Dagger

[QUOTE=Baron Samedi][size=1]*points Dagger to [url=www.myotaku.com/myHero]myHero[/url]* ^_^; Thats already practisable.[/size][/QUOTE] That's not quite what I was referring to, heh. Just from glancing at it, the account looks to be exclusive rather than inclusive--i.e. it's not as though just anyone can join up and start posting on a whim. Of course, I don't actually know anything about the project, so I could be misreading it. What I meant was the kind of thing where you can click a link to join the community and then post something immediately, so long as you're already a member of myO... no passwords and such involved except for the people running/moderating the community in question. Meh, I'm not doing too good a job of explaining this. I hope that makes sense. >_< I can link to examples of this sort of community, if you like. ~Dagger~

Right now I'm using a [url=http://www.gankutsuou.com/][u]Gankutsuou[/u][/url] wallpaper from [url=http://www.banime.com/][u]Banime[/u][/url]. It's a sci-fi anime based on The Count of Monte Cristo--the original novel, not the movie(s) or anything. The character featured is the protagonist, Albert. I've discovered that I really love wallpapers with a lot of light and open space, and this one fits the bill nicely. ~Dagger~

[quote name='animejunkee']If it ever shows here it would totally become my fav. In fact sometimes I try to imagine who would be the voices of the characters if tsubasa became a show (I call it tsubasa for short so don't get mad at me for not saying the whole thing).[/quote] Have you seen the Cardcaptor Sakura television series? I assume they'll try to hire the same seiyuu who appeared in CCS, and possibly other CLAMP anime like Chobits and X TV. This might hinge end up hinging on the significance of the characters' cameos. I imagine it would be more desirable to have vocal continuity for an important character than for one who just shows his face in a couple of random episodes. Of course, they'll get new seiyuu for the characters who don't come from previous CLAMP series. On that note, it'd be cool if Mitsuki Saiga were in this. Fai looks like a very Mitsuki Saiga-ish character. >_> ~Dagger~

The original title of that manga is Ikki Tousen. For reasons unknown to me, Tokyopop changed the name to Battle Vixens. The Ikki Tousen anime is thirteen episodes long, and is currently being released by Geneon (the official site can be found [url=http://www.ikkitousendvd.com/ikkiMain.html][u]here[/u][/url]). We don't currently have an official Ikki Tousen thread, so I'll edit the title and let this stand. Next time, try breaking up your post with some periods. It would make your writing infinitely easier to read, heh. ^_^;; ~Dagger~

A couple of things--first of all, please make an effort to explain why the anime you're mentioning made you cry. I just deleted a couple of posts dealing with Wolf's Rain; the members who made said posts are welcome to reply again, so long as they at least say why the show affected them emotionally. Use spoiler tags, of course. dragonandante, I didn't delete your post because, though brief, it's clear (short posts with good post quality >>> short posts with poor post quality). Elaboration would be appreciated, though--I'm quite curious about which part of Saikano hit you the hardest. Personally, I found [spoiler]Akemi's death[/spoiler] more tragic than the last few episodes of the series. >_>;; Secondly, I'd like to thank those of you who used spoiler tags. [b]For everyone who doesn't know how to make them, all you have to do is type [spoiler]text[/*spoiler], minus the asterisk.[/b] There's no need to bother with using light font colors or anything, heh. If you make a post and later see that it's been spoiler-tagged, please don't change it back! This means a mod has edited your post--we don't always have time to leave an accompanying note (though we try to do so whenever possible). @SteelAngle Somi: Try to sprinkle some commas and periods in there next time. Thanks. ^_~ I think that's all. So far almost everyone's been pretty good about implementing spoiler tags and such. Also, the first couple of posts in this thread (basically the entire first page, actually) are excellent examples of the kind of replies we look for in topics like this. If you have no idea what I mean when I say "good post quality," just read over those. Thanks again. ^_^ ~Dagger~

