm also very honored to have been included in the Nifty Fifty. Moreover, I'm really impressed by how it all turned out--at first I wasn't sure what to expect, but this is entertaining, funny and a lot more inclusive than the previous incarnation of the yearly awards. It's clear that a lot of work went into compiling the list. Nice job, and a big congratulations to everyone involved. :) ~Dagger~

duoikari and Bogger3k, please go read my prior post. Your responses are borderline at best... and while I won't delete them, I'd be much more comfortable with leaving the thread untouched if each of you tried to follow the example set by the original poster and Dragonboym2. This topic has a ton of potential, as they have so neatly demonstrated. Thanks! ^_^ ~Dagger~

So, Viz has announced that they're planning on producing a shoujo anthology called "Shojo Beat." The issues are going to be 250 to 300 pages long and will cost $5.99 each, with subscriptions going for $34.95 (or a promotional price of $29.95). The first Shojo Beat titles will be Nana, Zettai Kareshi (by Yuu Watase, the manga-ka of Fushigi Yuugi and Ceres), Crimson Hero, Kaze Hikaru, God Child and Akachan To Boku. I don't know much about these series. Could somebody fill me in? From what I've gathered, it looks as though Shojo Beat's target audience is supposed to be somewhat older than Shonen Jump's--but again, this is based on my very sketchy knowledge of the titles in question. To me, a prominent shoujo anthology does seem like the next logical step for manga in America. I can't even count how many newspaper articles I've seen which marvel over the popularity of shoujo manga among pre-adolescent and teenage girls, heh. This is something I might consider subscribing to, given that the price is quite reasonable. Do you think Shojo Beat will be successful? EDIT: Apparently "God Child" is the sequel to Kaori Yuki's Count Cain. Now [i]that's[/i] exciting--I can only hope that Viz has also licensed the original series. ~Dagger~

Personally, I'm rather partial to the playful, quirky type. Of course, I also have a soft spot for homocidal maniacs. Give me an attractive male character who neatly integrates those two qualities, and we're good to go. Split personalities also help. [b]Seishirou Sakurazuka[/b], from Tokyo Babylon and X TV, is the quintessential example of a lovable psychopath. He's heartless, cruel and thoroughly enigmatic, yet possesses a peculiarly flippant sense of humor. Plus, you gotta love the [spoiler]one-eyed,[/spoiler] cigarette-toting look--and don't forget his signature sunglasses. Very stylish. [b]Johan Liebert[/b], from Monster, has a kind of angelic (but not effeminate) beauty. What's really cool is that most of Monster's character are very ordinary-looking or else flat-out ugly; think double chins, bulbuous noses, overly rotund waists, sunken eyes, hideous facial hair and so forth. While Johan wouldn't necessarily stand out in a cast packed with bishounen, in Monster his appearance has the same kind of impact--on the other characters and on the viewer--that it would carry in real life. Besides, Johan is [i]the[/i] original evil genius, and one of the best anime villains ever. He's not really "quirky," per se, but he does seem to like being subtly theatrical. Similar bishounen include [b]Okita Souji[/b] from Peacemaker Kurogane and [b]Dio Eraclea[/b] from Last Exile. Oh, and [b]Eiri Yuki[/b] is definitely one of my all-time favorite male characters, but Panda already covered him. I'll post some more later. This is a fun topic, and I'm glad that it's managed to attract high-quality replies. :) ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, naotanandabsama. ^_^ Unfortunately, I don't think this thread is likely to lead to much discussion. I'm sure some people here live or have lived in the same area as you, but you would be better off placing a request like this in your signature. That way, it would get more exposure, and your chances of receiving a reply (via PM, presumably) would probably improve. If you have any questions, feel free to private message me or one of the other moderators. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

