Dagger

Er... I can't quite figure out the purpose of this thread. Are you asking people to list shows with similar artwork, characters [I]or[/I] themes? Your topic just seems rather broad, to say the least. Alternatively, do you want us to provide examples of anime which are so remarkably alike that many people call them clones? Personally, I'm always up for a debate about the relative merits of Evangelion and RahXephon. ^_~ ~Dagger~

Earlier today I read an article in [i]The Washington Post[/i] (a fairly reputable and unbiased newspaper, all things considered) entitled "Mistakes Loom Large as Handover Nears: Missed Opportunities Turned High Ideals to Harsh Realities." The first paragraph of this front-page piece reads, "BAGHDAD--The American occupation of Iraq will formally end this month [b]having failed to fulfill many of its goals and stated promises[/b] intended to transform the country into a stable democracy, [b]according to a detailed examination drawing upon interviews with senior U.S. and Iraqi officials and internal documents of the occupation authority.[/b]" (I bolded a few key phrases to emphasize the fact that the article draws its conclusions from solid, well-researched journalism.) In any case, [i]The Post[/i] is not [i]The Nation[/i]... it doesn't spin major events to favor a liberal point of view, and runs many editorals from Republican commentators (such as Charles Krauthammer). "Mistakes Loom Large" offers quotes proving that State Department and CPA officials thought Bremer's vision for Iraq was overly idealistic and naive. The CPA's staff was mostly composed of young people with ties to the Republican Party, rather than those who might be more qualified for the jobs in question. Disillusioned by terrorist attacks and the insurgency, Bremer decided to rework his plan and make the desired-for results less ambitious but more easily attainable. However, the reconstruction effort is faltering as foreign and Western contractors flee, fearing for their lives, and the insurgency continues to make trouble. The 18.6 billion aid package approved by Congress to go directly toward helping Iraq remains largely unspent, when it could have been used to prevent loss of goodwill among Iraqis. Most of the projects it now funds are being worked on by foreign laborers, meaning that all of this money hasn't helped jump-start the economy or give struggling Iraqis decent jobs. Below are several excerpts that pretty much destroyed my ability to think optimistically about the reconstruction. "The Iraqi army is one-third the size U.S. officials promised it would be by now. Seventy percent of police officers have not received training... About 15,000 Iraqis have been hired to work on projects funded by $18.6 billion in U.S. aid, despite promises to use the money to employ at least 250,000 Iraqis by this month... Electricity generation remains stuck at around 4,000 megawatts, resulting in less than nine hours of power a day to most Baghdad homes, despite pledges from U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer to increase production to 6,000 megawatts by June 1... Iraq's emerging political system is also at odds with original U.S. goals. American officials scuttled plans to remain as the occupying power until Iraqis wrote a permanent constitution and held democratic elections. Instead, Bremer will leave the Iraqis with a temporary constitution, something he repeatedly promised not to do, and an interim government with a president who was not the Bush administration's preferred choice." It's hard to argue with the numbers, and it's hard to view broken promises through rose-tinted glasses. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Lady Macaiodh][color=darkblue']I usually enjoy the subs much better. They are more graphic, for one thing. The dubs tend to be more edited. I like seeing a ****** or a "****" or spurting blood or nudity every now and then. It's the animal in me (sorry Asuki). Plus, I find that with the dubs, they sometimes change things.[/color][/quote] Unless you're referring to series released by 4Kids or Nelvana (Shaman King, Yu-Gi-Oh, etc.), I can assure you that the shows in question are only edited for TV. Nowadays the vast majority of anime is available fully uncut, even if censored versions do exist--as in the case of Yu Yu Hakusho. Most DVDs are bilingual, with both the Japanese and English versions completely unedited. If anything, anime dubs are sometimes racier and more explicit than the original. ADV's Saiyuki dub script, for example, ramps up the show's homoerotic undertones and cursing. ~Dagger~

