Dagger

You know, I do believe this thread has run its course. :) Some advice for the future: "Who's your favorite anime character?" is a very broad and all-encompassing question, as other posters here have duly noted. If you absolutely [i]must[/i] make a favorites thread, it's a good idea to narrow things down a bit--for example, limiting the field to "favorite mecha pilot" or "favorite shoujo heroine." Topics which lay out clear restrictions like that almost always produce better results and a more involving discussion than the generic "favorite anime character" topic that seems to pop up month after month. As always, you are welcome to private message me or one of the other moderators if you have any questions, comments or concerns. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Miryoku and ice-kitsune, please clean up your posts a bit--due to the lack of paragraph breaks and clear punctuation, they're not very easy to read. ice-kitsune, you should probably watch the full series before passing judgment on Yuki. He's a genuinely complex character and can be very difficult to understand--I didn't fully "get" him until I had seen the anime several times and read about three-quarters of the manga. The main problem is that his mental/psychological problems are never clearly articulated in either the anime or the manga; if you pay careful attention, however, it's easy to come to the conclusion that [spoiler]Yuki has multiple personalities. Obviously the fact that he's [i]named himself[/i] after the man he killed could only serve to exacerbate that.[/spoiler] This explains the inconsistencies in his behavior, and the fact that he has such an incredibly hard time handling Shuichi's adoration, not to mention their relationship in general. In my opinion, Yuki is actually a surprisingly selfless character, putting up with Shuichi to the point that [spoiler]he relives all of his repressed memories and eventually becomes physically ill.[/spoiler] He acts like a complete *** most of the time, but if you consider how much he's suffering, he starts to seem almost kind. ~Dagger~

I've always eaten pretty well. I grew up with all the healthy, delicious food I ever wanted--my mother was and still is an amazing cook, very versatile and highly skilled. We just didn't keep soda or chips or sugary cereal or Hostess cakes around the house, so I wasn't given the chance to develop a taste for real junk food (when I want to pig out, I gorge myself on Cheerios or sticky rice). Until high school, I had never tasted a Pop Tart or Twinkie, and ate McDonald's perhaps two or three times a year. One's diet has everything to do with one's environment. I'm just really lucky that living with my family permanently ingrained in me a lot of healthy eating preferences and habits. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Monkey_Orange][COLOR=DarkOrange]I admit, Hisoka totally freaked me out in the beginning, and through the majority of the show. I was like 'this guy is SO creepy'...but...there was just 'something' about him that I liked -- in sick way, that is ^^;; But I totally loved him in OVA3. I liked his expression when Gon told him how [spoiler]it was UNLIKE himself when he talked about sharing the victoryl[/spoiler]. He raised a brow and it was great![/COLOR] [IMG]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-6/738220/hisoka11.jpg[/IMG][/quote] Awesome screenshot! Yeah, that scene was really great--very well timed, and one of the best light-hearted moments in the OVA. The remarkable thing is that I didn't once feel as though Hisoka was acting out of character or even that he had significantly changed. He's always been a pretty creepy guy, heh; for me that's a big part of his appeal. In the beginning of the television series, his creepiness stemmed from the fact that he was so amoral and enigmatic. Toward the end of G.I. Final, his creepiness started to stem more from his rather blatant pedophilic tendencies, as many of his secrets (i.e. being a [spoiler]Genei Ryodan[/spoiler] quasi-member) had already been revealed. ^_^;; 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. However, my absolute favorite Hisoka scene took place in the latter half of the TV series, while Gon and Killua were battling in the Celestial Tower. When [spoiler]Gon boldly challenged Hisoka in order to return his number-plate thing, and [i]finally[/i] managed to land a hit on him, I just about jumped out of my seat and started cheering. It was a superbly animated scene--one of the most thrilling, exciting and emotionally satisfying fight sequences I've ever seen.[/spoiler] [quote][COLOR=DarkOrange]I also enjoyed getting to actually see what Gon's father was like. I think that THAT's one of the main things I want to learn more about, is Jin. And what about that last clip where [spoiler]Gon may have finally caught up with father[/spoiler]? Geez, talk about a cliffhanger! [/COLOR][/QUOTE] According to manga readers (I personally haven't been following the manga, though) [spoiler]the man sitting behind the tree is actually the hunter Gon met at the very start of the show, the one who claimed to know his father. I can't remember his name, but you know who I'm talking about, right? It's the one with smallish eyes and shoulder-length blond hair.[/spoiler] 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. ~Dagger~

