Dagger

The boy on the left is Shindou Hikaru from Hikaru no Go, a show about the Japanese board game called go. As for the girl on the right... well, I have no idea. Try posting in [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=42421][u]this thread[/u][/url] the next time you have a similar question. ;) ~Dagger~

The characters I find most compelling are generally those with a lot of hidden depth--and no, I'm not really referring to the overly stoic bishounen-type. I'm drawn to characters who at first seem very simple and possibly stereotypical, yet who are in actuality rather difficult to understand. Sei Satou from Maria-sama ga Miteru is a perfect example of this: her flirtatiousness and easy-going charm won over hordes of fangirls and fanboys toward the beginning of the show. However, it's almost impossible for any viewer to help falling in love with her once the details of her emotionally tormented past are revealed. Characters don't need a lot of screen time to be interesting or well-developed. Ruka (Revolutionary Girl Utena), Mikako (Voices of a Distant Star) and Fulle (Scrapped Princess) are all quite short-lived. Despite appearing for only one to three episodes, each of these characters captured my imagination and my heart. Episodic series like Samurai Champloo and Kino's Journey are rife with likeable characters who are given the spotlight for half an hour or so and then never show up again. That doesn't make characters of this type any less memorable. Jounouchi (a supporting character in Boogiepop Phantom) and the woman with multiple personalities featured in Paranoia Agent are two of my favorites. I'll admit that I absolutely love watching characters break down, especially if they initially appeared rather stand-offish or aloof. When one scene has the ability to make you sympathize with or shed tears for someone who had previously been about as interesting as a cardboard cut-out, you know it's got to be good. While I liked Dio (Last Exile) and Susumu (Peacemaker Kurogane) from the beginning of their respective anime, seeing each of them just shatter and fall apart in response to circumstances beyond their control had an enormous impact on me. If a character never, ever cries until the unthinkable occurs, his grief will seem that much more important. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Sol-Blade']Im not really to familar with GONZO's work, so this is new to me. Who knows? Maybe I'll find a new favorite. :D[/quote] GONZO's other anime include Full Metal Panic!, Last Exile, Hellsing, Saikano, Chrono Crusade, Peacemaker Kurogane and Kaleido Star. I have a feeling that Gankutsuou will end up being among their better series. :) If you're curious, the official website is located [url=http://www.gankutsuou.com/index.html][u]here[/u][/url]. Just be warned that it's a Flash-based site and therefore might not load properly for everyone. The front page alternates between the show's logo and a great still image of Albert and the Count. You can check out the individual character pages for more examples of Gankutsuou's artwork. ~Dagger~

Let me begin by saying that this show feels unlike any anime I've [i]ever[/i] seen. It's based on The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas's original novel) in much the same way that Samurai 7 was based on The Seven Samurai; apparently the core story will remain more or less the same, but it now takes place in a wildly fantastical futuristic world. While obstensibly sci-fi, the setting feels quite exotic, and all of the background elements come together really well. Animated by GONZO and directed by Mahiro Maeda (The Second Renaissance, Blue Submarine no. 6), Gankutsuou boasts high-quality animation and visuals which simply defy description. The first episode is a feast for the ears and eyes, with great classical music; there's a wonderful opera scene early on. More importantly, the show will in all likelihood have a strong, solid plot--assuming GONZO doesn't deviate too far from the source material (or go crazy with their trademark mecha). For those of you who watch fansubs, I strongly recommend that you take a gander at Gankutsuou before it's licensed... as chances are some company will snap it up pretty quickly. This series is going to look bloody amazing on DVD. ~Dagger~

The same rules apply to members both new and old; please don't take this personally, inuyashaslover9. With that having been said, there are a number of things that worry me about your thread. First of all, people who aren't familiar with Yu-Gi-Oh will have absolutely no idea who Marik is. Secondly, I don't quite understand what it is you're trying to discuss. A specific character's attractiveness or lack thereof makes for a very narrow and subjective topic, one that is more likely to promote monosyllabic wrangling than a genuine debate. If you have any questions, or would like to convince me otherwise, please private message me and/or one of the other mods. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

