Dagger

I just finished watching the three-episode King of Bandit Jing OVA (King of Bandit Jing in Seventh Heaven), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Seeing this has convinced me to buy the original series. In any case, the OVA was spectacular. It had great production values and smoothly combined traditional animation with CGI. While one scene at the very beginning felt a little awkward, there were plenty of later sequences featuring full CG backgrounds that looked lush and dramatic but were not at all distracting. I couldn't find anything to complain about, either in terms of artwork (I loved the character designs, which ranged from cute to amusingly bizzare) or animation. The OVA's main theme was dreams, and so the whole thing ended up being very stylized and surreal. One of the side characters was a sunglasses-wearing, cigarette-toting cherub who flitted around on tiny wings and made blase comments from time to time. As you might expect, most of the three episodes consisted of Jing and Kir romping through (not to mention escaping from) various quirky dreams. It felt very much like Alice in Wonderland, and I generally love that sort of thing. Seventh Heaven most definitely did not disappoint. Actually, the ending turned out to be pleasantly poignant. I was surprised to find myself touched by the words of two characters who had received minimal development (although, looking back, there were a lot of subtle hints as to the true nature of their relationship). I guess I have to blame my strong emotional reaction on the amazing music, script and visuals. Seventh Heaven reminded me of Kino's Journey, and I expect the TV series will probably do the same. In Kino's Journey, the two main characters (the impassive Kino and Hermes, Kino's talkative sidekick) drift through an endless stream of strange countries. They do not change over the course of the show, which is entirely episodic. Instead, they're more storytelling devices than anything else, and serve as a way to introduce the viewer to all sorts of different people and situations. Kino's Journey whetted my appetite for episodic anime, and after watching Seventh Heaven, I know exactly what I want to get next. :) ~Dagger~

The characters in Soul Taker act [i]normal[/i]?? :twitch: I haven't seen anything appallingly atrocious in quite a while, although the first volume of BastOF Syndrome (a Korean anime) was pretty awful. The characters and premise could not possibly have been more generic, and the artwork felt a little off in certain shots. To make matters worse, the humorous sequences basically ended up looking like a frantic imitation of typical anime SD comedy. There are much worse shows on the market, but BastOF Syndrome is just a mediocre waste of time. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Darktigerpack17']Could you consider Big O as a anime? The title screen intro shows it in Japanese bit the artwork is so similar to Batman its pathetic. The storyline has the complexity of a authentic anime, but I'm not completely convinced. :smirk:[/quote] Not all anime have complex plots [i]or[/i] stereotypical artwork. Very few anime, in fact, are blessed with an interesting and well-written storyline. I suppose the answer to your question ultimately depends on one's personal definition of anime, but judging animation by its artwork alone is superficial at best--doing so means that you may miss out on quite a few shows which were made in Japan but don't look "Japanese." Anyway, does it really matter? Would you actually think less of Big O if it had been, say, directed by an American? ~Dagger~

Well, she [i]is[/i] a dowser, so... ^_^;; *grins* In any case, all I can say is that you're missing out on some truly dazzling action. This show will look unbelievably good on DVD. For me at least, it's rarely a good idea to judge an anime by one episode--by doing that with Madlax, I almost avoided watching what turned out to be a very, very cool show. Episode 9 has something for everyone. For starters, each of the main characters--including Kyuuzou and even the still-wounded Katsushiro--performs some kind of gravity-defying stunt. The 3-D cel-shading continues to look a little messy (especially when compared to the incredibly clean, unobtrusive CGI seen in series like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex). However, the action is otherwise so smooth and flashy that I find this an easy flaw to forgive. Oddly enough, the mecha seem to blend in better when Kanbei and company are dicing them up; the CG machinery stands out the most during shots with little movement. Kirara does what she does best... she sits around, says sensible things and looks cute. Not the most inspiring anime female ever created, but her character design really is exquisite. I love how Kikuchiyo refers to himself as "ore-sama." While episode 10 contains less action, it's [i]very[/i] amusing. Kikuchiyo and the little girl gang up on Katsu, constantly teasing him about his feelings for Kirara. Rikichu, stuck with Gorobei and the woodcutter (who reveals in episode 9 that he has a surprisingly ruthless streak), is forced to endure all sorts of jokes and hijinks. The battle sequences with Kyuuzou and "Momotaro" are just spectacular--the animation in this new pair of episodes more than makes up for the disappointing visuals in episode 7. ~Dagger~

I know this takes place in the same basic universe as Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, but I was wondering just how much the two anime have in common. For example, are there any shared characters? ~Dagger~