[quote name='AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue][SPOILER]The Shiki we know and love is from a family that Akiha's dad (and friends) killed off. Shiki was taken in because the dad had a son named Shiki as well. However, Tohno Shiki was later possessed by Roa, and went insane. The new Shiki protected Akiha from the deranged Shiki but was almost killed (or did he die completely?) in the process. Then the dad shoved his real son into that cellar, and Akiha gave some of her blood to her unrelated brother so he could live. At this point, Shiki's eyes got all funky. Mixing of bloods, maybe?[/SPOILER][/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote] Thanks! Now that makes more sense. I completely missed (or forgot about) [spoiler]Akiha giving the unrelated Shiki her blood. I remember wondering how the heck he survived that injury.[/spoiler] Speaking of which, is there a reason [spoiler]Shiki's old stab wound opened back up when he encountered the grown-up Roa/original Shiki for the first time? It was a very cool scene, almost as cool as the first time Akiha's hair started glowing red, but if there's a deeper reason that Roa's very presence had such an effect on him, I totally missed it.[/spoiler] [QUOTE][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]You've obviously seen Tsukihime more than once, Dagger. Did anything change for you the second time around? Hate/love changed to love/hate for certain characters or something to that effect? Did you notice any little subtleties?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] Well, I still have four episodes to go, so I can't comment on the most pivotal parts. But one thing that stood out for me the second time around was the amusement park episode. The first time I saw it, I didn't care for it, and the whole hot springs thing sort of made me cringe. I was actually dreading watching it again. But when I did see that episode, I really enjoyed getting to see all of the characters (especially the girls, haha) interact. Even the hot springs part serves a specific purpose, and the fact that [spoiler]Ciel doesn't join Satsuki and Arcueid in the water[/spoiler] is a pretty big clue--one which I just didn't pick up on when I originally watched it. I like Satsuki and Akiha a lot more now, too. Satsuki doesn't seem quite so useless, and it's easier not to get hung up on Akiha's initial formality and coldness when you know [spoiler]how much she's suffered, and how deeply she cares for Shiki.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

I apologize in advance if this was mentioned before. ^_^;; Anyway, there are other blog-type sites let users create open "community" accounts. For example, there are quite a few LiveJournal communities that focus on specific anime and/or manga--the members can link to fanart, post fanfiction, discuss the series, etc. On the whole, they're quite friendly and welcoming. It's very similar to a regular blog, except that you have multiple people posting entries. I don't know if it's at all feasible, but it would be interesting if theOtaku gave users this option, or attached communities built on the myO template to the most popular hubs. Generally, I've found that blog communities sort of serve a different purpose than message boards, so I don't think something like this would necessarily have to compete with OB. Just a thought, I guess. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Kinshin1, please keep in mind that favorites threads are pretty much forbidden [i]unless[/i] the thread creator strives to set a good example. This entails having decent post quality and explaining why you like the anime you're listing. And in the future, it would probably be a better idea to ask for friends and so forth in your signature, rather than in actual posts. If you have any questions, feel free to private message me or one of the other moderators. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[quote name='natetron46']As far as publishing companies, I meant that perhaps the publishing company thought it would be in their best interests to not challange that rating and to accept an R.... I beleive that they can lobby for a lower rating, hell they could have even cut some stuff out for a lower rating (which would have ruined the movie, but got a lower rating and made it more accessible).[/quote] Oh, I see what you mean. Sorry for misinterpreting what you said before. ^_^;; The thing is, Appleseed sort of has to target a niche audience (anime/video game fans), and the anime fans in particular would be less than pleased if it were cut. To be honest, I imagine that there'd be a pretty big uproar, even if the DVD release remained uncut. So editing the movie wouldn't exactly be the best option, as you implied. And I suspect that (successfully) lobbying for a lower rating requires some degree of leverage, and I'm not sure that Geneon has that kind of influence regarding the MPAA and such. Ah well. ~Dagger~

