Dagger

[quote name='oshi][spoiler']What relationship does Tohma actually have with Yuki? I mean, I got the whole married-to-Mika thing and all that, but it seems to me like there might have been something more there.[/spoiler][/quote] At one point during the anime, Tohma says quite seriously that Eiri [spoiler]is the person who he loves best in all the world. I believe this takes place right before he pushes Taki in front of a car, heh.[/spoiler] So like everything else, they toned it down a little for the anime, but the basic intent is still pretty clear. Poor Mika... ^_^;; ~Dagger~

I tend to be overly critical of the girls and women in anime; at times it seems as though they're all either loud and obnoxious, strong but heartless, or pathetically shy. That's why I pay special attention to series which feature intelligent, likeable female characters, even if the vast majority of their cast is male. Below I've listed a few examples of such shows, and I invite you to do the same. Conversely, feel free to complain about the more annoying girls or women that you've encountered in various anime. [b]Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040:[/b] Like R.O.D the TV, this series is driven primarily by women. While Lina, Priss, Nene and Sylia do have vaguely archetypal personalities, they're engaging characters with plenty of chemistry and a great group vibe. They aren't presented as sex objects, and the fanservice in BGCT is always very classy--which allows me to savor the eye candy without feeling like an idiot. [b]Peacemaker Kurogane:[/b] There are perhaps three significant women in all twenty-four episodes of PMK. The anime revolves around males, yet ultimately Ayumu and Akesato are shown to be the most courageous and devious characters in the entire cast. Akesato [spoiler]leads a double life, pretending to be a beautiful but lonely and submissive geisha, when she's actually a talented and ruthless shinobi.[/spoiler] For much of the series, Ayumu is portrayed as a kind-hearted cook/laundress who assumes all the trappings of a traditional female role while her younger brother spies for the Shinsengumi. Yet as PMK winds to a close, [spoiler]she bravely ventures into enemy territory in order to obtain information. Her brutal death[/spoiler] galvanizes the Shinsengumi and gives the show's plot some much-needed momentum. [b]Hunter x Hunter:[/b] Although most of the characters in HxH are male, the women who appear in this series are uniformly smart, competent and mature (despite having radically different personalities). Menchi, Shizuka and Machi are among my favorites, but Biske just blows all of them out of the water. She's wily, powerful and incredibly cute. Although she appears to be about thirteen, she's actually [spoiler]fifty-seven,[/spoiler] and takes full advantage of her innocent looks. Her good-natured bickering with Killua and Gon could easily become tedious or irritating, yet somehow never does. ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, FLCLdude50. ^_^ If you're in the mood to discuss FLCL, go to the directory sticky and find our official FLCL topic. This should only take a couple of seconds, and is (I think) much easier than starting a new thread. Also, from now on avoid please typing in all caps; it's unsightly, difficult to read and overall just completely unacceptable. When creating a series thread, be sure to write a little bit about the show in question. For example, you could explain why you like or dislike it, list potential subjects for discussion, or describe your favorite character. In this case, a single sentence simply won't cut it. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Kita He is a twelve episode series which aired in Japan earlier this spring. I somehow managed to miss the show when it first came out, but I'm planning to remedy that. Judging by its first episode, Kita He may end up being the one of the few bishoujo-game-based anime I actually like. It has a pleasant atmosphere, adequate animation and seems dramatic enough to avoid losing my attention. The character designs are a little... odd, but for some reason I find them really appealing. I'm just surprised that the main character (of the moment, anyway--I'm not sure how the series is structured, and at least four other girls will eventually have major roles) doesn't annoy me. Her girlish voice and predictable reactions would normally have struck me as being rather irksome. Since I recently caught up with Hunter x Hunter (a [i]totally[/i] different type of series, heh), I've been looking for something quiet and soothing to tide me over when there's nothing else to watch. Hopefully Kita He will continue to fit the bill. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Well said, Karma. ^_^ There are quite a few cases in which a show's English dub is as good as or even better than the Japanese-language version. I believe I already mentioned Fruits Basket. Judging by the first four episodes alone, [b]R.O.D the TV[/b] also falls squarely into this category. As a big fan of the series and someone who watched it fansubbed shortly before its North American release, I was prepared to be rather picky about the English voice cast. However, every single performance just stunned me with its accuracy and authenticity. Since many important characters in the show are British, I prefer hearing them speak English with the appropriate accent to hearing them talk in Japanese. That's another one of dubbing's major advantages. Anime like Licensed by Royalty (which takes place in Britain) and The Big O simply sound more genuine in English. ~Dagger~