Best Buy finally sent me volume 2, which includes one of my favorite episodes (Quiz de Pon!). For anyone else who might be watching Gravitation dubbed, pay careful attention to Ayaka, who is played by Rachael Lillis. She sounds just right: well-bred, polite to a fault and surprisingly spirited. I'm still utterly cowed by the video quality--there are a lot of details (especially during the concert scenes on this particular disc) that I just didn't notice when watching my fansubs. The extra-vibrant artwork in episode 4 is also a big treat. I haven't gotten around to seeing episode 6 yet, but if I remember correctly it ends on something of a cliffhanger. It's a good thing volume 3 will be coming out in less than a month. :) ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Solo Tremaine][COLOR=#503F86]Don't forget that not all 'American' animations are drawn in America- many are drawn in Korea (Invader ZIM and Futurama, for example). Does that make them Korean animations? No, because they're licensed, produced and comissioned by an American company with American writers for an American audience. In the credits to many US animations I've seen loads of Japanese names, even in some Disney films. If something was animated entirely by Japanese artists, would that be anime? The country it's animated in might not be Japan, but if there's a whole Japanese team working on it, it's about as near as dammit as you can get. It's not as clear-cut as you might think.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] Good point. Moreover, not all anime is produced solely in Japan... plenty of series are at least partially outsourced. If you look at the credits of any random ongoing show, chances are you'll see a whole slew of Korean names. And in recent years, a lot of really great anime (including Kino's Journey, Kaleido Star and Hi no Tori) have been co-produced by American companies. ~Dagger~

Yeah, I really hate long match-ups. I didn't think the Yusuke vs. Toguro fight was [i]that[/i] exciting, mainly because Toguro is--in my opinion--a pretty boring character. However, I actually enjoyed watching it a lot more than I had expected. Think back to episode 8, if you will. That's the last segment of the "Artifacts of Darkness" arc, in which Yusuke beats Hiei and reclaims the Koma no Ken (the sword that turns people into low-level demons; I forget what it's called in English). Anyway, I re-watched episode 8 last night. I've heard a theory--though I can't remember where I read or saw it--that the Koma no Ken was actually controlling Hiei. Even if this isn't stated directly anywhere in the Yu Yu Hakusho manga or anime, I'm completely convinced of its veracity. Regardless of which language you see episode 8 in, it's blatantly obvious that Hiei is acting totally out of character. While I know he changes somewhat over the course of the series, only the most drastic of personality shifts could explain his behavior. Hiei rants on and on, underestimates his opponent, is ridiculously careless and even shows Yusuke his true form. In this episode, he's almost like a caricature of his regular self--much more arrogant, overconfident and talkative. Moreover, it's hard to believe Yusuke could actually defeat him at this early point in the anime, even when aided by Kurama and dumb luck. The only possible explanation is that the Koma no Ken can manipulate its user. Perhaps gaining domination of the human world was as much the sword's goal as Hiei's, and it influenced Hiei's emotions accordingly. It's also probable that Kurama had figured out what was going on, which would have given him an added reason to intervene in Hiei and Yusuke's fight. ~Dagger~

The Adult Swim forums recently held a poll in which respondents were asked to pick the anime they most wanted to see on AS. The four choices were Paranoia Agent, Samurai Champloo, Gungrave and--strangely enough--Peacemaker Kurogane. Even more strangely, Gungrave completely slaughtered the competition; it received about 52% of the overall vote. Samurai Champloo was a distant second, followed by Paranoia Agent and then PMK. I found it interesting that a series which people might (wrongly) assume was connected to Trigun would have a greater chance at popularity than a series directed by Shinichiro Watanabe. ~Dagger~

The official Naruto topic is located [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=37457][u]here[/u][/url]. Please bear in mind that rumors are, at the end of the day, only rumors. I doubt people would jump for joy if 4Kids licensed [i]any[/i] new anime, heh. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

You don't need to apologize for posting in a series-specific thread; these are meant to be brought back time and time again. Older general topics, however, shouldn't be revived. :) 1. Yes, the singer is Maaya Sakamoto. 2. The show is twenty-six episodes long. Four of those episodes (fifteen through eighteen, if I recall correctly) are recap clip jobs made solely to buy the production team more time. After the anime finished airing on television, four OVA episodes were created, bumping up the total to thirty. So if you ignore the recaps, Wolf's Rain is basically a run-of-the-mill twenty-six episode series. ~Dagger~

If you want discuss or rank various Gundam series, please post [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=42051][u]here[/u][/url]. I'd also suggest cleaning up your posts a bit and offering a more thorough explanation of your choices--the words "weird" and "cool" are virtually meaningless and hardly qualify as concrete reasons. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Sailor Moon was a tremendous hit for Cartoon Network during the mid-1990s. It's been nearly ten years since then, and I was wondering whether anyone besides me thinks that CN still might benefit from airing family-friendly (and preferably not butchered) shoujo. Supposing they were marketed toward the right audience, anime like Full Moon wo Sagashite could potentially be huge. ~Dagger~