Nah, if you're talking about the game, the thread should stay here. But there's a Xenosaga television series running in Japan right now, and from your original post it wasn't clear whether you meant the game or the anime. My bad. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Are you referring to the new Xenosaga anime? If so, then I could probably take some screencaps for you. I assume you want them in order to show other members what you're talking about in regards to the artwork. Generally speaking, even game-based anime should be discussed [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27][u]here[/u][/url], rather than in Play It. If, on the other hand, you're referring to another Xenosaga game or something, I can't really help you. ~Dagger~

If it really is him, I'm definitely not complaining. I've always been a pretty big [spoiler]Rufus[/spoiler] fan, and he's probably one of my favorite male characters from the game. In my opinion, he would make a more interesting and unexpected "mysterious wheelchair person" than Sephiroth or even Aeris. ~Dagger~

[quote name='natetron46']Those are live action, animation is a totally different thing, no one is human. This would ahve to be one very violent movie to get an R, but I was under the impression that it wasnt that bad. Maybe the publishing company just doesnt want to take any risks.[/quote] I actually think the opposite is true. As an example, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is rated R; were it a big-budget live-action blockbuster, I'm positive it would have been rated PG-13. From what I remember, the violence isn't terribly bloody (it consists mostly of explosions, hand-to-hand combat and the like), and only one scene has noticeable sexual innuendo. It seems to me that the MPAA tends to rate animated films more harshly, probably because animation is perceived as being a medium aimed primarily at pre-teens and children. Off the top of my head, I can think of several anime movies that have been rated R. Some of them deserved it and some of them probably didn't, but the idea that anime films are rated more leniently simply due to being animated doesn't exactly jive with history. Also, publishing companies don't set ratings; the MPAA does. I'm positive that Geneon would have preferred for Appleseed to be rated PG-13, heh. @Katamari: Are you referring to live-action movies, anime or what? It might help if you explained the Canadian ratings system before asking people to contrast it with the American system. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=ckime]-Cartoons are still viewed as "for kids." The Appleseed movie is going to release in 6 cities this Friday ([url]www.AppleseedTheMovie.com[/url]), but with a 'R' rating for violence. In my opinion, there are PG-13 live-action films with more violence, but if this is animated and the violence is part of a serious story (i.e. people actually die), then they rate the movie stronger. Anyway, gotta get back to work. Chad Kime Marketing Manager Geneon Entertainment[/QUOTE] Wow, seriously? I suppose I can understand something like Akira or Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust getting slapped with an R, but from what I've heard, the violence in Appleseed is more akin to the kind of stuff one might see in Ghost in the Shell (which is PG-13, I think). It was outrageous enough that the Cowboy Bebop movie received an R. And the Appleseed trailers I've watched most definitely did not give me the impression that the film was R material. Of course, as I haven't seen the actual movie, this isn't something I can really pass judgment on. But I'm definitely surprised that violence was the reason they cited, considering how gory live-action PG-13 films can get. Looks like DC isn't one of those six locations. Meh, I guess I'll just buy/rent the DVD. Unless Appleseed does spectacularly well and spreads to other cities. :p Your other stories/facts were quite interesting (I loved the one about CCS, haha). I hadn't realized Japanese companies were so concerned about indirect controversy. Makes me wonder how big of a role that might have played in the whole Demon Lord Dante fiasco (which, though not wholly Geneon's fault, was still immensely frustrating). ~Dagger~

[quote name='Altron]And talk about a new stress on the server due to bandwidth... a few days ago, there was [B]72 [/B'] guests viewing the OB Anthology. I meant to get a screen-cap, but I didn't seem to work when I hit Print Screen. Ahh well.[/quote] Whoa... o_O Like you, I just refresh the page when I get that error message. It nearly always works, although there are times when I have to open a new window altogether. Now that I'm on the lookout for this, I can definitely confirm that for me it only happens with OB. @Baron: Wait, what do you mean? The phrase sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it. At what point does the notice pop up? ~Dagger~

