Dagger

I've heard that episode 14 is actually really awesome... I guess I won't be seeing it for a while, though. :p ADV's main motivation for licensing so many titles is their upcoming linear network, which (in my opinion) doesn't have a very good chance of breaking even, but will require a whole ton of shows to create an acceptably diverse and non-repetitive schedule. What I dislike about ADV is that they often grab a huge number of anime at once and then let many of those series--sometimes even fan favorites like DNAngel--sit on the back burner while they concentrate on keeping up with their enormous catalogue. On the plus side, this practice gives older, low-budget and/or unpopular titles a better chance of being licensed. ~Dagger~

Your post covers everything except a couple of shows Media Blasters just announced this afternoon--Asagiri no Miko, Shura no Toki, Weiss Kreuz Gluhen and Eiken. FUNimation has delivered some really high-quality releases lately, although overall they still aren't exactly in the same league as Bandai or Geneon. Nevertheless, I have high hopes for Gunslinger Girl. ^_^ It's nice to know that I can probably look forward to seeing Kenran Butou Sai, Scrapped Princess and Kurau on DVD sometime in 2005, and I'm also incredibly excited about Tsukihime. ~Dagger~

I appreciate your excitement, Sailor Ganymede, but I think you may have gone a [i]bit[/i] overboard with the capitals. ^_^; Just for the sake of clarification, all movies/OVAs which relate directly to a particular series can be discussed in that show's official topic. There are some exceptions--i.e. Ghost in the Shell, a movie that had its own thriving thread long before Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex was released. Many people who've watched the Samurai X OVAs have no interest in Rurouni Kenshin (and vice versa) so we've chosen to give the two productions separate topics. However, conversation about the various Cardcaptor Sakura, One Piece, Inuyasha, etc. films should be located only in the corresponding television show's main thread. ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, Mider. :) The next time you choose to start a topic, I'd like you to put more thought and effort into your opening post. I'm rather irritated that none of you used spoiler tags (actually, reading Dragon Warrior's example shouldn't affect a person's enjoyment of Princess Mononoke, so I let it stay as is). It took me quite a while to edit your replies. You're all fairly old members--I'm sure you know how aggravating it is to stumble across the details of a certain anime's biggest plot twists as you innocently skim an interesting-looking thread. Regardless of the circumstances, please, [I]please[/I] add spoiler tags whenever you post sensitive information. ~Dagger~

[quote name='funky girl']by one way the western people are cheating by using computer animation but on the other hand they are also clever enough to use techonlogy to help them make cartoons .eastern people are talented in drawing cartoons free hand without using techonolgy but they are not talented in using the computer.[/quote] This entire paragraph is inaccurate. The vast majority of anime and Disney classics were made by putting together hand-painted cels. However, almost all recent animation, whether Western or Eastern, is digital in nature and therefore relies heavily upon the use of technology. I don't see how CGI qualifies as "cheating," especially considering that it's hardly an American phenomenon. Certain Japanese studios are famous (or notorious) for blending CG machines, water, backgrounds, etc. with 2D characters. The film Appleseed is entirely computer-generated, but cel-shaded to closely resemble traditional 2D anime. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (another CG movie), which is set to be released in Japan sometime this summer, juxtaposes anime-inspired character designs with cutting-edge computer animation. ~Dagger~

Last night I saw a commercial for Groove Adventure Rave (or Rave Master, whatever you'd like to call it). Does anybody know whether or not the series has started airing? ~Dagger~

[quote name='Imi][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue']Bush, on the other hand, has stolen, sorry, used, an image that will probably appeal to the younger generation so that he can get people on his side and therefore, make a profit.[/color][/quote] I really do not think a large percentage of "the younger generation" will recognize or be politically swayed by a rather poorly edited image. It's entertaining for people who are familiar with the character, but the ad's use of this bizarre mutant version of Wolfwood isn't at all that big a deal. It'd be hilarious if they were slapped with a lawsuit, though. ~Dagger~

The bizarre thing--one of them, anyway--is that they replaced Wolfwood's eyes with those of Yugi (the main character of Yu-Gi-Oh). I [i]think[/i] that portion of the ad was supposed to be funny, but I just found it extremely weird and unappealing. If my family is any good indication, most people aren't going to see it and think, "really screwed-up looking picture that isn't even immediately identifiable as a cartoon --> anime --> Japan --> ahahaha!" ~Dagger~