I merged your thread with the official GT topic, Darkenlight. Next time please a) check the Directory sticky before creating a new series-specific thread, and b) put a bit more detail into your posts. At this point your question is basically impossible to answer. It would be helpful, for example, if you mentioned at what point you stopped watching the show. ~Dagger~

Saw this in theaters last night and... meh. I liked the colors and the sheer windiness of it all (there was so much wind in any given scene that I almost felt as though I were watching an anime). However, I had a lot of trouble taking the movie seriously. Some of the action was good; some of it made me cringe. Whenever Jet Li pulled yet another cool-looking stunt, I found myself wondering who would clean up the scrolls or paintbrushes or whatever else he had knocked down. As for the whole sub/dub thing--I'm a strong proponent of foreign-language dubbing when it comes to anime, but live-action dubbing makes me a little leery. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Godelsensei][COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]Half of Atlantis was an incredible rip-off of Laputa, as far as I'm concearned. It irritated me without limits when I discovered this fact. I originally became interested in anime for the art style, as I felt I needed some kind of medium to focus on when it came to drawing (although I know now that anime and manga styles of art differ like crazy^^""). I've always found the character-designs' crazy hair do's and colours, clothes, and weapons attractive, come to think of it. The first anime I really got into was Sailor Moon (but then again, who doesn't love Sailor Moon?! : O ), and then I kind of forgot about the genre for a while, aside from the art styles. I'm probably as much of an uber-geek as I am because of my cousin, who kept lending me stuff. Pft. *goes off and downloads some more Champloo or whatever*[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] Post in the Champloo thread, damn you! ;) As the designated dead-horse beater of this forum, I thought I'd reiterate what I said earlier. Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water is a Gainax anime, directed by Hideaki Anno, which dates back to the early 1990s. Loosely speaking, Nadia is to Laputa as RahXephon is to Evangelion--one could spend days listing all of their similarities. If Nadia and Laputa are siblings, Atlantis is their younger cousin... or something to that effect. I do not have a gift for metaphor. This has just sort of become a sore spot for me, after hearing so many people dismiss great shows because they're supposedly clones of something older. I don't love Atlantis, but if you condemn Atlantis you [i]really[/i] have to condemn Nadia, and Nadia's a damn good anime. Ah, I'm just not making sense anymore. To get back on topic: your post reminded me that I first took note of anime artwork when flipping channels and accidentally stumbling upon a Sailor Moon transformation sequence. I remember being sort of awed by how it looked so elaborate and, well, pretty. ~Dagger~

It's interesting that you mentioned Gungrave... the mafia/yakuza element in Texhnolyze grows stronger with every episode, so I'm looking forward to following these two anime at the same time. I won't pretend that I'm particularly skilled at guessing plot twists, but for what it's worth, some of the events in volume 3 really took me by surprise. For one thing, I most definitely did [i]not[/i] think Yoshi [spoiler]would die[/spoiler] so early in the game. Episodes 9 through 12 also offered some fascinating insights regarding Onishi and Ichise. There's something to be said for a series which manages to be enthralling despite the fact that I forgot many of the supporting characters' names in the months since the second DVD was released. It took me a little while to get oriented, but once my memory was refreshed, I very much enjoyed diving back into the world of Lukuss. I hadn't imagined that Texhnolyze could possibly become any darker or grittier... boy, was I ever wrong. While fewer outright bloodbaths took place during these new episodes, some [i]incredibly[/i] uncomfortable and disturbing situations were more or less shown outright. Most of the aforementioned situations had to do with Touyama, a character whom I believe had not appeared in earlier volumes of the series. He's actually become my favorite member of Texhnolyze's cast; not only does he seem to be the most talkative and eloquent person in the entire city, but also makes Ichise look (by comparison) remarkably stable and restrained. That's a true accomplishment, heh. A lot of effort was clearly put into his characterization. I simply gaped at the screen, simultaneously transfixed and horrified, when Touyama and Ichise [spoiler]met Touyama's father.[/spoiler] Frankly, I was shocked that Ichise didn't [spoiler]beat the man to a lifeless, bloody pulp.[/spoiler] The part where Touyama lectured Ichise about how to use a sword was very cool, as was the climactic scene in which they [spoiler]returned to the place that Ichise had formerly worked as a prize-fighter.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=EVA Unit 100]Semjaza Azazel: "I also really love Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (the series people claim Disney ripped off for Atlantis... There are simliarities, but they are quite different)." You know I found proof somewhere that Disney riped-off Laputa when making Atlantis. They decided they wouldn't release any more Ghibli movies after Mononoke but they still had the rights to them so they decided to make their own crappy remakes of them...[/QUOTE] Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water and Laputa are two entirely separate anime, and they have a lot more in common with each other than with Disney's Atlantis (which contains some elements that might seem familiar to fans of either title). Frankly I don't think it makes any sense to assert that Atlantis is a rip-off, unless you feel like saying the same thing about Nadia. The Lion King, an amazing film in its own right, is pretty much the only Disney work I'd consider to be somewhat suspicious in the sense that you're suggesting (Kimba the White Lion, anyone?). Anyway... I like anime because I like animation. Moreover, it was sort of natural for me to gravitate toward anime after growing up on a steady diet of fantasy and science-fiction novels. After I started having trouble finding books in those genres which I felt would be worth my time, I had to start searching out other forms of entertainment. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=iggypopD][b]NO WAY![/b] Where do you get your info, Dagger?! Please, if you could, let me know the location! I'm on Vol. 2, and I must say, it's been one great manga experience! The main character, Ichigo Kurosaki, thinks the way I think and has the same attitude on life that I do. Plus, his "theme song" is by Bad Religion, a great band I listen to. I think either the VO of Kiba (sorry, I don't know the name) from "Wolf's Rain" would be a good choice fo Ichigo. He is the VO for Vash,too, I think. And the girl who VO's Lavie from Last Exile would be a good choice for Orhime. Ahh...I can't believe it![/QUOTE] I think I first saw it on ANN. Here's a [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=5349][u]link[/u][/url] to the news page in question. Although I haven't read the Bleach manga, I'm really looking forward to the show; it just sounds like my sort of thing. Kiba's English voice actor is Johnny Yong Bosch, who also played Vash in Trigun and Claus in Last Exile. Kari Wahlgren (Robin in Witch Hunter Robin, Cher in Wolf's Rain, Haruko in FLCL) is Lavie. ~Dagger~