Finally finished the first DVD... it might be a month or so before I can get my hands on the second one, though. We'll see. At first I was unimpressed by the show's OP, but I've realized that in the context of the series it's actually pretty exciting and evocative. The instrumental music is really beautiful, and it reminds me of Twelve Kingdom's opening theme (which is one of my all-time favorites). The ending song/animation is also very pretty. So far, Kana is probably my favorite character, and that's mostly thanks to episode 4. She and Rakka play off each other nicely. Plus, her presence is what allowed for a clarification of the whole crow metaphor (at least, I think I understand it a little better now). ~Dagger~

[quote name='AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Specifically, [SPOILER]the whole two Shiki phenomenon. They kept switching gears and I did get confused, and then the sister's involvement between the two "brothers."[/SPOILER][/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote] Haha, I'm still pretty confused about that. I think I had it nicely sorted out at one point or another, but now I'm just befuddled. Do you think you could explain it for me? Oh, and I look forward to reading your articles, whenever you submit them. ^_^ ~Dagger~

[quote name='Katamari666']Hey can the residents in canada get Cartoon network? :confused:[/quote] Probably not. I believe that YTV shows many of the same anime as CN. I don't actually live in Canada, so take my words with a grain of salt, but if you're looking for Inuyasha, Witch Hunter Robin or Gundam SEED (can't think of anything else they've aired lately), YTV is the way to go. ~Dagger~

So has anyone been watching the latest episodes? I ask because I haven't bothered to keep up with School Rumble (not since the whole Media Factory fiasco). I figured that it would get licensed (not fake-licensed, real-licensed) sometime in 2005 anyway, and it's not exactly the kind of show that keeps you up at night wondering what's going to happen. Would you say that continuing to follow School Rumble now--rather than later--is worth it? ~Dagger~

Note: I merged your thread with this sticky; nearly all topics related to anime on television rightfully belong here. I think you've got a couple of things confused. First of all, the word "manga" just means Japanese comics--which obviously can't be shown on television. So rather than using "manga" and "anime" interchangeably, type "manga" when you're referring to printed material and "anime" when you're referring to something that's actually animated (as you seem to be doing here). It appears as though you've provided enough information for fellow UKers to help you out, but I'm sure people would feel more inclined to respond if your post was a little more organized. Next time, try breaking it up into smaller paragraphs, especially if you're going to continue using such a large font. Some additional punctuation and capitalization wouldn't hurt, either. Thanks in advance for taking this into consideration. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Every once in a while I get the "connection refused" message, and it's been happening more often now with OB (at least for the past few weeks). At first I thought this was just some random Firefox problem, but if other people are experiencing it, then I guess it might be a larger issue. ~Dagger~

I'm not quite sure what you're requesting here. If you need help, please private message me or one of the other moderators directly rather than creating a thread that has nothing to do with discussing anime and whatnot. If you feel that you can rephrase your request in a slightly more coherent manner, you are welcome to post it [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=58][u]here[/u][/url]; that link leads to the Suggestions & Feedback forum. Thanks. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[b]What is it?[/b] v7 [b]Why is it nifty?[/b] With v7 came the new "one thread per series" policy for the Anime Lounge and Play It. Though there were some initial complaints, activity has increased significantly in both forums. I really like this method of organization: it keeps things so much neater and cleaner than just letting, say, a new Evangelion topic pop up every month. Plus, v7 also brought two gorgeous new skins (I'm rather partial to Geisha, myself). This incarnation of OB is simply the best-looking, most slickly designed message board I've ever seen. [b]What is it?[/b] Manga Workshop [b]Why is it nifty?[/b] The market for manga is rapidly expanding, and I'm quite happy that manga now has its own forum. The Manga Workshop struggled a bit at first, but as the year progressed, it began to find its legs. It's played host to some really interesting topics that would have gotten buried or overlooked if they were left to languish in the Anime Lounge. And again, separating manga-centric threads from anime-centric threads helps all of Tokyo 3 stay nice and tidy. [b]What is it?[/b] Panda [member/mod] [b]Why is it nifty?[/b] To me, it seems as though the Otaku Lounge is one of the hardest areas of the site to moderate. Panda brings an incredible amount of maturity, intelligence and humility to her job. She's very approachable and has really made the OL a more welcoming place. Plus, Panda's posts in other areas of OB (such as the Anime Lounge) are always thoughtful and interesting. [b]What is it?[/b] Siren [member] [b]Why is it nifty?[/b] Yeah, there are plenty of times when I wish I could strangle him. But there are just as many times when I'm in awe of his ability to express his opinion. Alex definitely has made a big impact on the site, and debating with him is equal parts enjoyable and infuriating. ^_~ I'll edit in my other choices later. ~Dagger~