I very much enjoy being a moderator. It just makes me happy to help keep the Anime Lounge neat and tidy. For the most part I'm pretty laid-back and slow to anger (well--I like to think that, at least), so cleaning up after spam and such rarely irks me. The only part of the job which really, really sucks is that you end up stumbling across unmarked spoilers a lot--and it's hard to just ignore or forget about them, because then you have to tag the offending posts. I am rather determined to never forgive the person who ruined the ending of Wolf's Rain for me. Luckily for him or her, I can no longer remember his or her name. Anyway... to answer the original poster's question, I'd prefer to stay in my post. :) [quote name='Shy][size=1][spoiler]Quite a few people would be surprised by the Yaoi sub-forum that inhabits it, for example.[/spoiler'][/size][/quote] [spoiler]Maybe they would be surprised by the fact that it's the only reason I spend so much time on OB. Yaoi 4-eva![/spoiler] Or... er... something like that. :devil: I've always wanted to use the "devil" smiley, Dagger

I have a question for those of you who have seen both the straight dub (which is currently being shown on Cartoon Network) and the Americanized DVD dub (I think it's called 100% Whole, or something to that effect): which version do you prefer? Alternatively, which do you find more amusing? ~Dagger~

Please keep in mind that it would help greatly if you mentioned why you want the Gundams you're picking. I will expect everyone who responds to this thread to briefly explain/elaborate upon their choices, so posts which simply list a few Gundams are going to run the risk of being deleted without warning. Thank you very much for taking this into consideration. If you have any questions, feel free to private message me or one of the other moderators. We're here to help. ^_^ ~Dagger~

You know, I'd kind of like to have [b]Mariko's vectors[/b], so long as they didn't come as a package deal with a horrible childhood and split personalities. Mariko is basically [spoiler]the strongest Diclonius[/spoiler] in the world of Elfen Lied, and that's thanks entirely to her [spoiler]thirty-five (!!)[/spoiler] vectors. Of course, I prefer to think that I would use them for peaceful multitasking, rather than ripping off people's limbs. ~Dagger~

[quote name='QuincyArcher']I heard that this series was licensed by ADV? have they announced anything about the release of the first volume yet? Im dying to get my hands on this one.[/quote] They haven't made any formal announcements, but they've posted an Elfen Lied trailer on their website, so you can probably expect volume 1 to come in a couple of months or so. :) ~Dagger~

[quote name='ukoku']It's okay, I would've been angry if someone insulted the anime I like too[/quote] The sentiment is greatly appreciated, but I've deleted your post, as the discussion is starting to get sidetracked. Please go read Solo's warning in the post above yours. And from now on, I'd like all replies in this thread to focus on the actual show. Further apologies and/or accepting of apologies would be somewhat redundant here, but you're quite welcome to continue off-topic conversations via PM. Thanks! ~Dagger~

[quote name='DarkSesshoumaru][COLOR=Red][spoiler]And then Kouta and Lucy living happily together with the others. Yuka was cute and all, but Lucy > Yuka :D [/spoiler'][/COLOR][/quote] Heheh, I agree. [spoiler]The romantic scenes between Kouta and Yuka had their purpose, but they didn't exactly do anything for me, and then I spent a good portion of the series wondering how Kouta really felt about her. I did retain some sympathy for Yuka, though--she acts polished, intelligent, and mature, but on the inside she's a rather weak and desperate character. I don't think she has a chance of ever finding real happiness, regardless of whether or not Lucy returns to Kouta, because she just seems so insecure and emotionally vulnerable. Firmly, decisively giving up on Kouta would do her a world of good.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

The last scene of [B]Full Moon wo Sagashite[/B] is very touching and romantic. I was rooting for [spoiler]Takuto and Mitsuki[/spoiler] throughout the entire show, so I was pretty much in rapture when [spoiler]Takuto received a second chance at life. I also enjoyed seeing Meroko come back as an angel.[/spoiler] Her unrequited love for [spoiler]Takuto[/spoiler] was so pure and deep that I couldn't help liking and admiring her, even though she annoyed me at first. Anyway, watching [spoiler]Mitsuki[/spoiler] slowly fall in love with and then discover her love for [spoiler]Takuto[/spoiler] was what I relished the most out of everything Full Moon wo Sagashite had to offer. All in all, I found the ending of the series, which brought this aspect of it to a climax, to be nothing short of perfect. And naturally the final episode of [B]Elfen Lied[/B] has several excellent romantic scenes. Elfen Lied may be extremely violent and gritty, but ultimately it's more romantic than the majority of sappy shoujo anime. Speaking of which, [B]Pretear[/B] also contains some lovely romantic moments. ~Dagger~

