Dagger

Welcome to OtakuBoards, Kintaro. ^_^ We actually don't permit introduction threads, as we prefer members to immediately begin participating in OB's various discussions. The list of anime you've seen is quite impressive, and I'm sure you'll be able to use that knowledge to your advantage. If you have any questions, please begin by reading our rules, and then PM me or one of the other moderators. Thank you very much. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[quote name='densuke][b]Maria-sama ga Miteru[/b'] - adapted from women's novel series[/quote] I've got a challenge for you, densuke--tell me why Maria-sama is so staggeringly popular. I downloaded the first episode shortly after it was first released, fully expecting to love the show. Its hints of shoujo-ai, gorgeous character designs and high production values provoked my curiousity, but everything else (storyline, characters, etc.) basically bored me to tears. Maria-sama struck me as being unbearably melodramatic and incredibly slow-moving. Meaningful dialogue is all very well; however, the characters' conversations were needlessly repetitive. This could easily come down to a matter of taste, yet I have trouble seeing what people like about the series. And while I rarely refuse to continue watching fansubbed shows, Maria-sama ga Miteru was a real trial to sit through. Convince me to give it another shot, and I'll be quite impressed. ~Dagger~

I've only seen up until episode 7, so don't take this post too seriously.[/disclaimer] Although I enjoy Gunslinger Girl's action, the characters' complex and carefully developed relationships are what make it a true masterpiece. As for the "random episodes," I completely agree with your remarks. They're intended to introduce the major characters, flesh out their personalities, reveal certain plot points while allowing others to remain veiled in mystery, and create a powerful emotional connection between the viewer and the girls. How anyone could call that filler is simply beyond my comprehension. Obviously watching these requires some degree of patience, as not every single second is packed with flying bullets, but GSG's main strength may very well be its subtlety. After viewing episode 5, I find it a little difficult to see how Claes is the most likely to go berserk. Perhaps more is revealed about her in later episodes? She strikes me as being an incredibly strong girl, no doubt thanks to Rabello's forgotten influence. Moreover, Claes seems to be genuinely happy, despite the physical pain that she endures silently every day. Rabello gave her the glasses because she was having difficulty shooting without hesitation; if she removed them, isn't it likely that she would become consumed by self-doubt, depression and fear? ~Dagger~

I love it! ^___^ The banner's background looks [i]gorgeous[/i], as does the text. By the way, it was brilliant of you to add the kanji--what a great touch. If this is just a preliminary draft, I'm sure that the final copy will be really fantastic. The only thing that bothers me is Tetsu's shoulder... I guess his clothing seems a little bit too bright. Once again, thank you so much for taking the time to work on this for me. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Broken into motion, the golden trails sink slowly down to darkness. No matter how calm the water grows they always waver. It's cold, with musky clouds, a sky swathed in violet gauze and the river looks like glass. Old glass, the kind that makes up wrinkled windowpanes. Gravity rippled them past the centuries to today, and my morning river is a mirror reflecting neon lights, softening them to jewel-like streaks of paint.

Welcome to OtakuBoards, Altron. ^_^ Before creating another thread, please re-read our rules. OB generally discourages posting links, and you could just as easily look for Gundam avatars on Google. OtakuBoards, as I have explained to other members, is not anybody's personal search engine. However, you'll find that many OBers are talented graphic artists; if you'd like a Gundam avi, you could always head over to our "Art by Request" sub-forum and ask for someone to make you one. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Please disregard my earlier comments about Witch Hunter Robin's dub. Shortly after the first episode, it turns into a thing of astonishing subtlety and delicacy, with some of the best English voice acting I've ever heard. Crispin Freeman has never sounded better, and Kari Wahlgren proves that she can continue to out-do the majority of Japanese VAs. In Furi Kuri, she successfully captured Haruko's insane personality--quite an impressive feat. In Witch Hunter Robin, her voice undergoes a total transformation; I have incredible difficulty convincing myself that this is the same person who played Haruhara Haruko (as well as Lavie in Last Exile). *strolls off to eat her words* Anyway, WHR is really starting to grow on me. I like it for many of the same reasons that I love Big O (another wonderful Bandai series), and I'm eagerly anticipating the upcoming plot twist. ~Dagger~