I've always been wary of Excel Saga, heh. I really dislike a lot of comedic anime (such as Happy Lesson, Jubei-chan the Ninja Girl and Love Hina), particularly those which involve excessive amounts of shrieking and random slapstick. FLCL is well-made and has some surprisingly thoughtful moments, but I don't find it even mildly amusing. Keeping that in mind, would it make any sense for me to give Excel Saga a try? ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, Kamui. Nice username. :) I [i]really[/i] appreciate the fact that you used spoiler tags and took the time to carefully explain your choices. In the future, however, please try to keep in mind that double-posting is against the rules. Anyway, I have to agree with you in saying that [b]Yami no Matsuei[/b] could use a second season. I was mildly annoyed by the open ending (not to mention the fact that the series is such a tease). It would have been nice if there were episodes devoted to characters other than Tsuzuki and Hisoka--for example, I'd like to learn more about Tatsumi, Oriya and Muraki. Then again, Yami no Matsuei is somewhat lacking in finesse; if it were going to have a continuation, the script would hopefully incorporate subtler characterization and decrease the emphasis on misdirected angst. ~Dagger~

Yes, I wish they had found a singer with a softer, more rounded voice. Episode 2 was very tightly plotted, especially in comparison to the first episode. It did a wonderful job of fleshing out Eriko's personality, and knowing her better will probably make the graduation arc more poignant. I liked the fact that the cat's cameos actually amounted to something in the end. The storyline was very sweet (without becoming over-dramatic) and felt surprisingly unforced. I wonder when they'll start to run out of ideas for creative next episode previews. So far, my favorite is probably the Gundam SEED parody from season 1. ^_^ ~Dagger~

[quote name='CelinaR][FONT=Arial][COLOR=Magenta]yamato/sora of digimon[/COLOR][/FONT'] :flaming:[/quote] Welcome to OtakuBoards, CelinaR. ^_^ I strongly advise you to read the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?][u]Rules[/u][/url] before posting again. One-word replies are strictly forbidden at this forum. By a similar token, any post which does not consist of one or more coherently written complete sentences will be identified as spam and immediately deleted. In threads like these, it's important to justify your choices and to explain what made you select them. This encourages the discussion to continue thriving. If you have any questions, you're welcome to private message me or one of the other moderators. Thanks! ~Dagger~

Mansairaku is introduced in the first episode. He hasn't said much so far, but for some reason I feel really inclined to like him. ^_^ I don't know who else is planning to sub Otogizoushi. However, I can assure you that Anime-Kraze is an excellent group. They've been around for a while and have quite a few series under their belt. ~Dagger~

The first episode of [b]Otogizoushi[/b] aired on July 6. Although this series was pre-licensed by Media Blasters, a fansub group recently released their version of episode 1. I must say, any fan of samurai anime (or, for that matter, of action in general) should be immensely pleased with the current crop of summer shows. If Otogizoushi lives up to its initial promise, it could easily give [b]Samurai Champloo[/b] and [b]Samurai 7[/b] a run for their money. The main character of Otogizoushi is a young woman, Hikaru, who has disguised herself as her deathly ill older brother. She and one of her family's retainers (Tsuna) are searching for some mystical stones that might be able to cure her brother's sickness. Hikaru is an excellent archer, while Tsuna handles himself pretty well in swordfights. Created by Production I.G, this anime is supposed to be twenty-six episodes long. I can already sense the first inklings of a stirring, epic plot; in certain regards, Otogizoushi feels vaguely similar to Juuni Kokki. The character designs are very smooth and realistic, which works quite well with the show's stylized backgrounds and high-quality animation. Anyone who enjoys samurai anime should definitely give Otogizoushi a look--it's a lot darker and more serious (not to mention more historically accurate ;)) than Samurai Champloo. ~Dagger~

Based on a brief flashback in a later episode, I'm inclined to think that the sunflower samurai is a [spoiler]Kenshin-type wanderer. I can't recall exactly what Fuu said about her family (her mother died a year ago, and something else happened to her father), so if he is related to her, he's probably an older friend or brother. The fact that she doesn't seem to know the samurai's name makes me suspect she wasn't acquainted with him for very long before he unexpectedly left. She didn't look much younger in the flashback, after all. Had he told her his name or destination, surely she would have remembered.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