Thanks for posting that piece of information, Monkey_Orange. Honestly, I have no idea what CN's decision-makers were thinking when they just decided to start airing Legend of the Twilight without any fanfare or advertising whatsoever. One would assume that they'd at least make a cursory attempt to capitalize on .hack//SIGN's sizeable fanbase. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Hittokiri Zero']While luckily for you Dagger, SEED doesn't concentrate on romance I'm not sure I exactly agree about the "tender emotions" part. In a way SEED does center around emotions, as time and time again we see how Kira and Athrun are torn apart from having to fight against one another. Okay I admit it all does seem a litte exaggerated but I guess you win some you lose some :p[/quote] I think the main reason I'm experiencing trouble getting into the emotional aspect of Gundam SEED is that its dub is actually pretty awkward. Though certain actors are undeniably good at playing their roles, overall the English version is uninvolving and just sounds bland. The voices have way too much reverb for my tastes. This is upsetting because I need to decide if I want to buy the show, and I have no way to find out for myself whether or not the Japanese dialogue is significantly better than the English. :/ ~Dagger~

Holy crap. Between Samurai 7 and Samurai Champloo, I just may overdose on amazing animation and artistic style. Episode 1 is flat-out gorgeous, and--to my astonishment--makes good use of motion lines, a device that I normally detest. The smooth, super-shiny CG and the way the storyline combines highly advanced technology with a relatively primitive lifestyle remind me strongly of Last Exile (as I'd hoped the series would). Samurai 7's animation is surprisingly smooth for a Japanese production... certain scenes are as fluid as those found in a typical American action cartoon. This is quite a feat, especially considering the show's visual complexity. Heh, now I [i]really[/i] want to see a battle between the cast of Samurai Champloo and the main characters of Samurai 7. :D Personally I think they'd be more or less evenly matched, assuming no one double-teamed Jin or Mugen. EDIT: And episode 2 also rocks. GONZO, my faith in thee has been restored. ~Dagger~

moogle, the first Saiyuki series is currently in the process of being released by A. D. Vision. The North American version is called "Saiyuki" instead of "Gensomaden Saiyuki." Rather than downloading the show, you can simply rent or buy its DVDs. Geneon recently licensed Saiyuki Reload (which I [i]think[/i] comes directly after Gensomaden), so that should come out in perhaps half a year, depending on how quickly they dub it. ~Dagger~

When an anime's dub is well acted and accurately written, I'll usually choose to watch the show in English. Artwork is very important to me, and I'm better able to enjoy high-quality animation when there aren't any subtitles to obscure parts of the screen. I am, however, an extremely fast reader, so a hideously bad dub won't convince me not to buy a series that I know is good. I'm glad you mentioned Fruits Basket, moogle, because it has one of the best dubs [i]ever[/i] made (in my opinion, at least). I much prefer the English version to the original. The Big O's dub is also superb. gumby: I don't think I quite understand what you're suggesting. As far as I know, most companies (with the exception of 4Kids and Nelvana) don't edit their anime in order to prevent lip flaps or whatnot. Could you please give some examples of this--or, better yet, offer me links to a couple of reliable sources that back up your assertions? ~Dagger~

As for all-time favorites, [b]RahXephon[/b] would definitely be in my top three. I don't care how heavily it borrows from Evangelion--their similarities are for the most part superficial, and from what I've seen of Eva I can say that both shows are brilliant and unique. Unlike Eva, RahXephon is a love story, and (at least in my opinion) was influenced more by classic science-fiction literature than by other anime. The incredible background music, strong dub and gorgeous production values combine to create a powerful and captivating atmosphere. Moreover, RahXephon's characterization is even more compelling than its fluid, well-choreographed action sequences. I could never get tired of this show. ~Dagger~

I'm surprised that To Heart hasn't been licensed yet. From what I've heard it has a lot of fans, and the show is far from ancient. Anyway... I watched the first two episodes a little while back, but I don't really feel compelled to keep going. As you said, from a technical standpoint To Heart is absolutely superb. The character designs are pleasing to the eye, and the animation just looks wonderful. I love To Heart's OP theme as well as its background music. However, that doesn't change the fact that I just don't find the premise terribly fascinating. Shounen romances, serious or comedic, rarely grab my interest. ~Dagger~