I love you too, Karmi. Isn't this fun? ^_~ Every time I read the name "Yuki," I start thinking about Gravitation.... *coughs quietly* In any event, you've raised several excellent points, as has Molly. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Kyo's affection is harsh, but he definitely has difficulty expressing how he feels--at least when it comes to Tohru. He's easily mortified, and tends to become very defensive about his emotions, often trying to pretend that they don't exist. Yet unlike Yuki, Kyo isn't entirely capable of hiding his true self. His social clumsiness is completely genuine, and (with Tohru's help) he can form new friendships and connect to others. It seems to me that Yuki envies Kyo's ability to be himself, not the ease with which their classmates accept him. After all, no one is more admired and emulated than Yuki. I'll talk more about this later. For now, I thought I'd look at another aspect of Furaba: the alternative love interests. Kyo's is obviously Kagura, while Yuki has Motoko and Hatsuharu. Motoko and Kagura have similar personalities; both are deeply devoted to their respective guys and often become pretty aggressive about their affection. Motoko, however, can't lay claim to the kind of long-lasting love that Kagura feels for Yuki. This is where Haru comes in--he's been interested in Yuki since they were both young, just as Kagura's attachment to Kyo stems from their childhood friendship. In my mind, Motoko, Haru and Kagura basically cancel each other out. Takuya Natsuki (Furaba's manga-ka) did an amazing job of making readers struggle to justify choosing Kyo over Yuki, and vice versa. Although they appeal to different people--Kyo is the kind of guy who I'd be attracted to IRL, an issue that I'll delve into during later posts--both have an enormous fan base. It may seem as though Yuki supporters are hard to find, but take heart. This debate reminds me strongly of the neverending war between Aeris fans and Tifa fans (and those select few of us who like both equally). Aeris fans appear to be more numerous, but in the end they're just more vocal. The same thing applies to fans of Kyo, possibly because people assume that he's the underdog in the Yuki/Tohru/Kyo love triangle. ~Dagger~

[quote name='keyblade master']I have never heard of the anime but the way you people talk about it makes me think it must be good. Can someone help me and tell me if they sell this anime and where at please?[/quote] Peace Maker Kurogane is still running in Japan. It's supposed to be twenty-four episodes long, and I believe that the twenty-first episode will be released sometime late tonight or early tomorrow morning. Anyway, the series hasn't yet been licensed, so you won't be able to acquire it on DVD (don't even [i]consider[/i] buying bootlegs, or I'll be forced to give you a rather boring lecture about the negative consequences of doing so). The only way to see PMK is by downloading it; private message me if you'd like to know how. [quote]I have one last request can anyone give me a small summary of what its about please if it isnt to much trouble?[/QUOTE] Did you even read my first post? Oh, well. I suppose it can't hurt to re-summarize PMK's plot, especially since I've now seen much more of the show. Peace Maker Kurogane has a very large cast, but it focuses primarily on Tetsu Ichimura, a fifteen-year-old page in the Shinsengumi (a group of Japanese assassins); Tatsu Ichimura, his older brother; Okita Souji, a highly skilled and kind-hearted manslayer; and Hijikata Toshi, who is both Okita's mentor and one of the Shinsengumi's powerful vice-chiefs. Nearly all of the principal characters--including Toshi, Souji, Saitou, Shinpachi, Yamanani, Tetsu and Yoshida--are actual historical figures. It takes place during the Meiji Revolution, some time before Rurouni Kenshin, but overlaps slightly with the Samurai X OVAs. So Kenshin fans might find this series particularly interesting, as it shows the Shinsengumi's point of view. Tetsu is technically the main character, although several episodes only feature him briefly. His goal in joining the Shinsengumi is to avenge his father's untimely death, and over the course of Peace Maker Kurogane we see him growing stronger, developing many deep friendships, and getting chased by a rabid (but incredibly cute) man-eating pig. (The pig is something which utterly defies description. See it for yourself. ^_~) If you have any other questions, I'll be happy to answer them. ~Dagger~