Case Closed's animation, while not groundbreaking, is surprisingly attractive and consistent (it started airing in 1996, by the way). Visually, Bebop was far ahead of its time, and the show still looks significantly better than a whole lot of series made in 2003 and 2004. It's a little unfair to malign Case Closed when Inuyasha has much sloppier animation. For that matter, Trigun is also not a paragon of amazing production values. :p ~Dagger~

Haha, I saw a brief description of the skit on ANN. I only wish I'd been watching Conan (O'Brien, not Detective) last night. It sounds as though it was quite amusing, although I am forced to wonder just how many people completely understood what he was talking about. But... Sakura Diaries? That's a little random. ^_^;; ~Dagger~

Since I live just outside of the District, Baltimore is only an hour or two away from my home. However, my interest in Otakon stems solely from the fact that I'm still hoping certain series will be licensed before the convention season ends. After thinking about this for a little while, I realized I would be able to find most of the announcements online shortly after they ended up being made, and decided to spend my money on something else. ;) The free stuff [i]is[/i] a wee bit tempting, though. In response to Syk's first post: Anime Expo 2004 broke the 20,000 mark, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if Otakon did as well (isn't Otakon traditionally the larger of those two cons?). ~Dagger~

Naru, wouldn't have it been easier to simply start a new thread for Anime Weekend Atlanta 2004? ^_^;; Since this topic is nearly a year old, and since you had to double-post in order to revive it, I don't see any reason to keep it around. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Okay, I've PMed Solo about this, and I'm going to avoid locking/merging/blessing the thread until he responds. Let me start by saying that while your post is intelligently written and might inspire any number of interesting discussions, a good portion of it could be interpreted as blatant advertising--something which OtakuBoards' rules strictly forbid. Since you've linked to relevant articles as well as your main page (and, more importantly, provided plenty of fodder for debate), I don't personally have a problem with permitting the topic to remain open. Just bear in mind that things like this (petitions, etc.) are often killed as soon as they pop up; your carefully laid out argument and impeccable grammar convinced me not to close your thread. Under normal circumstances, any topic related to either season of The Big O would be shifted to the pre-existing "official" thread. If the discussion here begins to dwell on the ending of The Big O II rather than on Adult Swim's attitude toward/treatment of The Big O and various other anime titles, I'll feel justified in merging the two topics. Should that not occur, I wouldn't mind continuing to keep them separate. ~Dagger~

Out of curiousity, what's the one short-episode anime that you dislike? I haven't really been following [b]Tweeny Witches[/b], but it has an interesting premise and solid animation. I'll probably end up downloading a batch when the series is fully fansubbed; while I don't mind 9-minute episodes, I'd still like to have the option of watching two or three of them in one sitting. Let's see... [b]Risky/Safety[/b] has fairly brief episodes, if I remember correctly. It seems like a cute, heart-warming kind of show, although it's so far down on my "to buy" list that I might as well just wait for a brick or a box set. [b]Mouse[/b] is the only other title which immediately springs to mind. Then again, I don't think anything could convince me to venture near it--simply [I]looking[/I] at the female characters' assets makes my back hurt. ~Dagger~

You already got it!? Wow, mine probably won't ship for a few more days at the very least. In any event, I'm quite excited about seeing the movie. Even if I end up disliking its alternate take on RahXephon's story, the beautiful, sturdy box and accompanying booklet will no doubt be worth the money. I'm glad I avoided buying the original volume 1 plus artbox package. ^_^;; ~Dagger~

*laughs* I'll use it. I've been too lazy to make a banner for myself, and that teacup [i]is[/i] quite sexy. Good luck with the resistance, Piro. ^_~ ~Dagger~