The beautiful thing about this show is that it's totally episodic. Once you're acquainted with the main characters and Conan's basic situation, you don't have to keep track of one long continuous plotline. If I'm not in the mood to stay up until 12:30 or set my VCR, I can just watch it a few nights later without having to fret about missing anything important. It kind of helps that Case Closed's dub is absolutely frigging brilliant. Now I'm certain that FUNimation didn't just luck out when they created the English version of Fruits Basket (one of the best dubs ever, in my opinion). I can't wait to see what the company does with Fullmetal Alchemist and Gunslinger Girl. The cute artwork is somewhat misleading... while Case Closed probably won't scare that many people, it's way too dark for Toonami. Anyway, Thursday's episode featured a [spoiler]transvestite[/spoiler]--I'm sure a lot of parents (particularly those who flipped out over FLCL) wouldn't be too happy about their children seeing that. And the series [i]does[/i] revolve around various kinds of gory deaths. ^_^; Fans have questioned whether or not Case Closed could fit in with Adult Swim's current line-up, but so far I'm glad that Cartoon Network picked it up. ~Dagger~

The official Inuyasha topic is located [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=39612][u]here[/u][/URL]; please post in that thread if you wish to talk about the series. Since OtakuBoards does not permit introduction threads, you can feel free to start discussing your favorite anime as soon as you sign up. Just make a good effort to follow the rules, and you'll be okay. ^_^ Thread closed. ~Dagger~

I do think that Scrapped Princess improves in later episodes. The plot begins to gather steam and overall the series feels more exciting and urgent. However, if you always had trouble liking the main characters or just didn't care for the show in general, I don't see any reason for you to bother finishing it. The ending is solid and satisfying, but watching it wasn't exactly a life-changing experience. [spoiler]Haha, I'd never have predicted that Scrapped Princess's last few episodes would feature some of the coolest mecha battles that I've seen in recent months. That was a pretty nice treat, all things considered.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, Courtney. ^_^ Since introduction threads are not permitted, you should feel welcome to immediately begin posting in the discussion of your choice. We believe that new members are capable of making positive contributions to the community as soon as they sign up. If you have any questions or aren't comfortable with participating yet, please private message me or one of the other moderators (after taking a quick look at the Rules and FAQ, of course). Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, AnimeConnection. ^_^ We already have a three page long thread entitled "Who is the best anime character, in your opinion?" What truly bewilders me is that you actually posted there before creating this topic. In the future, please try to avoid making duplicate threads. Also, we (OtakuBoards' staff) have a very low tolerance for favorites threads. Unless your opening post is absolutely spectacular in terms of depth, length and thoughtfulness, such topics stand a good chance of being closed almost immediately. Simply saying "Yoko Kurama" is insufficient. Next time, you should explain why that character appeals to you personally. Use complete sentences, and bear in mind that a constant stream of one-line posts is not permissible. So far I have not seen you write a single reply that's longer than two lines. As a result, I strongly suggest that you read the Rules and FAQ before doing anything else. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or one of the other moderators. Thank you for your time. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Yeah, Hijikata/Souji is canon, if quietly so. I won't have anybody saying otherwise. ^_~ Itsuki and Makoto, from RahXephon: When I first watched this series, I got some very strange vibes from those two men. Initially I managed to convince myself that my imagination had been acting up, but then I went back and read the liner notes which accompanied my DVDs. One insert featured the translation of an interview with the actors who played Sayoko, Itsuki and Makoto. I was quite surprised to discover that Makoto's seiyuu had also wondered whether Itsuki and Makoto were more than friends. Needless to say, it relieved me to discover that I wasn't the only one. ^_^;; Although Itsuki and Makoto have a very twisted relationship, and Itsuki may or may not be in love with a number of different people, I think it's very likely that they were involved sometime in the past. Of course, with zero physical proof and the bitterness tainting their current friendship, this is just as easy to argue against. ~Dagger~

Alright, guys. Favorites topics are usually closed pretty quickly, but Chibi Devil Me obviously put some effort into her starting post, and I feel rather bad about crushing that. ^_^;; If you plan on replying to this thread, please follow her example and tell us [i]why[/i] you like the shows you're listing. The more reasons and details, the better. It's just that we've had bad experiences with favorites-type questions in the past, so we (the moderators) tend to be a bit strict when such threads pop up. Anyway.... I enjoy too many different anime to pick one definitive favorite. At the moment, I'm really enjoying Hunter x Hunter, a cute action series from the creator of Yu Yu Hakusho. Its artwork and animation are quite solid--vastly better than YYH's. Better yet, nearly all of the main characters are cute, funny and easy to cheer on. This show easily makes up for my disappointment with Naruto and Inuyasha. I'm just surprised that it hasn't yet been licensed. ~Dagger~