I don't think anyone has the right to definitively state that the Eastern half of the world produces better animation than than everybody else, or vice versa. After all, what do you mean by "better"? Do you want us to discuss specific shows and movies--judging them in everything from artwork to plot to characters--or did you simply wish to compare animation quality? Western productions typically have higher frame rates, which results in significantly smoother animation, but their character designs can be a little simplistic. Their directors also tend to use less inventive camera angles. Anime, on the other hand, sometimes suffers from terrible frame rates and characters that go off-model every other episode. Whether or not those things occurs is usually dependent on the extent to which the studio outsources and the size of the show's budget, but I've never, ever seen Western characters look different than they should. Let's keep in mind that not all Eastern animation is Japanese (while no decent television series have come out of Korea, several visually innovative movies have originated there), and not all Western animation is American. I liked The Triplets of Belleville, a quirky French film, much better than any American stuff I've seen (disregarding older Disney films like Aladdin and Snow White). In my opinion, Disney has really lost its touch; the studio's last truly amazing animated movies were Mulan and The Emperor's New Groove, which owed a great deal to its talented, hilarious cast. ~Dagger~

Okay, I just got back from a showing of Fahrenheit 9/11. After reading this thread and various reviews (which were, for the most part, positive), I went into the movie with a great deal of skepticism. Now that I've actually seen it, I have to say that the negative hype is totally out of hand. I'm not going to discuss any of Michael Moore's controversial past rhetoric/actions/etc, because watching Fahrenheit 9/11 made me feel more patriotic than I have felt at any point since the year 2001. The film is [b]not[/b] anti-American nor against our unique system of government; rather, it is strongly against the current administration. There is a vast difference between those two sentiments, and frankly most people just don't seem to realize the distinction (I'm speaking in general terms, not referring to anyone who's posted here). If you only examine the first half of the film, it's easy to point fingers and claim that Moore is creating a very negative portrayal of our troops. But his account is actually well balanced--there are only one or two clips of bloodthirsty soldiers. The remaining 99% of interviews with American troops show people who hate killing, who feel incredibly emotionally torn and conflicted, who bravely obey commands despite their own doubt, confusion and grief. Ever since the American military became a voluntary army, it's relied heavily on recruits from extremely poor regions of the country. In a moving and eloquent voice-over toward the end of Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore tells the audience that it is the people who have so little who are the most courageous and the most willing to fight for the sake of everyone else in America. American blood should not be spilt [i]except[/i] when war is undeniably necessary. American lives should not be lost unless there is absolutely no other option. I was never able to figure out my feelings about the war on Iraq until I saw this movie, which contains pre-September 11 clips of every administration official from Condolezza Rice to Colin Powell to the President himself saying that Iraq [b]had no weapons of mass destruction, no nuclear capabilities, no means by which to acquire weapons of mass destruction, etc.[/b] I couldn't care less about bin Laden's family leaving the US (or not, whatever the facts may be). For me, those clips were far more infuriating and explosive. One scene in particular made me want to scream. It was a videotape of Bush at a super-fancy reception, surrounded by wealthy white corporate suits. As he stood at the podium, he said (I'll try to make this quote as accurate as my memory allows) something along the lines of, [b]"You all are the haves and the have-mores. Some call you the elite. I call you my base."[/b] At least the man's honest. [quote name='Deathbug']Not once in the movie does he mention Saddam Hussein.[/quote] Perhaps you should watch the film for yourself before making such sweeping statements. I'd be perfectly willing to swear in court that I heard Saddam Hussein's name and saw his face at least fifty times. [quote]To me, however, what spoke volumes was that Moore didn't show the footage of the 9/11 attack. His claim? "The theater of the mind" creates a better image.[/quote] Well, he's right. I was sobbing during that sequence and for a good fifteen minutes afterwards. I've become deadened to images of the twin towers falling--I've seen them so many times that they doesn't affect me any more. But hearing people's screams, and then seeing hundreds of New Yorkers weeping in the streets, praying, staring helplessly and desparately at the sky... it brought back a flood of feelings that I hadn't experienced since September 11 itself. In their horrified faces I saw the emotions I'd felt then. It was an immensely powerful and gripping montage, one that would have been weakened, even cheapened, by footage of the physical destruction. I'm crying now just [i]thinking[/i] about it. ~Dagger~