That's borderline spam, MangaFreak. From now on, please take the time to type out words in full. My top three choices are all villains of varying prominence and cruelty from the shounen anime Hunter x Hunter. In my opinion, Yoshihiro Togashi got just a bit [i]too[/i] creative when he designed their clothing. [b]Hisoka:[/b] This man is a fashion disaster. He also has a disturbing habit of licking his lips whenever he spies certain prepubescent boys, but I don't think that could be remedied by a mere makeover. There are three or four sequences during the 62-episode series in which Hisoka shows up wearing either a snazzy business suit or nothing whatsoever; the rest of the time, he dons a peculiar pale blue outfit that's so bizarre-looking, it simply defies description. Even bloodthirsty pedophiles deserve better. He also needs to stop spiking his hair--it looks about ten thousand times better when it's down (gotta love those shower scenes). The face paint is a bit excessive, but I could live with that if he fixed everything else. [b]Illumi Zoaldyeck:[/b] Compared to Hisoka, Illumi isn't all that bad (even though his disguises are terrifyingly hideous). His clothing may be similar to Hisoka's, but overall it's marginally more attractive. The eyeliner, however, needs to go--nothing else can explain why his eyes look so different from those of his brother and father. It gives him a rather raccoonish expression, and while Hisoka probably doesn't care about such things, I doubt Illumi would mind giving people one less reason to suspect that he's secretly a woman. He could also do with some serious lessons in etiquette. [b]Kuroro Lucifer:[/b] I approve of Kuroro's outfit as well as his personality. The pimp coat probably wouldn't work on anybody else, but it suits him nicely. Yet, like Hisoka, he should learn to lighten up on the gel--he's too attractive for any hairstyle of his to be truly repulsive, but the slicked-back look is getting a little old. ~Dagger~