Anything and everything related to Rurouni Kenshin can be discussed in [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=23215][u]this[/u][/url] thread. Additionally, although versus topics are not strictly forbidden here, they tend to attract spammy replies and frequently end up getting locked. Because of this, the creator of a versus thread must always put extra effort into making his or her topic interesting and must at least attempt to attract high-quality responses. And unless you're presenting some kind of cross-over match-up, "who would win?"-type scenarios can easily be incorporated into the relevant pre-existing series discussion. If you have any questions about OB's policies, feel free to private message me or one of the other moderators. Thank you for your time. ^_^ Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Our official Spiral topic is located [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=43800][u]here[/u][/url]. Please post in that thread if you still wish to discuss the series. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Looks like it's time for my bi-monthly "Better post quality in the Inuyasha thread, please" notice. ;) More seriously, folks, please [i]do[/i] work on your post quality. While you're at it, go re-read the blue messages Solo and I have left sprinkled throughout the last few pages of this topic. Proper spelling, punctuation and grammar are important--even more so if you're just asking a one-line question or providing a similarly trenchant reponse to someone else. Ideally, clarity and coherence should reign supreme. Far too many of the posts in this thread have been borderline spam and, at best, extremely difficult to read. If you want to know more about what exactly constitutes spam, you're quite welcome to peruse OB's rules or private message one of your friendly neighborhood moderators. Thanks in advance for taking all of this into consideration. ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, fanfaf. ^_^ In the future, please use Google or our handy private messaging system for picture-hunting. Additionally, go read the forum rules and make sure to significantly improve your post quality. At the moment it's somewhat lacking. And keep in mind that the importance of proper grammar, spelling and punctuation cannot be over-emphasized--the discussions here won't go anywhere if people can't understand what you're saying. If you have any questions, you're welcome to PM me or one of the other moderators. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Monkey_Orange][COLOR=DarkOrange]I just finished watching HxH OVA3 and totally loved it. *^_^* I'm now wondering when OVA4 will be released ^^;; There are still so many strings left untied. Compared to YYH, I definitely enjoyed this series more because of the story. Character wise, I'd have to say that my favorite is Gon. Although...Hisoka definitely became more interesting as the story progressed. *^_^* Much better as a red head![/COLOR][/QUOTE] Unfortunately the manga isn't very far ahead, so it might be a long time before the next OVA (or, heaven willing, another television series!) is released. I just feel rather lucky that Bleach has come along to help keep me from suffering severe Hunter x Hunter withdrawal pangs. Yeah--is Hisoka an awesome character or what? I was really surprised by his behavior during the [spoiler]volleyball[/spoiler] match. The villains (and ambiguous semi-villains) in this show are so well developed. I haven't ever been so attached to characters in a shounen fighting anime before: I actually teared up at the very end of G.I. Final, when [spoiler]Kurapica and Leorio[/spoiler] each made a brief appearance. What did you think of Biske? To my surprise I ended up loving her, both as a great (if sometimes freakishly scary) female character and as a member of Gon's team. She had the potential to be incredibly annoying, yet I very much liked her no-nonsense attitude and SD temper tantrums. ~Dagger~

[quote name='winddragon']could somebody post taishi's speech from episode 1 for me please[/quote] Welcome to OtakuBoards, winddragon. ^_^ Please keep in mind that we place a strong emphasis on post quality. This means writing posts which are coherent, grammatically correct and easy to understand, regardless of their length. Even--and especially--if you're just asking a simple question, it's important that other members are able to understand what you're talking about. Using proper punctuation and capitalization help greatly in this respect. As your post (quoted above) is basically spam, I've deleted it. Feel free to private message me or one of the other moderators if you have any concerns about OB's policies. Thanks! ~Dagger~

