Dagger

[QUOTE=EVA Unit 100]Which was better? I definately would say The Big O I because of it's cool film noir art, fun detective storylines, and decent pacing. The Big O II had a few good episodes as well as a bit of character development on the secondary characters, but the direction got completely lost in unsensible pacing (SEED suffered this, but it actually fixed it up) and faux-depth (one of EVA's problems, but EVA actually had good direction and some real depth behind the semi-gimmicky symbolism). I over II all the way.[/QUOTE] Although I thought season I was a fun romp (mostly thanks to the inimitable R. Dorothy), I personally prefer season II. I didn't think the symbolism was gimmicky; on the contrary, it both surprised me and struck me as being very valid, since it drew heavily on elements introduced at the very beginning of season I. For example, the [spoiler]stage-related[/spoiler] metaphors relate right back to Roger's initally corny catch-phrase and lend it whole new shades of meaning. Moreover, even the parts about [spoiler]original sin and Christian mythology[/spoiler] aren't just whisked out of thin air; the basis for that imagery is laid during the first thirteen episodes. [i]Everything[/i] obstensibly ordinary and simple gains significance in season II, even Angel's name. I feel that Big O II uses repetitive symbolism almost as intelligently and effectively as Revolutionary Girl Utena, which I consider to be an even greater accomplishment than Evangelion. Most importantly, the anime never gets mired in metaphor--even when outside events turn completely abstract, the characters themselves continue to seem real and human. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Readordie']What's AL?[/quote] The Anime Lounge. Heh, I [I]knew[/I] I shouldn't have used an abbreviation. :) ~Dagger~

[quote name='kagOME91inugirl']...NOW LOOK WHAT WE'VE DONE TO KIKYO: :drunk:[/quote] Did anyone else find that incredibly scary? Jeez, it's not even Halloween yet... All I can really do is reiterate what Baron said. Read or Die in particular is quite popular and should be gaining more fans now that both the full-length series and OVA are airing on TV. I'm positive there would be plenty of support for adding an R.O.D-specific section to theOtaku. In the meantime, you can always post about it in the AL. :p ~Dagger~

Last night I finished watching volume 3 of R.O.D the TV. I can't even begin to express how pleased and thrilled I am to be seeing this wonderful series again. The English-language version is already well on its way to earning a place among the best dubs ever made--Rachel Hirschfeld, the young lady who plays Anita, deserves special attention for her stunning performance (which should put many adult VAs to shame). R.O.D the TV has a ton of replay value, perhaps even more so than the OVA. I'm happy to confirm that the animation was cleaned up for DVD; it looks significantly more detailed and slick. Episode 11, equal parts heartwarming and bittersweet, brought tears to my eyes--for the second time, no less! It can be hard to find anime that boast both breath-taking action and solid characterization, but R.O.D the TV delivers admirably in both categories. I can't wait for volume 4--I'm already psyched about revisiting [spoiler]the big "boss" fight in episode 13.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Kane][SIZE=1] It just annoys me sometimes that all these discussions seem to just stagnate around America, it's history it's politics. I don't mean that in an offensive way or anything but it's just something I've wanted to point out for a long time.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] Well, I think this occurs because the subject of gay marriage is a very, very big deal in America right now. Both political parties are trying to capitalize on it, and the debate (by which I mean the general public debate in various cities throughout the States) has turned extremely bitter and divisive. In certain respects it's become almost as awful as the continuing tussle over abortion; nearly every day some major newspaper will carry an article about the latest development. I honestly don't know whether or not gay marriage is as much of a political hot topic in Europe, Australia or anywhere else. You're more than welcome to enlighten me. :) ~Dagger~

I was bored this afternoon and started playing around with some Utena-related scans. I finally settled on the banner below, but although I'm pleased with the basic composition, I'm at a loss in the sense that I have no idea what kind of finishing touches I should add. [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21376&stc=1[/IMG] A border is obviously needed; however, I can't decide whether to make it simple or elaborate. I might try turning the banner into an animated GIF if I'm ever able to settle on a relatively decent (and free!) program. EDIT: While I'm at it.... [img]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21388&stc=1[/img] ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Moi]Personally, I think this is an attempt by a scientist to get rich and famous, as they always do. I mean, maybe it is just a midget? I mean, come on. They find a woman that's super small so they dub it a new species! It's ridiculous. It's a midget, simple. Plus, in ancient times, people were much shorter than modern people anyways. As always, Mana...[/QUOTE] Oh, please. You think they haven't considered every possibility? "Midgets" have a completely different bone structure than your average person, and according to articles I've read, this new specimen's brain capacity isn't even comparable to that of contemporary humans. Feel free to correct me, but I get the feeling that you're just being skeptical for the heck of it, without bothering to seriously back up your assertions. ~Dagger~