[url=http://www.bs-i.co.jp/anime/AIR/][u]Official site [television series][/u][/url] [url=http://air2004.com/][u]Official site [movie][/u][/url] This show is going to be something special. I enjoyed the first episode immensely, and I'm already going ballistic over the movie's beautiful trailer. I think the series and film tell the same story, but don't quote me on that. They have somewhat different character designs, and obviously the TV anime is going to be much longer. AIR is based on a famous bishoujo game by the same name (which dates back to 2000 or 2001, I think). The TV show is being done by Kyoto Animation, an obscure studio that is probably best known for Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu. AIR's artwork and animation should put all other recent series to shame. Even for a newer anime, it looks breathtakingly beautiful. It demonstrates enough fluidity to put it on the level of something like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, but AIR contains even more movement and detail than that series (although, to be fair, it doesn't have a surfeit of expensive CG or action scenes). This is what I gathered of the plot: the main character, Yukito, is a traveller searching for a girl with wings. Due to various complications, he ends up getting stuck in a small port town with nothing more than the shirt on his back and a little pocket-sized doll. The summer heat is overwhelming, and eventually he falls asleep (only to be awoken by a seagull stomping on his head). He then meets the friendly and helpful Misuzu, and is later introduced to her quirky mother Haruka. It appears that the anime will mostly be about Yukito and the girls he meets in this idyllic town, but there are hints of magic and mystery as well. Yukito [from the opening] [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22060&stc=1[/IMG] Misuzu [from the opening] [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22061&stc=1[/IMG] Misuzu again [this time from the actual episode] [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22062&stc=1[/IMG] Yukito preparing to deliver a serious loli smackdown [this scene made me love him] [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22065&stc=1[/IMG] Kano [the second girl Yukito meets; she's holding his doll] [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22064&stc=1[/IMG] AIR is an extraordinarily graceful, high-quality production with catchy music, nicely timed humor, a great vocal cast and a real sense of beauty to it. Judging by the next episode promo, it looks like the stunning animation will remain consistent. I can't wait to see more of this, and I hope it gets licensed as soon as possible. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Wow, it's been a while since I thought about this show. According to Moon Phase, a second Kyou Kara Maou series is supposed to start airing in April. I don't know what that will mean for the overall episode count, but it's still very cool. Apparently the anime did much better in Japan than anyone had expected. Maybe this means the studio behind KKM is going to start putting more money into making the animation consistent...? Hope springs eternal, I guess. -_- The more I look back on what I saw of the series, the more I like Conrad. He's much less mercurial and PMS-y than Wolfram. Not to imply that I favor the Conrad/Yuuri pairing, but it's nice to have someone stable in the group. Though Gwendal is equally reliable, he's also too grumpy and hen-pecked to count. Gunther and Wolfram are both all over the map when it comes to having crazy mood swings. Conrad, unlike most of the other adults in the show, is a relatively good influence. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the new official title (Kyo Kara Maoh). Not a huge spelling change, and it doesn't look dreadfully ugly or anything, but it seems kind of pointless to indicate the elongated vowel sound in "Maoh" and then just ignore the one in "Kyoh." Meh. ~Dagger~