I've been looking forward to this weekend for a while. :) Although I'm not attending Anime Expo, I'm really eager to find out what titles various companies have licensed, and I figured I would create one thread for discussing all of the announcements made at the convention. Earlier today, Media Blasters pre-empted their Monday panel by basically declaring that they now own the rights to [b]Midori no Hibi[/b] and [b]Otogizoushi[/b]. I've lose all interest in the former series, but Otogizoushi looks very intriguing. The first episode is scheduled to air on July 6 of this year, so hopefully MB will be able to bring the series over to North America as quickly as humanly possible. EDIT: Whoops, I forgot to say what the shows I mentioned are about. ^_^;; Midori no Hibi is a rather spastic, fanservice-y romantic comedy that deals with the relationship between a tough high schooler and... his right hand, which has been miraculously replaced by a miniature green-haired girl called Midori. I can't exactly provide a full description of Otozigoushi, since it hasn't even started running yet. However, I do know that it's supposed to be a samurai drama vaguely similar to Mulan. EDIT #2: Hmm... a Bang Zoom! official accidentally let slip that [b]Scrapped Princess[/b] and [b]PLANETES[/b] are currently being dubbed, but managed to avoid dropping the name of the company or companies who licensed them. ~Dagger~

Next time, refer to [URL="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=24816"][u]this[/u][/URL] topic, which is located only three-quarters of the way down the forum's first page. Snow Flame, as I mentioned in another thread, your post quality could use some work. I'll say it again--when creating or replying to a topic that asks you to list a number of choices, please, [i]please[/i] explain why you picked those particular anime. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

I find that I enjoy Madlax more if I watch it really late at night, when I'm exhausted and feel inclined to process things slowly. It's a good show, with a nice, substantial storyline, but the dialogue is at best obtuse, and things tend to unfold [i]very[/i] deliberately. The relationships between the characters interest me more than their actual personalities. That's one of the main reasons why I like episode 13, which has some lovely scenes with [spoiler]Vanessa and Madlax, not to mention Margaret and Carossar. I didn't expect him to have such a significant role, or to become anything more than your typical devious bad guy.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

I'm not quite sure how to handle this topic. ^_^;; Considering that our general discussion forum has always been open to intelligent conversations about sex, I don't know whether the mature nature of hentai is reason enough to close your thread. It'd be nice if I could simply tell you to keep it as clean as humanly possible--however, plenty of young teenagers frequent OtakuBoards, and somehow I can't help feeling that it's hard to talk about hentai without revealing the inappropriate details found in various titles. Simply giving the topic an age rating won't be enough to discourage certain people from perusing it. I guess I'll leave things alone for the time being. However, I'll take any reply which doesn't conform to basic standards of decency as a sufficient justification for locking this thread. [i]Absolutely no pornographic images will be permitted, and linking to or posting them may result in an instant ban.[/i] ~Dagger~

Volume 2, "Spectacle," is quite aptly named. The episodes on this disc walk an incredibly fine line between glorifying bloodlust and presenting it as an uncontrollable, hideous aspect of human nature. Texhnolyze is fascinating on a whole variety of levels--I was particularly intrigued (and creeped out) to discover that a seemingly benign man may actually be the most vicious and psychopathic person in the entire cast. The series continues to use dialogue very sparsely, which means that almost every word has some kind of significance. Among anime, it's pretty unique in portraying characters' thoughts solely through their actions and what they say to other people. Considering that Ichise has said maybe ten lines so far (I'm really not exaggerating very much, either), I was startled to realize I'd formed highly specific ideas about his personality and temperament. Texhnolyze is a masterfully crafted series. ~Dagger~