[quote name='tattoi nobori']Wow, eight responses already! (I guess the 'boards are a bit more active than a year ago... ^_^) Thanks for the input! ReFlux, thanks for reminding me about Yojimbo.. I put it on for the first time in forever yesterday, what a great movie![/quote] Have I mentioned that you are the proud owner of the [i]coolest banner ever[/i]? Since a few other people mentioned samurai--well, I find it interesting that they too have a distinctive running style. Almost every sword-fighting series I've seen will show a samurai running with his hand hovering just above the hilt of his katana. Anime samurai lean forward, but in general I think their running looks a lot more normal and natural than that of anime ninjas. The way I see it, it's easier to access your weapons when you're virtually touching them than when your arms are flung out behind you. So if there's any logic or historical basis behind the way anime ninjas run, it probably deals with attaining speed rather than with accessing throwing stars or whatnot. ~Dagger~

Hmm... I don't know how short your hair is (or its color), but would Soujirou from Kenshin be an option? [spoiler]Blue, a character whose human form[/spoiler] is not revealed until the latter half of Wolf's Rain, has fairly short hair and doesn't look overly feminine, so she might also work for you. As for the girly-boys of Gundam Wing and Gundam SEED--well, just take your pick. They could all be convincingly cosplayed by a female. ~Dagger~

Revolutionary Girl Utena has some great sidekicks. While Nanami's groupies are annoying, [i]their[/i] color-coded male groupies are just bizarre and random enough to be utterly hilarious. I start cracking up whenever I hear them launch into perfectly harmonized song. It definitely helped that the schoolboy trio was one of the highlights of an occasionally spotty dub; the VAs who played them were appropriately over-the-top and silly. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Jagan']NO WAY! It wasn't legal when America was founded, why should it be legal now?[/quote] Yeah! It wasn't legal for women to vote when America was founded, why should it be legal now? It wasn't illegal to own slaves when America was founded, why should it be outlawed now? PS. Does anyone want to start taking bets on how long this thread will last? ~Dagger~

[quote name='Kippky']yeah, sailor moon does start to run together (I love it though!) but I'm still loyal to Inu-kun and Kagome! :D[/quote] Kippky, please don't double-post. If you'd like to say something new and no one else has posted, you can always edit your original reply. Please refer to the forum rules for more information on this policy. ~Dagger~

To my delight, Amazon sent me the first volume of Paranoia Agent earlier this afternoon. So far I've only managed to watch episode 1, but that alone was more than enough to assure me that this show's dub is going to be spectacular. The English-language track was done by the same studio responsible for R.O.D the TV and Texhnolzye, two other notable recent dubs, and I am immensely pleased with how they've treated Paranoia Agent. For one thing, Maniwa is played by my absolute all-time favorite English voice actor; as always, every one of his lines sounds completely natural. Maromi is voiced by the wonderful Carrie Savage, who's perfectly captured the Japanese seiyuu's pitch and, if anything, improves upon her performance. To my amazement, even the phrase "Lil' Slugger" actually [i]works[/i] and feels like an appropriate substitution for Shounen Bat. It's certainly better than "Bat Boy." I know Geneon got a lot of flak for translating Shounen Bat (and believe me, I also thought it was an idiotic decision until I started watching the dub). However, now I feel as though they made the right choice. The show itself obviously looks magnificient on DVD. Any fan of Satoshi Kon should run out and buy Paranoia Agent--I stopped watching the fansubs around episode 10, and am really eager to find out how it ends. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Siren]?Judgment Day is not prevented in Terminator 2, because the conflict, actions, and outcome of the films are not affected by humans, [B]instead dictated by machines,[/B'] the symbols of Fate in the Terminator films, and because of this, any human effort to alter the future is a futile gesture.? [/quote] Something about the bolded part really throws me off. Everything else flows smoothly, but I strongly feel that the phrasing there is grammatically incorrect--or, at the very least, awkward and easily remedied. I'd say "Judgment Day is not prevented in Terminator 2 because the conflict, actions and outcome of the film are dictated by machines, the symbols of Fate in the Terminator films, rather than humans; because of this, any human effort to alter the future is futile." You don't need to include the entire phrase "futile gesture," as it's a stock expression, and the adjective alone carries the same connotations. The other changes I made were done in the interest of streamlining the sentence. The whole "symbols of Fate" thing could probably afford to go. Like Midnight Rush, I would omit the first comma, and I personally feel that a semicolon works better than "and" in the latter half of your thesis. Of course, I [i]am[/i] a big fan of semicolons. ;) Take my advice with a grain of salt--obviously I do feel that my version sounds better, but my revisions were based almost wholly on gut instinct and my preferences as a reader. ~Dagger~