[quote name='amgoddess][COLOR=Red][FONT=Trebuchet MS]I think I'm trying to say 'What type of plot do you prefer?" Sorry about all of this.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote] Cool, thanks for the clarification. ^_^ I really like "boy-meets-mecha" anime of the RahXephon and Soukyuu no Fafner variety. There are quite a few anime (Evangelion successors, one might call them) that follow the same general storyline arc as those series--mysterious creatures/aliens attack, our protagonist is forced to pilot a mech with strange ties to the aforementioned aliens, complications and conspiracies ensue, etc., etc. For some reason, nearly all of the series of this type that I've seen have exceptionally good character development, and I suppose that's among the main reasons I enjoy them. The best ones manage to make something new, fresh and exciting out of the same basic formula/plot, which is pretty cool. I'm also drawn to anime that involve a lot of travelling, such as Kino's Journey and Melody of Oblivion. It's nice to watch the same core cast visit various towns, countries and so forth, especially when each new place has its own unique story or "hook." Melody of Oblivion isn't wholly episodic, but its travelling format allows for it to cover several fantastic mini-arcs, each centering around a different location. ~Dagger~

[quote name='QuincyArcher']if its an anime with an american target audience in mind i don't think the end product will be the same or as good. There are a lot of common things in anime that just wouldn't fly in america and visa versa for american animation in japan, so the end result just may be kind of awkward.[/quote] At the same time, it's good to keep in mind that a lot of anime [i]are[/i] produced with a foreign audience at least partially in mind. Licensing fees are an important source of income for Japanese companies. Some series co-produced by American companies have turned out really well--Kino's Journey, Hi no Tori, Kaleido Star, Paranoia Agent and Koi Kaze are all great examples of this. The situation will probably be somewhat different when big corporations like Time Warner are involved (as opposed to, say, ADV or Geneon), but as Rick Hunter pointed out, CN was basically responsible for getting us the second season of Big O II. Though I'm not expecting a masterpiece or anything, I think it's too early to totally write this off. So far everything seems to indicate that they're bent on making anime, not a hybrid. The stated intentions piqued my interest; the end result might not be something I have any interest in... but hope springs eternal, ne? I'm just slavering over the idea of what a studio like Kyoto Animation, BONES, Madhouse or Gonzo might do with all that money. ;) ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=pocketchange]Escaflowne 8 disc set or Escaflowne collection 1[/QUOTE] Hmm... I don't think an Escaflowne "collection 1" exists, which makes me suspect that whatever you're looking at is a bootleg. Bandai has released Escaflowne in various forms over the years: there's an out-of-print box set that contains all eight DVDs plus an action figure or something, but your chances of locating that are almost nil (besides, it's quite expensive). Toward the end of last year, they came out with a much cheaper bundle/DVD brick type of thing (again containing all eight discs), which had weird packaging but was considerably cheaper. However, this was a holidays-only collection, and I think it's already been pulled from some online retailers. So while you might be able to find it in a brick-and-mortar store, your chance of running into a copy would be slim. Basically, unless you're able to track down an inexpensive legit copy of the old box set, the singles are probably your best bet. You'll still be able to get the more recent collection if you buy it right away, but it's not going to hang around forever. If you can afford the all-at-once expense, I'd advise purchasing that. I believe it also includes the Escaflowne movie. ~Dagger~

[quote name='AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]So, do you have more info for members to sink their teeth into? :p[/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote] [url=http://www.timewarner.com/corp/][u]Time Warner's main page[/u][/url] Time Warner (aka AOL Time Warner) is the gigantic conglomerate that encompasses America Online, New Line Cinema, Turner Broadcasting, Warner Bros. and Time Inc. (which publishes Time Magazine). Essentially, Time Warner owns Cartoon Network, along with such cable channels as TNT, TBS and CNN. In other words, they're [i]huge[/i]. As you mentioned, I should have made this clear in my initial post, heh. :sweat: ~Dagger~