[quote name='AppleCore']I read somewhere that they are making a dubbed version which will be on Fox in america later in the year. Lucky americans :([/quote] Like almost anything from 4Kids, the TV version of Tokyo Mew Mew will probably be at best a mixed blessing. ^_^;; This company is infamous for mutilating otherwise decent series: changing plot twists, totally re-writing various episodes' scripts and adding an absurd amount of localization. For a brief period of time, they changed Tokyo Mew Mew's title to Hollywood Mew Mew--but thankfully reneged on that decision. It's anyone's guess as to whether or not the show will receive better treatment than, say, Shaman King or Yu-Gi-Oh. On a side note, thanks for describing Tokyo Mew Mew. ~Dagger~

[quote name='satan665']A US/Japan one would be cool for anime nerds in general. How many region numbers are there? Does Europe have a seperate one?[/quote] Region 1, as you know, is North America. Region 2 is composed of Japan, Europe, the Middle East and (if I recall correctly) South Africa. Region 3 is Southeast Asia; Region 4 is Australia, Central America and South America. The rest of Africa and possibly India are in Region 5. China is the only country in Region 6. I think that should be more or less accurate--it's a pretty confusing system, heh, so I apologize if I got anything wrong. ^_^;; ~Dagger~

Quoted from Adult Swim's official site-- [i]We're happy to announce the premiere of two anime movies: InuYasha: The Love That Transcends Time at midnight on October 23 and Read or Die, airing at midnight on November 6. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex will now premiere November 6 at 11 p.m., followed by Fullmetal Alchemist at 11:30 p.m., pushing The Venture Brothers to 1 a.m. and Futurama to 1:30 a.m.[/i] Holy crap, Read or Die is going to be shown on AS. If its twenty-six episode sequel (R.O.D the TV) also ends up joining the Saturday night line-up, my life will be [i]nearly[/i] complete. ;) ~Dagger~

I'll let this thread stay open since we have no pre-existing Tokyo Mew Mew topic. However, the next time you start an official series thread, it would be nice if you said more about the show in question (or at least summarized its plot). Be advised that OtakuBoards does not permit linking to fansubs or sites which host them (although there's nothing wrong with mentioning the names of fansub groups), so your request is likely to go unheeded unless you ask someone to private message you with the information. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or one of the other moderators. By the way, that's a really cute banner. :) ~Dagger~

[quote name='G/S/B Master][COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1][FONT=Century Gothic]Despite me being so close of flaming you out of Otakuboards, I'll say this.[/FONT][/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] Far from driving him out, flaming Burori (or anyone else, for that matter) would most likely get you banned. Burori: Clearly the problem has to do with your computer, as opposed to the actual website. I'd suggest poking around in all of your Internet-related settings and making sure someone hasn't specified that certain folders should automatically clear after a given period of time. ~Dagger~

I'm going to see this movie on Friday. I've been in the mood for a comedy lately, and I figure at least some parts of the film will seem mildly amusing. While I don't take Michael Moore much more seriously than people like Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh (both of whom are, in my opinion, certifiably insane), it's fun to find out what the most extreme factions of one's political party can come up with. I'm not nearly as liberal as Moore, but it's safe to say I lean further left than almost everyone who's posted in this thread. I just think it's bizarre that some of you are taking Fahrenheit 9/11 so personally--if you truly believe Moore is the Jerry Falwell of the Democratic Party, then there's no reason to be insulted or enraged by his work. If you feel that he's a joke, treat him as one rather than ranting on and on about the movie... taking it seriously will only put you in a bad mood. I may harbor a secret hatred for the aforementioned Rush Limbaugh; however, hearing his radio show simply makes me crack up. It's hilarious, albeit unintentionally so. In other words, most radicals don't deserve the energy it takes to provide a full rebuttal of their views. Your efforts might be better aimed at the people (whether Democratic, Republican or Ralph Nader) who actually have an effect on America's policies. ~Dagger~