Your post is very difficult to decipher. Please consider using more commas, periods and other marks of punctuation... [i]please[/i]. I've mentioned this to you at least two or three times today. [quote name='Inuyasha7271']Why must you ruin the anime experience for us anime hungry americans why do you they hate us for someone unknown reason why get rid of the japanese culture[/quote] Because they want to make a profit, and they believe that little kids have some kind of built-in aversion to foreign names, international locales, and concepts which require some small amount of thought to figure out. [quote]Anime is not a cartoon it is not be considered to be like the lame american saturday morning cartoons that we used to watch.[/quote] Like it or not, anime is cartoons. I don't think that the word applies to either good anime or the finer examples of American animation, but there's not much we can do about it now. [quote]America and its bad dubbers shame us.[/QUOTE] I'll go after this argument at another time (once I create my long-overdue dub/sub debate thread). Be prepared. ^_~ Anyway, I'd love to see Bandai acquire Shingetsutan Tsukihime. After watching Witch Hunter Robin--which has a lovely dub, although I was initially skeptical of its merits--I realized that Tsukihime has the same kind of atmosphere, and would sound great with some of WHR's English VAs. Plus, that would give Tsukihime a chance (however slight >_>) of getting on cable TV. ~Dagger~

[quote name='DeathBug][color=indigo][size=1][font=comic sans ms]I'm curious about something, though; is there any possibility of an anime that's recieved a less-than-stellar dub to recieve an uncut version?[/color][/size'][/font][/quote] Card Captor Sakura and Sailor Moon were re-released in the form of several unedited box sets. I believe that these subtitles-only collections have sold quite well, even among people who felt dubious about watching the shows in Japanese. So, yes, it's certainly a possibility, but no company would consider doing that without witnessing some kind of significant demand. After all, fans had been up in arms about those two series for [i]years.[/i] ~Dagger~

densuke, after reading your other posts, I can easily state that you're among OB's best new members. Just avoid underestimating the power of a complete sentence. ^_~ keyblade master, your replies are generally a bit borderline, so I'd be very grateful if you listened to this warning. Please explain why Astro Boy "looks really bad"--otherwise, your comments will not help Shinken in the slightest. Thank you very much. ^_^ ~Dagger~

I don't know how successful this thread will be, but I thought it was worth a shot. The title basically says it all--come here to discuss series that have just been licensed, speculate about which ones will be picked up next, share news and information regarding upcoming international releases, debunk rumors, and so forth. On February 27, ADV announced that it had bought the rights to GetBackers and Mezzo TV. As a budding GetBackers fan, I was really pleased to read this.... although I generally prefer FUNimation's VAs to ADV's. This may sound silly, but I never experienced the reportedly horrific Dragonball dub. All I know is that FUNimation definitely did Fruits Basket justice, and that Yu Yu Hakusho's English script is even funnier than the original Japanese. To the distress of Tokyo Mew Mew fans everywhere, TMM was licensed by 4Kids Entertainment, the company notorious for butchering Card Captor Sakura. Hopefully they'll learn from their mistakes, but I suspect that 4Kids cares much more about attracting the right demographic (and pleasing said demographic's parents) than appeasing petition-wielding otakus. Lastly, what about Naruto, One Piece and Full Metal Alchemist? All three series are wildly popular and pretty much guaranteed to become cash cows. Which company would you want to acquire them? ~Dagger~

Early this morning, I got out of bed, got dressed, got my bag and got downstairs as quickly as I could. I got to the store only a minute or two after it opened, but I had a hard time deciding what video game to get. Although I tried to get advice from my wife, she obviously didn't get why I liked games so much, and told me that she was getting tired of standing around. Annoyed, I informed her that she just needed to get more sleep--I hadn't realized that she'd already gotten the keys. My wife got up, scowling, and got back to the car before I could get a word in edgewise. By the time that I caught up, she'd already gotten away. Point made, I hope. EDIT: Baron, I love you. XD ~Dagger~

Ooh, thanks! This is exciting. ^_~ As for the teaser... yet again, I am amazed by your ability with words. Despite not knowing jack **** about the characters, I found myself captivated by their confrontation. You provide just enough background information for the reader to avoid being utterly confused, but it never interrupts the flow of the story or causes the underlying tension to go slack. (And it's wonderful to read something that isn't unnaturally bloated with ellipses. There are times when it seems as though 90% of online fan/original fiction consists of melodramatic outbursts punctuated by long strings of periods.) Your writing has a certain poetic rhythm which makes it flow very smoothly from one sentence to the next. The dialogue sounds well-suited to the situation; I honestly can't think of a single complaint. By the way, those are some pretty interesting names. How did you come up with them? ~Dagger~