When I finish a show I really, really love (the most recent example of this being Full Moon wo Sagashite), the first thing I do rave about it, and also take the opportunity to read all the discussions, summaries, reviews, etc. that I avoided before for fear of spoilers. If it's unlicensed, I send positive vibes at all the good NA companies in hopes that someone will decide to pick it up soon. If it's licensed, chances are I already own all the merchandise I want--I don't buy much anime-related stuff other than DVDs, and the pack-in items sometimes included are more than enough for me. Whether or not I buy an OST has a lot more to do with the music than with how much I enjoyed the show, if that makes any sense. For example, I very much like Fruits Basket, but wouldn't spend my money on its soundtrack(s). When the series in question does have extremely good music and the OST is licensed--imports are too expensive for me--then I'll get it. Meanwhile, of course, I'll be on the hunt for wallpaper, high-quality scans and so forth. Assuming this anime has become one of my all-time favorites, I usually seek out the manga as well (regardless of whether it was made before or after the show). I join whatever fanlistings I can find and bookmark good shrines/fansites. If the series made a huge impression on me, emotionally or otherwise, I try to avoid watching other anime for at least a couple of days (just to savor the feeling and let it all sink in). Often I'll start re-watching it in whatever language I initially passed on--dubbed if I first saw it subbed, and vice versa. I think I went through the final disc of Revolutionary Girl Utena at least three or four times in the space of a couple days, because I enjoyed it so much I immediately wanted to hear the Japanese version as well as the dub, in addition to all of the director's commentary and so forth. Normally I avoid commentary tracks; it's only when I absolutely love a show that I listen to them. That's all I can think of, heh. :) ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=blkchaos]mirushi, i though hiei killed sniper a week or 2 ago; then again dead or alive any character can be your favorate so nvm :mad: how long till it stops saying that i'm a "new" member; i've been a member for 3 hours already, i hardly find that "new"[/QUOTE] Welcome to OtakuBoards, blkchaos. ^_^ Before posting again, please go read the forum rules, FAQ, sticky threads, etc. Your post quality leaves a lot to be desired. Here at OB we place a heavy emphasis on coherence and readability, both of which usually encompass proper spelling and punctuation. Writing clear replies--regardless of whether they're two sentences or two paragraphs--makes discussions more enjoyable for everyone involved. As your post (quoted above) is essentially spam, I've deleted it. Feel free to private message me or one of the other mods if you have any questions. Thank you very much. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Statiquen']I know I'm new to posting on these boards and I feel I might make some waves due to the fact I like to point out the obvious (usually in a harsh way cause I try to stay honest) but considering how deep some of your threads have the potential to be how have u not made a Lain thread yet?[/quote] Welcome to OtakuBoards, Statiquen. :) The "Directory" sticky topic posted near the top of this forum contains an index of all the series/movies/OVAs for which we have designated official threads. So we did actually have a Lain topic lying around; it just hasn't been on the first page lately. This is why I merged your topic with the pre-existing thread. [quote]Oh yea and if my spelling sux... I nor the rest of the world really cares anymore we all speak slang and use acros. and abreves. soo... yeah no1 cares keep it to yourself.[/QUOTE] What's this? Preemptive mod-baiting? :p I wasn't planning to comment on the fact that you seem to play fast and loose with spelling, because your post is more or less readable and the points you've raised make sense. However, keep in mind that getting all defensive about this sort of thing won't do anything but draw attention to it. In general it's a good idea to make your posts as coherent and clear as possible. Please PM me or one of the other moderators if you have any questions. Thanks! ~Dagger~

According to AnimeonDVD, Narutaru seems to be licensed by CPM (which is, in an amusing coincidence, the same company that owns the rights to Now and Then, Here and There). Maybe now I'll finally have a chance to watch the show in its entirety. I never did make it past the first three episodes--although heaven knows I've heard more than enough about the infamous "test tube" incident that apparently takes place later on in the show... ^_^;; ~Dagger~

When I'm stressed out, I often watch Sailor Moon, Pita Ten or something else equally cute and brainless. For some reason I also find old-looking anime (like Maison Ikkoku) rather relaxing. If I have money, buying things helps me de-stress. Assuming I don't have any cash to spare, I just set aside a few hours to bake cookies or a cake; cooking can be surprisingly relaxing. Since I'm not always in the mood for anime--even fluffy, sugary sweet anime--I've got a cabinet of videotapes filled with episodes of The Daily Show and Tom & Jerry. An odd combination, but it works well enough for the purpose of keeping my mind off things. ~Dagger~

Ludwig Kakumei (also known as my new favorite manga) is a series written and drawn by the famous shoujo manga-ka Kaori Yuki, whose other works include Angel Sanctuary, Boys Next Door and Earl Cain. She is renowned for her dark, bloody and deviously twisted storylines, which frequently encompass everything from murder to homosexuality to incest. Ludwig Kakumei is a re-telling of traditional European fairytales such as Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. The person who connects these separate stories is Prince Ludwig, sometimes called "Lui," who stands in for the generic "Prince Charming" found in the watered-down versions of many such fairytales. However, Ludwig is not your average prince. Sadistic, vain, manipulative, self-centered, and stunningly attractive, he is a master of torture--not to mention a necrophiliac. He loves women, particularly dead women. Somehow Ms. Yuki makes Ludwig's personal preferences and habits oddly endearing, and even hilarious. Ludwig Kakumei begins with her version of Snow White, in which the utterly evil princess seduces her father and slowly drives her mother insane. Of course, even Snow White is no match for Ludwig, and the way in which this plays out is morbidly amusing and delightfully unexpected. Ludwig Kakumei features some of Kaori Yuki's best artwork. She's in top form here, with richly detailed, sexy character designs and nicely laid out panels. The dialogue is at once disturbing and hysterical. I strongly recommend this series to any fan of Angel Santuary or Ms. Yuki's numerous other manga. It's seriously awesome. ~Dagger~