This OVA (also known as Battle Fairy Yukikaze) is among the most interesting anime I've seen in a while. So far Bandai has released the first two episodes on DVD. The remaining three should reach North America sometime in the first half of 2005; that may seem like a long delay, but the last episode of Yukikaze has yet to come out in Japan. Set on a planet called Fairy, the OVA revolves around the ongoing conflict between the human military and unseen aliens known only as the JAM. One of the main characters, Rei Fukai, pilots a sophisticated fighter jet (which he calls Yukikaze) that's equipped with incredibly advanced artificial intelligence. When Rei gets caught up in life-threatening situations, Yukikaze occasionally takes control against his will and performs seemingly impossible manuvers to destroy the enemy. What makes Yukikaze unique is that it cannot speak and communicates with Rei only through a small monitor. Most science fiction books and films with this sort of premise give the AI a voice (generally female), which leads the audience to start thinking of it as human. While Rei obviously feels a strong connection to Yukikaze, other characters in the series don't understand why he becomes so emotional about something that's ultimately just a fancy computer. Foremost among those "other characters" is Major Jack Bukhar, Rei's superior officer. He's pretty much the only person who bothers reaching out to the moody pilot. In certain ways, their relationship is less a friendship than a love triangle--Jack is extremely possessive when it comes to Rei, and often becomes quite jealous of Yukikaze. Anyone who relishes the type of CG sequences seen in GONZO series like Last Exile will probably [i]love[/i] Yukikaze. It blends traditional and 3-D animation so smoothly that every single scene, whether it features a quiet conversation or a nerve-wracking battle sequence, is a joy to watch. The character designs and music are also nothing short of fantastic. I'm eagerly awaiting the next few episodes. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Syk3] [spoiler]1.Like how, if Mishima was the past version of Haruka, how could she be in Tokyo and outside at the same time? 2. What significance did the past version have? Was it just that Mishima was the form that Ixtli chose to appear in? 3. I cannot seem to remember who Itsuki Kisaragi was, but when did they mention that he was Ayato's younger brother, and how do you know that Ayato's mom came from the foundation? o_o And what, exactly, was the purpose of the foundation? Why are the kids special, and what can they do? Did the foundation create these Mu beings from the start? 4. How did TERRA have the ability to create "Tokyo Jupiter-like" fields? 5. How did Ayato and Haruko grow up to have Quon when first of all, Ayato had merged with the RahXephon, but also Quon had already been born years ago, and how does a baby with those parents have red hair?! 6. And how does Bahbem live for so long by switching bodies? How are Mulians able to act as the robots without even knowing it (referring specifically to the case of Hiroko)? 7. Why didn't we ever get to see any other Xephons if so many other Ollins had the insignia on their stomachs? 8. What did Isshiki mean when he said that he wasn't a D? D as in the D1s that the RahXephon's fought?[/spoiler][/QUOTE] I numbered your questions to make my life easier. ;) [spoiler]1. If I recall correctly, Ayato and Haruka first met on Nirai-Kanai (or somewhere very close by) when they were both fourteen. The two started dating when they returned to Tokyo. At some point shortly after this, Maya (Ayato's mother) realized that Haruka was beginning to have a greater influence over Ayato than she. Maya then triggered the sequence of events which would lead to the creation of Tokyo Jupiter; Haruka ended up being trapped outside the barrier. The sole purpose of Tokyo Jupiter was to create an environment where Ayato, the only remaining Ollin, could safely reach the age of 17 while remaining under his Mulian mother's power. All of his memories regarding growing up inside the dome are fake--Tokyo Jupiter has only existed for three years of Ayato's life. So Haruka did live in Tokyo when she was younger, and was stuck outside when it turned into Tokyo Jupiter. 2. Ixtli appears as the person whom Ayato loves most, which throughout the series is a distorted memory of the fourteen-year-old Haruka. Consciously, he has no recollection of ever meeting or loving Haruka; subconsciously, she's still very much on his mind. 3. Itsuki Kisaragi is the glasses-wearing doctor. He and Ayato are actually twins (I can't remember when this is revealed, though). While Maya kept Ayato, Itsuki was sent to be raised by the Foundation. The Foundation's goal was to prepare the world for the coming of an Ollin; through RahXephon, the Ollin has the power of a god and is capable of re-creating the universe as he sees fit. Bahbem and Maya wanted Ayato to make a world that would be dominated by the Mu. Meeting Haruka at the age of fourteen started a chain of events which eventually led Ayato to choose a human world instead. The Foundation did not create the Mu; Bahbem discovered them tens of thousands of years ago. RahXephon is partially based upon an old science-fiction novel called [i]The Lost Colony of the Mu[/i], which says that Atlantis actually existed and was populated by human-like beings known as the Mu. 4. I'll try to answer this once I finish re-watching RahXephon. As of now, my best answer is that a great deal of their technology came from the Foundation. 5. In episode 26, Ayato and Quon totally remade the world. It's almost like the ultimate happy ending--just about everyone ends up being close to the people they longed for in the other 25 episodes of the show. As for Quon's hair.... well, anime isn't known for its genetic accuracy. 6. Bahbem learned a lot of tricks from the Mu. ^_^;; Many years before Tokyo Jupiter was even created, the Foundation began inserting dormant Mulians into the population, carefully arranging things so that by the time Ayato grew up, there would be plenty of people capable of controlling Dolems. I'm not sure whether Hiroko's red blood in episode 1 was an illusion, or if her blood (and, by extension, her species) changed after Ayato left Tokyo Jupiter. 7. Only someone at the age of 17 can pilot a Xephon. Itsuki and Maya were capable of becoming Ollins, but they both ended up being far too old. Quon did use her abilities to act as Ayato's counterpart and help him tune the world; no one else other than those four have the requisite birth marks. 8. Children at the Foundation were classified as being either As, Bs, Cs or Ds (with Ds obviously being the least talented and promising). Itsuki and Helena were both Bs, while Makoto, their childhood companion, was a D. This affected him psychologically throughout his life.[/spoiler] Whew, that was exhausting! ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, kei-kun. ^_^ [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=40657][u]This[/u][/URL] is the proper topic in which to tell us what medium of entertainment you prefer. While I would normally have merged your thread with the pre-existing one, I feel as though your starting post is a bit confused and... all-encompassing. Just remember, whenever you reply to a topic of this type, it's vital to justify and explain your choice(s). If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or one of the other moderators. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Anime Forever has subbed up to episode 6, and Rofish released episode 7 a couple of days ago. The [spoiler]gay Dutchman[/spoiler] just might be my favorite Watanabe character since Cowboy Bebop's lovely, lovely Gren. His story was told in such a way that it came across as being both poignant and hilariously weird. Almost every single one of the plot twists in episode 6 caught me by surprise; in contrast, I thought episode 7 ended up being much more predictable but was touching all the same. [spoiler]Poor Fuu... so far, all of her love interests have been involved in illegal activities.[/spoiler] I haven't watched Cowboy Bebop in a while. However, it seems to me that Samurai Champloo is much, much more comedic (often to the point of seeming totally absurd). Although hints of a similar irreverence do show up in CB, Samurai Champloo carries this type of humor to a completely different level. ~Dagger~