In defense of fansubs, the majority of them--those put together by ethical groups, at any rate--are quite professional and well-done. Since Inuyasha is licensed and has been for some time, it's hardly surprising that the fansubs you downloaded weren't exactly top-notch. Anything taken directly from TV, whether a fansub or a bootleg, will carry the little warning you quoted. I have no idea if this also applies to Japanese anime DVDs, though. That warning actually has an interesting history--it became mandatory sometime in the late '90s, after an episode of Pokemon made seven hundred Japanese kids have seizures. :whoops: ~Dagger~

Just a quick heads-up: TechTV is currently airing [B]R.O.D the TV[/B] (you can check the TechTV website for the exact schedule), and will start showing [B]Gungrave[/B] at midnight on October 12. I was hoping that both of these highly anticipated series would end up on CN, but at least Adult Swim still has the Read or Die OVA. ~Dagger~

That's an apt analysis, Azure. :) [quote name='ScirosDarkblade']1.spends all of his/her money on random anime and manga and various ridiculous anime memorabilia[/quote] In addition to seconding what Azure said regarding this point, I'd like to mention that I'm more inclined to feel skeptical when when I encounter a ranting, raving fan who (thanks to DVD rips) [i]doesn't[/i] spend any money on anime, or one who brags about his enormous collection of... bootlegs. There's nothing especially wrong with merely being a big spender and/or a fanatical hobbyist, although it won't win you a ton of friends. [quote name='AzureWolf][FONT=Book Antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]A poser may not know what the hell he is saying, but he'll be d@mned if anyone else knows anymore than him.[/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote] *nods* That's another fairly simple way to identify posers: they always, [i]always[/i] try to one-up fellow fans (in terms of how long they've been watching anime, the number of anime they've seen, the size of their respective collections, sheer knowledge, etc). ~Dagger~

[quote name='Godelsensei][COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]Fricken dubbies. If Naruto's ever dubbed into English, I think a good number of fans will be forced to commit simultanious seppuku. X_x[/spoiler][/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote] *is mildly offended* No matter which company licenses it, Naruto is going to get dubbed and almost certainly put on television. But so long as it's not taken by either 4Kids or Tokyopop, the show will also receive an uncut, dual-language DVD release... thanks to FUNimation, even some 4Kids series have recently been given that treatment. I just find it strange that sub purists [i]who won't listen to the dub anyway[/i] complain about the mere [I]possibility[/I] of one being created. In any case, I'm curious: do you all think the Naruto manga will end up being fully animated? Inuyasha just wrapped up in Japan--but the corresponding manga is still ongoing. The last part of Rurouni Kenshin never made it to television. Obviously this also applies to a lot of other anime in the genre (i.e. Get Backers). What's the likelihood that, several years down the line, Naruto will be able to avoid meeting a similar fate? ~Dagger~

Well... you have to keep in mind that not very many people here download fansubs. I just finished watching Lunar's version of episode 1--and find myself I agreeing with just about everything you've said. It totally exceeded my expectations. The background music, though unorthodox, is fantastic and (like certain other elements of the show) feels very modern. Rukia looks even cuter than I'd hoped; the character designs in general are sharp and unique, while the animation makes surprisingly good use of short-cuts like motion backgrounds and so forth. It's high-quality enough to please action fans, but not flashy enough to make me fear it might become inconsistent in later episodes. Anyway, this episode was hilarious. The physical comedy reminded me a lot of Fruits Basket... I'm already psyched for the next installment. ~Dagger~

Animax, DeathSquad, A-Keep + ANBU, A-Flux + Anirupt, TW + Naisho and Dr. Jackal have all announced plans to fansub Bleach. Shinsen released the promo, so chances are they'll jump on this show as well. Whew! Talk about oversubbing... ^_^;; Mark my words, Bleach is going to be incredible. I'll admit right off the bat that I don't know too much about it, but I loved Yu Yu Hakusho's irreverent portrayal of the afterlife and I can't wait to see another shounen action series which tackles similar themes. The artwork looks great--I have the feeling that Rukia will quickly become one of my favorite female characters. She just seems really interesting and unusual; refreshingly different from the typical token girl. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Heimlichkeit]I just took a look at the frontpage and i didn't even see YuYu Hakusho under the anime list, i'm sure they're missing a lot, but YuYu is like my favorite one, and it's not even there? And what's CowBoy Bebop doing in 6th? i say it gets 1st easily, [B]but that's just me[/B'], and the most popular animes should be based on votes instead of traffic.[/quote] Voting would only end up being an unnecessary complication. As far as I can tell, the current system appears to accurately reflect the preferences of myO users as a whole. ~Dagger~