It would help if you told us whether you're male or female. Anyway, I'll second eternity's advice... for example, don't try to cosplay someone very tall and imposing if you're only 5' 3". Having the right hair will keep you from needing to worry about a wig. If someone in your family is Asian, he or she might be able to provide you with interesting-looking traditional garments (this would be ideal for cosplaying a character from a historical series like Rurouni Kenshin). ~Dagger~

Noir is by far the most visually stunning Bee Train anime. It has solid animation which is complimented by strong, graceful and immensely appealing female character designs. The artwork is simultaneously delicate, strong and nicely stylized; it combines sharp lines with beautiful coloring that looks great even during movement. Madlax, a more recent Bee Train series, is graced with highly detailed backgrounds and fluid digital animation, but somehow still seems much less visually sophisticated than Noir. ~Dagger~

[url=http://www.jascii.net/newanime/jascii.php?jascii_view=183][u]Brief review of the first episode; includes screencaps[/u][/url] [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=4311][u]ANN's listing[/u][/url] [url=http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,1514,tjluht,tsukuyomi___moo.html][u]Some more information[/u][/url] For the record, I greatly enjoyed what little I've seen of this show. However, this is no way to start a series thread--OB is not a search engine, but members will be happy to provide you with pictures, news, etc. [i]if[/i] you put a little effort into your initial post. Here you might have explained why you're interested in Tsukuyomi, which would in turn have made it easier for people to recommend or describe it. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or one of the other moderators. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

I personally prefer R.O.D the TV's opening to that of the OVA. Both are excellent, but--well, the OVA just doesn't have Junior-kun or Michelle. This is, admittedly, pure character bias on my part... in certain respects I prefer the Paper Sisters to Yomiko (lovely though she may be), and I like how they're portrayed in the first and second television OP. Juuni Kokki (The Twelve Kingdoms) has an elegant, graceful opening that consists entirely of still images and instrumental music. Despite the sequence's simplicity, I've never grown tired of watching it. ~Dagger~

*bursts into tears* You forgot Hunter x Hunter! If we're talking about manga (which I assume we're not, but whatever), Death Note definitely takes the cake. As for anime, however, I like Hunter x Hunter even more than the first two seasons of Kenshin and my beloved Yu Yu Hakusho. But before I preach about my adoration for HxH, I have to mention that I don't really think Get Backers, Bleach or Beet fit in with the remainder of the series on your list. Bleach and Beet both debuted on TV this season, and not very many episodes of either have been released; Get Backers is only fifty-two episodes long, which makes it significantly shorter than the rest of the titles included in the poll. If I recall correctly, most of the other shows either kept going until they were cancelled, or are still currently running in Japan; Get Backers was originally scheduled to be only two seasons long. It's not an earth-shattering difference by any means, but it's probably the main reason Get Backers boasts such consistent artwork and slick-looking action. So I'd personally knock those three anime off the list. Anyway. Hunter x Hunter is from the same manga-ka as Yu Yu Hakusho. The main difference between them is scale--Hunter x Hunter has nothing to do with saving the world. It's more like a coming-of-age story, and it's simply the most charming and exciting shounen action anime I've ever seen. Togashi skillfully weaves together an enormous and diverse cast filled with all sorts of quirky, loveable and love-to-hate-able characters. The animation is stunning, at least for a long series that first began airing in 1999. Better yet, the anime contains absolutely no filler and follows the manga's storyline to a T. While the plot is excellent and it contains some of the most memorable fight scenes I've ever watched, the characters are what really make this show. As I marathoned my way through Hunter x Hunter, I found myself screaming in frustration, flinging things at the screen, crying from relief and generally feeling very strongly for the four leads. Just seeing [spoiler]Kurapica and Leorio's[/spoiler] two-second cameos at the end of the G.I. Final OVA evoked a huge flood of emotion in me. I haven't gotten [i]that[/i] involved in many anime--it reminded me of how I had felt when watching Nadia and Revolutionary Girl Utena, two of my all-time favorite series. But the main reason to see Hunter x Hunter is obviously Hisoka. ^_~ ~Dagger~