Last night's episode featured one of the coolest (not to mention most laughable) expendable character deaths I've seen in quite a while. Perhaps my reaction was a bit tasteless, but I couldn't help cracking up when [spoiler]that Majawhatsis guy got aerially impaled with his own darn sword. Pwned by an eleven-year-old kid--what an embarrassing way to go![/spoiler] Isn't this the first time Ed has [spoiler]killed[/spoiler] another person? If that's the case, then I must confess to being pleasantly surprised that he and Al didn't agonize over it more. After Vash and Kenshin, the last thing I want to deal with is another set of bleeding-heart shounen heroes. I was also pleased that the script didn't outright explain why [spoiler]the girl started cross-dressing.[/spoiler] The answer had been provided--it just required a wee bit of thinking. I'm tired of action anime which over-explain things. ~Dagger~

I see Sciros's point, and to me it pretty much makes sense. There are times when I still mention the "post > signature" rule of thumb to someone whose signature is obviously way out of control. I can't remember having seen nearly as many awful sigs since the 300-character limitation was implemented, but maybe I've just become desensitized or something. :p ~Dagger~

[quote name='GTK']Fruits Basket was just weird. Yuki had such a sweet, cute voice in Japanese... [/quote] Sure, if by that you mean he sounded just like a little girl... :p There are plenty of female seiyuu (such as Junko Minagawa and the ever-lovely Mitsuki Saiga) who can convincingly fit into male roles, but in my opinion Aya Hisakawa just isn't one of them. The only one of her male characters I've ever been able to tolerate is Miki from Revolutionary Girl Utena, and I don't even really think of him as a boy. She's fantastic at girls and women, and in female roles she displays a surprising amount of range, but all of her boys sound excessively feminine. That's just my personal taste speaking, though. I forgot to mention His and Her Circumstances earlier, and I could just kick myself for that. Its dub is brilliant to the point that I have no desire to watch the series subtitled (and with all that flying text, I've got more than enough to read as it is). In my mind, Veronica Taylor [i]is[/i] Yukino--she nails every single crazy mood swing, outburst and over-the-top emotion, then segues perfectly into the occasional angsty introspective monologue. For me personally, His and Her's English dub is as close to perfect as a dub can get. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Katana][size=1][color=royalblue]You guys probably think of me as the person who's a newbie to anime. Why? Because usually, subs drive me crazy. I'll admit, the only anime I have on DVD is Azumanga Daioh. But I have heard the Japanese voice actors of various anime, and I'm usually frightened out of my mind. Subtitles drive me crazy because you have to focus on reading the words...then you miss the scene...and then you're pissed.[/color][/size][/QUOTE] I don't think preferring dubs or subs has anything to do with being a "newbie." The only people I consider to be anime newbies are those who download R1 DVD rips or knowingly buy bootlegs and subsequently offer some half-***ed excuse for not supporting the legitimate release. [quote name='Godelsensei][COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]To begin with, on artistic grounds, I cannot stand the thought of dubbing. Some things were just meant to be Japanese (Rurouni Kenshin, [i]par example[/i], before they abandoned the [i]manga[/i] and rode off into the sunset, after rocket ships and whatever the hell else), through and through.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote] Your argument doesn't really hold water--there are so many popular, respected anime that don't take place in Japan. Would you find it more artistically satisfying to watch Monster in German, or Noir and Nadia in French? It certainly doesn't make sense for all of the German characters in Monster to magically know Japanese. What about anime which take place in a world with no clearly defined language (such as Revolutionary Girl Utena, Trigun and Kiki's Delivery Service)? One can't really assert that a Japanese script adds to a show's realism or historical accuracy when everything else about it is patently unrealistic--as is the case with Rurouni Kenshin TV. Moreover, and I'm sure I've said this elsewhere, [i]all anime is dubbed[/i]. That is, much of the animation itself is completed before the Japanese vocal track is recorded, so ultimately both the Japanese and English casts are in the same boat--it's just that one set of VAs is able to take a crack at the material a bit earlier. That's why even when you're watching something in Japanese, lip flaps can be problematic. Another reason I frequently prefer dubs: no Engrish! Cheesy Engrish can slaughter an otherwise lovely scene. For example, episode 11 of Maria-sama ga Miteru ends with Sei saying "My happy birthday!" in English. It sounded freaking awful and completely shattered the mood. I've never been able to forgive Maria-sama's scriptwriters for inserting that line. You know what's amusing--I actually can't stand Princess Mononoke's dub. It's the primary reason I've never watched the movie in its entirety. ~Dagger~