It's over--and licensed, to boot! Despite the fact that parts of Madlax absolutely infuriated me, it ended up being one of the anime I eagerly looked forward to every week. To my own surprise, I loved the final episode and now can't wait to get this show on DVD. The script struck me as being strangely inconsistent; some of the earlier episodes were brilliantly written, whereas a whole string in the mid-teens consisted of little more than monotonous (and, frankly, meaningless) name-calling. "Margaret Burton..." "Madlax..." "Margaret Burton..." "Madlax..." "Ojou-sama!" *shudders* Fortunately, things started to pick up toward the very end. Although I had a number of problems with the way that [spoiler]Vanessa and Eleanor were knocked off,[/spoiler] their cameos in the final episode were touching, appropriate and gratifyingly short. [spoiler]Carossaur's death scene was startlingly well done, but by the time Eleanor was shot I had gotten rather fed up with the sudden barrage of character deaths.[/spoiler] I'm definitely anticipating Koichi Mashimo's next project, Meine Liebe. ~Dagger~

For whatever reason, this thread seems to attract an unusual number of sub-par replies. I'd like to remind those posting here that they should pay careful attention to OtakuBoards' rules; using proper spelling, grammar and so forth will earn you respect and help make the forum a more pleasant place for everyone involved. Content is also very important--try to say something of substance, please. If anyone reading this would like to make a comment or ask a question, feel free to PM me or one of the other moderators. Thank you very much. ~Dagger~

Anything and everything related to [b]Ghost in the Shell[/b]. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is possibly the best-looking television series I've ever seen. It flawlessly incorporates cel-shaded CG with fluid digital animation. The action scenes are always breathtaking, and the characters never, ever go off-model (one of my biggest anime pet peeves). Ghost in the Shell: Innocence just radiates beauty--it's visually innovative, with lush, richly detailed backgrounds and a number of scenes which were obviously thrown in simply for the sake of showing off Production I.G's CGI prowess. The original movie is, of course, also smoothly animated and a real pleasure to watch. [B]Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie[/B] has such fantastic artwork and visuals that I would recommend it to any fan of animation. The film won't make much sense to people who haven't seen the thirty-nine episode television series, but it certainly looks stunning. EDIT: Oh, I can't wait to see the Frog Man on DVD. October 26, baby! :D ~Dagger~

I chose the third option. I seriously wouldn't be able to watch Full Moon wo Sagashite or Gravitation if those two anime didn't have such spectacular music. In shows which revolve around aspiring musicians, it's really important that the viewer be able to enjoy or at least tolerate the main character's music (especially if he/she is known for his/her incredible voice, lyrics and/or songwriting ability). Gravitation is only thirteen episodes long, but over the course of those thirteen episodes, it seems as though Shuuichi's single plays at least several hundred times. Fortunately I like the song, so that didn't quite drive me batty. Full Moon wo Sagashite is even more repetitive; Mitsuki's current single is always used as its ED, and due to the anime's slow pace, she rarely switches songs. Initially I had some trouble becoming accustomed to her seiyuu's unusual-sounding voice, but eventually I came to like and appreciate Full Moon's vocal music. Even series that don't specifically deal with music may place some emphasis on sound (RahXephon is an excellent example of this). Most of the time, though, I don't pay special attention to background music unless it's really unique and fantastic or else completely ruins the show. I don't purchase many anime OSTs, so I don't normally notice if a series has a mildly flawed or mediocre soundtrack. Bee Train anime tend to feature amazing--if peculiarly similar--music; after watching the last few episodes of Madlax, I had a hard time resisting the urge to walk around muttering "Yamani yamani" under my breath. Of course, all those vocal choruses were highly evocative of Yuki Kajiura's other work (including Aquarian Age, .hack//SIGN and Le Portrait de Petit Cossette). Anyway, I wouldn't say that background music makes or breaks most series for me--barring shows in which music ends up being a major plot point. Plenty of anime have background music that sounds great when one is actually watching the show, but is hollow, overly eccentric or uninteresting on its own. Nice thread, by the way. :) ~Dagger~

[quote name='wiccansamurai']The banning starts in school libraries, goes t public libraries, moves to book stores.[/quote] Which books have been banned from actual bookstores? I understand why some novels and nonfiction texts are kept out of (public) school libraries, but I've never received any indication that these restrictions might also apply to private companies. ~Dagger~