I guess like it when series try to shake things up. ^_^; The thing I appreciated most about [spoiler]Pacifica losing her memory was the fact that she became separated from Shannon and Raquel. I was accustomed to seeing them interact, and although Scrapped Princess's plot is pretty linear, by the halfway point certain aspects of the show had started to become repetitive. Seeing Pacifica without her proper name, her siblings and even her identity served to demonstrate that she'd be the same wonderfully loveable person under any circumstances. I also enjoyed watching Shannon and Raquel strike out on their own.[/spoiler] On a more frivolous note, I think Steyr's hair is definitely the coolest in the entire show. The character designs have grown on me simply because they're so sharp and well-colored--Scrapped Princess really has amazing production values. ~Dagger~

I was really excited about watching Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, because most of the romantic anime I've seen (such as Gravitation and RahXephon) aren't just straightforward love stories. Although I enjoy those types of shows, I was interested in seeing something less complicated and more emotional. In retrospect, maybe I should have looked for a shoujo-y anime instead. :( I thought the first three episodes were exciting and dramatic, with beautiful animation and a decently likeable cast. But as the series progressed, I found it increasingly difficult to watch. Previously sympathetic characters--most notably Mitsuki and Takayuki--became painfully weak-willed and annoying. For some reason, I had eventually had trouble identifying with anyone at all. It didn't really help that the comedic scenes were more shrill and grating than entertaining. Halfway through the show, I realized that watching it had started to feel like a chore, and decided I would go spend some quality time with Hunter x Hunter instead. If you've seen this, would you advise me to give it a second look? If not, what romantic dramas/comedies would you recommend instead (without going too far off-topic, of course ;))? So far no shounen romance anime have appealed to me very much, which makes me think that I'm either seeing all the wrong stuff or that I need to find some good shoujo. Anyway, I'm sad that I'm having trouble recognizing the positive aspects of Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. The descriptions and reviews I've read make it sound fantastic. It'd be nice if I were totally misinterpreting the point of the series, but that seems unlikely (unless the viewer is [I]supposed[/I] to hate every single character). :/ ~Dagger~

For those of you who wish to start or participate in a recommendations thread, please take note of the following advice. 1. Explain your preferences in detail, with specific examples. It may also help if you mention a couple of shows or movies that you actively dislike. 2. Suggestions made in jest aren't quite acceptable unless you offer at least one other serious recommendation. As always, tell the person why you think he or she would enjoy the anime you're listing. Post length isn't necessarily important; proper grammar and complete sentences are. 3. I left this topic open hoping that someone would justify my decision by swooping in and offering a really high-quality reply. Next time I'll try not to make the same mistake. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Z fighter][FONT=Arial Black']Nearly everyone here is a girl!!!!!!!![/FONT][/quote] Or gay. It's best not to make assumptions on the web. :smirk: I've deleted the post quoted above, since it contributes little to the discussion at hand and therefore falls under the category of spam. The next time you reply to a thread like this, please attempt to answer the original question around which it's based--you're welcome to make unrelated observations, just so long as the rest of your post is on-topic. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me or one of the other moderators. Thank you very much. ~Dagger~

[quote name='AnimeonDVD.com']According to Galaxy Anime, Al Kahn, CEO of 4Kids Entertainment, has confirmed the acquisition to translation and distribution rights to the One Piece anime series at the presently ongoing Licensing Show in New York City.[/quote] Well, it seems that 4Kids has licensed this show. Let me simply say that all of you One Piece fans have my sincere condolences... just take comfort in the fact that it wasn't picked up by Nelvana. :/ Hopefully FUNimation will obtain the rights to produce an uncensored bilingual release, as they plan to do with other 4Kids series like Yu-Gi-Oh and Shaman King. ~Dagger~