Episode 8 just HAD to end on a cliffhanger--and it looks as though episode 9 will be really important and serious, too, if the (uncharacteristically somber and dramatic) preview is anything to go by. I love the [spoiler]new semi-crazy shinigami.[/spoiler] He seems like someone who would fit in perfectly in Samurai Champloo. Is he even in the manga? Anyway, I'm pleased that [spoiler]Kon got a chance to occupy Ichigo's body again. I found him calling Rukia "nee-san" to be unexpectedly endearing and cute.[/spoiler] My only gripe with this episode is that the filters/CG effects used for the Hollow's invisible limbs didn't end up looking nearly as cool as those used for the vectors in Elfen Lied, but no matter. I just want to see the end of this fight! Actually, I also want to find out the true identity of the [spoiler]creepy suicidal spirit who Ichigo was chasing after when his mother died.[/spoiler] I was quite surprised to see her [spoiler](the spirit, not his mother--is it even female?) make an appearance in the next episode preview.[/spoiler] By the way, could Ichigo's dad possibly get any weirder? :sweat: ~Dagger~

Episode 17 was a little slow (aside from the cool [spoiler]boxing[/spoiler] scenes--I'd rather have swordfights, but at least Sadamitsu still possesses an aptitude for [i]something[/i]). However, in episode 18 the main plot seemed to get right back on track. I'm a little confused about what exactly happened, though. [spoiler]In the fire, were the short visions Hikaru saw images from all of Mansairaku's past lives? At one point, was he actually this "Tenkai" dude? I'd like to assume so, since he appeared wearing monk clothing, but I'm not wholly sure. Either way, it was pretty interesting. And it appears as though the main conflict this time around will have something to do with time, or time distortions, or whatever...[/spoiler] Oh! And while we're discussing Mansairaku's [spoiler]creepiness,[/spoiler] just wait till you get to the part in episode 18 when he says [spoiler]"I have been waiting for you for a long time." All of a sudden his voice became really deep--it was enough to give me goosebumps.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

Wow, I finished the last few episodes a lot earlier than I had expected, heh. I just couldn't bring myself to stop watching! Suffice it to say that I am incredibly impressed and overwhelmed. Full Moon wo Sagashite may possess the single best ending of any anime I've seen. The show as a whole has certainly knocked Fruits Basket a few notches lower on my personal list of all-time favorites, something I hadn't thought could possibly happen. Not only that, but I can now state confidently that Meroko is my favorite female character [i]ever[/i]. [spoiler]Everything ended on a supremely hopeful note, yet it didn't feel at all corny or contrived. Even Izumi and Madoka were able to redeem themselves. I actually like the Izumi/Meroko relationship almost as much as I like Takuto with Mitsuki--it was clear to me that Meroko's words and actions had really changed Izumi for the better. For a while there I was mortally afraid that either Takuto, Meroko or both would be forced to permanently sacrifice their lives for Mitsuki's sake, but fortunately that wasn't the case. I cried like a baby when I realized Meroko had become an angel and Takuto had become a human. Although the ending was absolutely perfect in every way, I could never have correctly predicted it, and in my opinion that makes it even better.[/spoiler] I'm very happy and grateful for getting the chance to watch this amazing series. I hope I'll also eventually find a way to read the manga. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, Laughingman15. ^_^ Before posting again, please go read the Rules and FAQ (which are both conveniently linked to in the blue navigation bar at your left). Here at OB, we strongly emphasize post quality--that means saying something of substance and using proper grammar and spelling while you're at it. Your posts don't need to be a certain length, but when they're very short it's particularly important that you put a lot of effort into actually using complete sentences, correct punctuation and so forth. The person who starts a thread needs to set a decent example for everyone who will be replying to his or her original post. In this case you have not done that, so I've locked the topic. You're quite welcome to private message me or one of the other moderators if you have any questions. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

I second everything Solo said. Just as nearly all of the other scientific stuff included in his books is there for the purpose of contributing to the madcap comedy, I strongly doubt Mr. Adams meant for this "theory" to be taken seriously. ~Dagger~