Apparently Case Closed is [i]not[/i] going to be cancelled--which is annoying, considering how many major sites basically helped propagate a rumor by saying just that. A lot of people expected the show to do poorly, I guess, and jumped to conclusions when CN didn't confirm or deny anything. I don't know whether this means the network will show the next fifty-two episodes, but whatever. ~Dagger~

Gasaraki is reminiscient of Evangelion, Argentosoma, RahXephon, Soukyuu no Fafner and so forth, with a couple of caveats: it's more realistic and somber, and tends to emphasize plot over character development. A big portion of the show deals with political machinations and all sorts of behind-the-scenes scheming--powerful secret organizations abound, and it can be difficult to figure out where the characters' loyalties lie. The animation is pretty strong for a production from late 1998, and the art (with character designs by the same person who worked on Argentosoma and Witch Hunter Robin) appeals to me, although not everyone will like it. ~Dagger~

[quote name='James][color=#707875']But it depends if that person just bought the tickets or if they went in with you as well. Perhaps they have to actually go in with you. I don't know, but it definitely sounds a little shifty.[/color][/quote] Enforcement varies drastically from region to region, not to mention from theater to theater. Some will accept a parent's word--some force the parent to sit and watch the entire movie along with his or her child. Obviously this isn't always feasible, and because there are not (to my knowledge) any set guidelines instructing theater employees on how to back up the ratings, plenty of people don't plan for having to stay with their children. The aforementioned spotty enforcement is a boon to some kids but can be horribly inconvenient for parents, particularly those who didn't think they'd have to stay with their son or daughter during the movie. ~Dagger~

After recently buying the Gasaraki box set, I'm about halfway through the show. So far I have mixed feelings about the series--I'm strongly impressed by the realism and level of detail evident in everything from the mechanical designs to the technobabble, but the main character comes across as being sort of bland. The strange thing about this is that many members of the large supporting cast are surprisingly well developed; even Yushiro's brothers are somewhat easier to understand than him. It doesn't really help when Yushiro gets paired off with Miharu, who would make the perfect foil for someone more impulsive and hot-tempered than he. On the plus side, Gasaraki's English cast is excellent and features many of the same people who also ended up working on RahXephon (Chris Patton and Monica Rial play the two leads). I'm not always drawn to mecha anime that emphasize the political/military aspect of things, but Gasaraki's director seems to have done a good job of incorporating the mystical and supernatural elements which are characteristic of the Eva/Rah sub-genre. ~Dagger~

My blankie is currently in storage... but from a technical perspective, I [i]do[/i] still have it. When I was little, my parents had an incredibly hard time convincing me to let them wash it--and whenever it did finally come out of the dryer, I'd immediately rub it all over the floor. I guess I must have possessed something of an affinity for dirt. ^_^;; ~Dagger~

[url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=33098][U]Thread #1[/U][/url] [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=30812][U]Thread #2[/U][/url] [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=30402][U]Thread #3[/U][/url] The "Advanced Search" button is your friend. ~Dagger~

[quote name='klinanime1']Now, for compromise issues, there's very little "quality" anime that has little violence.[/quote] Those quotation marks confuse me, haha. I'm tempted to guess that you [i]do[/i] feel there are plenty of good non-violent anime (which would be nice), but I don't like to make assumptions. :whoops: To answer your last question, I really don't think we're ever going to see a Japanese anime--not to mention an entire sub-genre--that promotes Christianity as Westerners know it. Religion is both thought of and treated pretty differently in Japan. ~Dagger~

*grins* I still owe you for that one. PA is currently receiving a ton of hype (and deservedly so) in other circles, but few people here have heard of or seen it. Hopefully that will change once the first volume finally hits DVD; Satoshi Kon's name may end up drawing in a lot of casual fans. [b]Nightwalker[/b], while certainly not the most brilliant show ever created, is surprisingly engaging and well-written. A twelve-episode vampire anime released over two discs, it has fantastic dialogue and a superb dub. The script is packed with hilarious double entredres, and the characters' banter make it a ton of fun to watch even when the storyline sags. Nightwalker generally manages to strike a good balance between sly comedy and the obligatory bloody fights. It feels very much like a product of the 90's, and I mean that in the best way possible. ~Dagger~