1. If you'd like to discuss One Piece, please post in the official One Piece topic, which is located [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=32829][u]here[/u][/url]. 2. FUNimation is currently releasing uncut DVDs of other 4Kids series (most notably Yu-Gi-Oh and Shaman King). I wouldn't be at all surprised if they managed to do the same thing with One Piece a year or two down the line. I have nothing against online petitions, but you have to realize that anime lovers are not 4Kids' target audience. Chances are that the censored version of One Piece will do as well as the company's other massively popular titles. Anyway, the discussion in the pre-existing One Piece thread has already expanded to encompass speculation about potential edits and so forth, so you might want to check it out. 3. ChapterBlack888, if you don't feel like adhering to the Rules (which are extremely straightforward, by the way), then don't visit this site. You have already been warned by other mods. Attempting to circumvent the language censor and using an excessive number of exclamation points will not help you get your message across. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

I have good news for you, iggypopD. It was recently been confirmed that [b]Bleach[/b] is in fact currently being made into an anime. The series should start airing in Japan sometime this fall, and I'm sure it will be quite popular. :) ~Dagger~

[quote name='Spud_Hed']maybe this has already been discussed but i was just wondering what people thought of the new style anime that mixes 3d cgi with animation, i much prefer the old full animation stuff... also if anyone has any recs for decent old style anime (or the better new stuff)[/COLOR][/quote] I can't tell what you're objecting to--the use of CGI or digital animation in general. Clarification would be greatly appreciated. While just about everything nowadays is digital, there are plenty of older films, OVAs and shows to choose from. Shamanic Princess (a six episode OVA) and the original Ghost in the Shell movie are two cel-animated titles that look stunningly beautiful. None of Miyazaki's older material deserves to be missed; Castle in the Sky is one of my personal favorites. ~Dagger~

Oh, now I see what you mean. There certainly are few--if any--restrictions on what can and can't be shown in something which goes directly to video and DVD. Your first post just gave me the impression that you thought [i]all[/i] OVAs were for adult or teenage viewers. ~Dagger~

From what I know, you're basically right. The majority of adults watch little or no anime, but just about everyone loves Miyazaki. I don't think it's correct to assume that OVAs automatically skew older--although Hunter x Hunter is aimed at the same audience as other Shonen Jump anime, it's currently being continued as a series of OVAs. ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, Misenki. Much like favorites threads, versus threads are rarely (if ever) permitted here. It's nice that you've clearly expressed your thoughts on the outcome of this hypothetical match-up. However, chances are that other people would just say "Inuyasha!!11!" without bothering to explain why they believe he would win. If you'd like to discuss either Rurouni Kenshin or Inuyasha, the official topics for those two anime can be found by looking at the Directory sticky. Besides, you're right. Kenshin would pwn Inuyasha, and that's a fact. ;) Thread closed. ~Dagger~