I wasn't really in the mood for episode 3 until tonight, but I'm glad I saved it for a little while because the action is quite spectacular. Judging by the preview, the next installment will be much more light-hearted--which is great, because although I enjoyed the unrelenting drama and fighting in episode 3, the brief comedic scenes toward the end (not to mention the hilarious post-credits preview) almost killed me. I am still awed by the quality of Bleach's action sequences; the main show-down of this episode has some surprisingly innovative camera angles and feels a lot more dynamic than your average anime slugfest. Hey, I've got a question for all you manga readers. I actually noticed the same thing as James regarding Tatsuki (is that right?) and Inoue--are there any [spoiler]hints about a possible relationship between them in the manga?[/spoiler] I already know which Bleach pairings--canon or not--I'm most likely going to ship. ;) ~Dagger~

Well, I'm not really sure what I was thinking when I designated this the official Hikaru no Go thread, seeing how as it's entirely about the manga. Consider it moved. ~Dagger~

I don't watch many ninja-centric shows, but whenever I see someone running like that I automatically think, "Oh! Ninjas!" In anime like Peacemaker, Otogizoushi and Samurai Champloo (all of which are littered with generic-looking foes), it may be the only way the viewer can visually distinguish between your average expendable opponent and, well, a ninja. ~Dagger~

I recently picked up the first volume of this rather low-profile Tokyopop title, which was apparently released on October 1. As I bought it on a whim, I was startled to discover that Hands Off is easily among the best shounen-ai titles currently on the market. It plays out like a cross between Eerie Queerie and CLAMP's Legal Drug; in fact, two of the main characters look and act very much like the main characters of Legal Drug. Kotarou, the protagonist, has the ability to amplify other people's psychic powers simply by touching them. He is completely unaware of this, which leads to some priceless comedic moments with the other male leads, both of whom are supernaturally gifted. His best friend Yuuto, a shameless womanizer who can read auras, uses his talent to win over even the most cold-hearted girls. His standoffish cousin Tatsuki has (frequently horrifying) visions of the past. For those of you who are familiar with Legal Drug, Tatsuki is analogous to Rikuou, and Kotarou is like a younger, less delicate Kudo. However, Hands Off is also pretty original. Although its humor and premise are both vaguely reminiscient of Eerie Queerie (Tatsuki and Yuuto are just as protective of Kotarou as Hasunuma and Ichi are of Mitsuo), it's a lot darker, more serious and more subtle. Until I carefully read through the entire volume, I wasn't sure whether or not Hands Off could really be categorized as shounen-ai; it does a great job of portraying extremely complicated quasi-romantic relationships without offering anything in the way of gratuitous s-ai fanservice. The artwork is clean, attractive and very consistent, without any of the impossibly feminine bishounen one often finds in shounen-ai manga. Kotarou looks cute and a bit girly, but that's more due to his age than anything else. Most of the character designs (as well as Kotarou's pose on the cover) reminded me of something one might see in a shounen action anime. I'll definitely be sticking with Hands Off. It's much, much better than Eerie Queerie and provides everything from action to well-done (read: not annoying) angst. Has anyone else heard of or read it? ~Dagger~

I watched the first episode a little while back... definitely not my type of show, but you might like it. *shrugs* The comedy is very silly, the fanservice is very blatant and and the plot is very insubstantial. If you're looking for great action, find something else--if you like women with watermelon-sized breasts, watch Sunabouzu or Grenadier. If you happen to prefer svelte young girls, check out Uta~Kata or Tsukuyomi Moon Phase. At this point Sunabouzu consists of a) fanservice, b) jokes about fanservice, c) slapstick and d) gun-centric action. There honestly isn't much more to it other than the fact that the setting is somewhat Trigun-esque. ~Dagger~

I'm actually quite pleased with the dub. I'm especially impressed with Greg Ayres's incredible performance as Chrono--who knew he could get his voice to go that low!? I've heard that he quit smoking because playing Chrono was taking a tremendous toll on his throat, and he wanted to continue doing his best in what was for him a rather difficult role. ADV really overuses Hilary Haag, but she's a decent actress and does sound right as Rosette. I hadn't seen the beautiful OP animation until I watched this on DVD (I wonder when GONZO switched from the temporary TV opening?). Both the OP and ED are a little generic musically, but near-perfect visually. ~Dagger~