[quote name='adempton']I think I'm going to get my little dub rant out of the way. Typically I can't stand dubs, so excuse my lack of tolerance. ^^;[/quote] *laughs* I'm a huge proponent of dubs, so I guess people perusing this thread will really get both sides of the story. ;) My copy of volume 1 arrived in the mail earlier today. Having watched the first episode, I can say that Gravitation's dub definitely shows promise. However, some of the actors are just starting to ease into their roles, and as a result of this there are a couple of awkward moments. I personally think the English VAs were extremely well-cast, with the lone exception of Yuki (Rome Elliot). Tohma in particular sounds magnificently soft, calm and dangerous. Rich McNanna, who plays Shuuichi, has a more inconsistent performance but demonstrates that he's capable of matching his Japanese counterpart's tone and energy (though rarely both at once). Sakano's English voice blew me out of the water--it's absolutely perfect and just as hilarious as the original. I'll admit I had my heart set on hearing Crispin Freeman as Yuki. Honestly, I can't imagine any English voice actor better suited for that role than him. Rome Elliot pretty much nails Yuki's characteristic deadpan, and he isn't a bad actor. Yet I [i]know[/i] Crispin Freeman would have matched the Japanese performance almost exactly. Oh, well... [quote]The extras really aren't that impressive.[/quote] Did you get the limited edition backstage pass? I love that thing, heh. EDIT: I forgot to add that although the English dub could end up being way above average, right now the Japanese version totally owns it. Gravitation's original cast is just brilliantly good. EDIT #2: Okay, I just watched the next two episodes. I'm happy to declare that Gravitation's dub improves by leaps and bounds--I have no qualms about watching the remainder of the series in English (since I've already seen the Japanese version countless times). Ironically enough (at least considering my earlier comments), Rome Elliot may be the best actor in the entire American cast. Once I grew accustomed to his voice, I realized that he does a fantastic job of conveying emotion while sounding like he couldn't possibly care less--which is practically Yuki's stock in trade. It was immensely unfair of me to be biased against him even before I ventured into the dub. ~Dagger~

Judging by the first episode of [b]Kurau[/b], this anime may turn out to be just as great as I had hoped. It's actually much more futuristic and inventive than BONES's other science-fiction series--complete with flying cars, nifty computer displays and machinery that reminds me vaguely of the Boomers seen in Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040. The animation is, as expected, quite beautiful, and while the artwork varies little from that of other BONES series, I'm more than satisfied with the character designs. Kurau also has some fantastic, highly evocative background music. Most importantly, I took an immediate liking to the title character and thought the episode was well-paced, well-directed and even a bit poignant. Hopefully Kurau will continue living up to its initial promise. ^_^ ~Dagger~

I usually gravitate toward anime. This may be partly due to the fact that I almost always end up disliking lengthy series--and many of the best-loved, most beautifully drawn manga are [i]incredibly[/i] long. When double-dipping (as I began to do with Fruits Basket, Yu Yu Hakusho and Revolutionary Girl Utena), I usually end up enjoying the animated version more... particularly if there are very few differences between them. That obviously doesn't apply to Utena, but I thought the Utena anime had more interesting artwork and a vastly better script. I find it discouraging to glance at the original version of a series I love (including X-TV and the aforementioned Yu Yu Hakusho) and discover that it's over twenty volumes long and eventually starts to feel dragged out. So most of the time I buy manga which haven't been animated, or simply stick with manwha. I guess it tends to annoy me when my two collections overlap. Another big reason that I prefer anime is because I go through manga extremely quickly. I'm a fast, highly visual reader--when the images are [i]provided[/i], I can gobble up an entire series so speedily that it almost feels as though my cash was wasted. So manga and manwha have to hook me with something other than the promise of an interesting plot, because I need them to demonstrate a lot of replay value (in a manner of speaking). Anime generally comes in twenty-three to twenty-five minute episodes, which means I'm guaranteed to get a certain amount of viewing time for the money I paid. Whether or not that time is enjoyable depends on my intelligence as a consumer. Generally speaking, I prefer to avoid directly comparing the two mediums. Each has powerful advantages over the other (manga is, after all, much cheaper), and I'm happy to be a fan of both. ~Dagger~

*laughs nervously* Yeah, it would take a [i]lot[/i] to make me give this series another shot. I can tolerate certain types of fanservice--for example, The Melody of Oblivion is brimming with shapely women and strongly suggestive camera angles. However, the show as a whole deals with some powerful sexual symbolism, and so the fanservice not only avoids feeling incongruous, but also contributes significantly to MoO's overall atmosphere. I just didn't see that in Kono Mini. The nudity irked me becuase it was random and basically pointless. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, and the artwork wasn't really my type of thing. For a while I felt tempted to continue watching Kono Mini in hopes that its entire cast would die brutally horrible deaths... but sadly I don't think such an event occurs. ;) ~Dagger~