I took the liberty of spoiler-tagging your post, stormy. Although you were careful not to reveal anything terribly important, I think it's probably better to be safe than sorry. ^_~ Anyway, I just watched episode 18. *sobs* [spoiler]On the one hand, I'm sad that my favorite character is only featured in three and a half episodes. On the other hand, fans of Kaworu (from Neon Genesis Evangelion) have it much, much worse, and Fulle's death scene is so incredibly good that I really can't bring myself to feel angry about his demise. I'm not against the killing off of likeable or important characters, so long as their final moments are executed (har, har) well. When playing Final Fantasy VII, I was devastated by Aeris's death, but at the same time it made me love and feel emotionally connected to the game. Unfortunately, I was totally furious when I finished reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, since J. K. Rowling chose to dispose of Sirius with little dignity or fanfare. It took me several chapters to even realize that he'd died. However, Scrapped Princess gave Fulle the ending he deserved (and the chance for me to see him kicking some serious ***). Ironically enough, that's what it took to remove my remaining doubts about the show. Any anime which can make me cry for half an hour and not feel bitter or dissatisfied [i]must[/i] have something going for it, ne? I don't cry very easily, I promise.[/spoiler] I think I'd still rather see Leo with Winia (or Winia with Pacifica--hey, it could be an interesting scenario). Chris just doesn't seem very well-suited to staying in a relationship... and besides, he's still kind of young. ^_^;; ~Dagger~

If you live in the United States and have basic cable, you should be able to see Gundam SEED on Cartoon Network. It airs every Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. EST. The first DVD will come out sometime toward the beginning of August, so until then you won't be able to rent it anywhere (besides, Netflix is probably a better option than Blockbuster). Most of the participants in this thread are familiar with the series either because they downloaded fansubs created during its original run in Japan, or because they watch Toonami, in which case they haven't seen very much of SEED yet. I fall into the second group. ^_^; ~Dagger~

[quote name='Godelsensei][COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]My favourite character, Seineth Lulu Giatt, starts to become a huge part of the storyline...[FONT'][/COLOR][/quote] *laughs nervously* It's funny you should mention Seness, because I really cannot stand her. Before I watched episode 16, I was about to drop Scrapped Princess. I don't like to finish series via fansub and then not buy them on R1 DVD (with a show this good, licensing is pretty much a given). However, Seness becomes significantly more likeable during the scenes in which her roles is, well, less significant. Her terrible attitude is tolerable when played for laughs, but immensely aggravating when used to create dramatic tension. So far, I think Scrapped Princess's plot has been executed very well, although some of the underlying concepts are quite cliched. The whole [spoiler]"Wow! They had awesome technology thousands of years ago!"[/spoiler] thing can be found in a huge array of novels and video games. I guess it's good that originality is (in my opinion) highly overrated. Having learned that [spoiler]the world in which the cast lives is a construct created by non-human beings for the purpose of controlling the human populace,[/spoiler] I can now see many parallels between Scrapped Princess and The Melody of Oblivion--another fantastic show. I admire how the scriptwriters handled the subplots involving Leo, Winia, Chris, Bergens and Kidaf. I absolutely love all of these characters (even though Kidaf's voice sounds pretty funky), and it's nice to see that they're still relevant to the main storyline. Honestly, episode 16 was what finally got me hooked. [spoiler]Pacifica losing her memory is the best thing that's happened to this show since her twin brother first appeared. I started cheering when the supporting case began to re-emerge, and Fulle [i]instantly[/i] became my favorite character by an enormous margin. Okay, it's vaguely creepy that he looks so much like Shannon, but now I can safely let my romantic imagination go wild (sorry, Leo!). ^_^ Anyway, Fulle is very cool on a whole variety of levels. I particularly enjoyed watching him turn a fork into a weapon. It doesn't hurt that I'm a fan of his seiyuu, who also played Garcia in Avenger and Shin in Gokusen.[/spoiler] The artwork may actually be starting to improve, weirdly enough. Scrapped Princess's backgrounds have always been gorgeous, but now they look [i]amazing[/i]. I'm a big BONES fan--after all, they're the company responsible not only for this show, but also for Kenran Butousai, RahXephon and Wolf's Rain. I have to give them a lot of credit for keeping Scrapped Princess's characters perfectly on-model. In any event, I'm looking forward to seeing more of [spoiler]Fulle[/spoiler] and his earrings. I'm very happy I didn't dismiss Scrapped Princess prematurely. As long as the ending doesn't totally crap out, I'm sure I'll continue to love it. ^_^ ~Dagger~