So, has anyone here seen [b]Brigadoon[/b]? I'm about twelve episodes into the series, and so far it's rather impressive. The animation is excellent, and the artwork is pretty unique--detailed and interesting, but with a very stylized, cartoonish look to it. Though this show has some top-notch mecha-ish battles, the characters are also appealing and well-developed. I especially like the wood-working uncle (he seems like he'd fit in perfectly with the cast of Maison Ikkoku, haha) and Melan Blue. Given the visual quality of Brigadoon, and the fact that it has a strong story and is relatively action-packed, I'm just surprised that I had heard so little about it before I bought the DVDs. A couple of other anime which appear to go unnoticed-- Boys Over Flowers [Hana Yori Dango] Zetsuai & Bronze Kurogane Communication Project Arms ~Dagger~

Let's try to avoid flaming here, please. Rick Hunter posted a negative opinion of the show, and you responded by attacking him as a person. That's not entirely appropriate. Additionally, it's best to just sit back and let the built-in censor do its job, as opposed to sprinkling in your own asterisks (which, unfortunately, is rather like attempting to bypass it, though I'm sure you had better intentions). If you have questions about this or anything else, feel free private message me or Solo. Thanks! :) ~Dagger~

[quote name='AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]What's production values mean? I'm not good with Hollywood lingo. I'm getting a vague sense from the context, but not quite.[/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote] I use it--and I hope I'm using it correctly, haha--as a catch-all phrase meaning the quality of the character art (how on-model everyone is, etc.), the smoothness of the animation, the range of actual movement (instead of just implied movement) shown, the consistency compared to earlier episodes, and so forth. Of course, I suppose this can and does apply to the background music, sound effects and sound mixing, but I'm usually much more sensitive to variations in visual things. :sweat: Thanks for telling me about Maria Ross. I'll think probably watch the DVDs subbed; it looks as though there are a quite a few other seiyuu I like sprinkled throughout the cast, and I kind of want to hear Mustang's Japanese voice. :) ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards. ^_^ Regardless of your intentions, this is basically advertising and won't lead to much discussion. Please go read OB's Rules before posting again; the FAQ may also be helpful. Both can be found by clicking the links in the blue navigation bar to your left. If you have any questions, feel free to private message me or one of the other moderators. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Alright, I uploaded the picture. Told ya it was very low-quality. ^_^;; Haha, it's not even Shaoran's waist that weirds me out (he's just--er... pretty and slender, right?)--it's the contrast between Sakura's big huge sleeves and her peculiarly long, emaciated-looking arms. Maybe she'll look better in motion. Still, I'm inclined to think that Cardcaptor Sakura's Sakura is more proportionate, or something. I also ran across a translated list of Tsubasa's seiyuu, but I need to track it down again. I'll try to post that later. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=James][color=#334366]Actually, I really love it when Moderators save threads that may otherwise be questionable in quality. At times if I think a thread idea is good (but with poor execution or whatever), I'll edit the thread title (to improve spelling and so on) and then I'll add my own post. I did this in the Mario vs Sonic thread in Play It, which seemed doomed for closure early on. I thought I'd take it and make something quality out of it. So where possible, I think that's a really good route to take.[/color][/QUOTE] Mm, I agree with you on that. Of course, it's a hard line to walk--there are times when I look at a thread and think, "This totally stinks, but if it just had one good post..." Yet I also worry that if I'm the one making that reply, it'll end up sending the wrong message. In-post warnings and such definitely do help, but they often seem to have little or no effect on the original poster, which is discouraging. But, yeah. I didn't mean to imply that I go closing things right and left, even when they have a small hope for redemption. I just feel considerably better about leaving a bad thread open when I see that one or two other members have added really great posts. ~Dagger~