Inuyasha7271, let's get a few things straight. First of all, punctuation and grammar are your friends. Secondly, people will be much more likely to answer your questions if you organize them into separate paragraphs. Also--and this is a big pet peeve of mine--if you're only responding to a certain section of someone's reply, please don't quote their entire post. It just wastes space. Besides, you could type any of those shows' titles into Google and find a whole host of interesting, informative websites about their characters, storylines, etc. I'm not discouraging other members from telling you what they're like, but try to remember that OB isn't exactly a search engine. Please keep these things in mind the next time you write a post. Many thanks. ^_^ ~Dagger~

o_O .... Watch those run-on sentences, Inuyasha7271. They make your post rather difficult to read. Commas and periods are a godsend--please try to use them accordingly. As a full-fledged member, you should know that OtakuBoards values coherency. Anyway, since you seem to be curious, I get most of my information from watching the series. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I own the first thirteen episodes of Big O. I've seen them several times, both on TV and DVD, but I only watched the second season when it originally became a part of Adult Swim's Sunday line-up. Once Bandai releases a Season II box set, I'll be the first in line to buy it. ^_~ James Goodwin: The main character's name is Roger Smith. I agree with pretty much everything you said; Big O has some impressive animation, especially considering that Season I was produced back in 1998. Does anyone else notice some [i]slight[/i] artistic similarities between Witch Hunter Robin and Big O? Their character designs are obviously rather different, but both have a muted palette and realistic look, without the shiny highlights seen in numerous other anime. Both are serious, mature shows made by the studio Bandai, which may be part of the reason that I like to compare them. ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, cycle. ^_^ This thread unfortunately does not invite intelligent discussion. Before you do anything else, please re-read our rules. The next time you start a topic along these lines, make sure to mention why you're interested in watching Final Fantasy Unlimited--otherwise, people might be tempted to just say, "Yes, it's great," or "No, it sucks," without explaining what they liked or didn't like about the show. And if you're considering spending good money on it, that wouldn't be terribly helpful... right? Thread closed.

To tell you the truth, I have a hard time seeing any significant conceptual similarities between BGC and Evangelion. Maybe this is becasue Eva has a lot in common with RahXephon, and I'm used to comparing those two shows. They resemble each other very, very closely, in everything from basic set-up to major plot twists. However, both series are easily among the best anime ever made. But back to BGC... The Eva pilots are barely out of puberty, whereas the youngest Knight Saber could, at 18, be considered a full adult. In my mind, this makes a big difference. The Knight Sabers are fairly well-adjusted human beings, and therefore lack the adolescent neuroses and angst that Evangelion has come to be associated with. And in terms of moral alignment, everyone in BGC is portrayed as being either on the side of right.... or on the side of wrong. I mean, you can instantly tell the good guys from the bad guys--often merely by listening to them speak. In Evangelion, the characters' actions are painted in a slightly more nuanced light. To me, these aren't really matters of execution. After all, the complexity of human nature seems to be one of Eva's underlying themes. Plenty of anime revolve around cute young people controlling powerful mechas (everything from the Gundam franchise to Full Metal Panic). It's these shows' atmospheres and philosophies which end up setting them apart. BGC, unlike Eva, is more about giving the viewer a fun time than provoking serious thought. ~Dagger~

[quote name='densuke']Madhouse, which did the X Movie, also did the TV series. Madhouse is a very accomplished studio with many very good series to their credit. They also take the time to get very good music for their projects.[/quote] Like GONZO, Madhouse has done an excellent job of earning my respect (X TV and Gunslinger Girl are [i]marvelous[/i] shows). And on the subject of music, I'm in love with X's OP, which I believe was produced by the Japanese group L'Arc-en-Ciel. I feel considerably less enthusiasm for its ending theme, but the song is soothing enough. It was probably intended to provide the viewer with a bit of peace and calm--X can be somewhat emotionally hectic, after all--and I suppose it does accomplish that goal. ~Dagger~

[quote name='keyblade master']I would have to go with either outlaw star or .hack//sign[/quote] Welcome to OtakuBoards, keyblade master. ^_^ Before you post again, please take the time to read our rules. They explain why your reply (quoted above) is considered spam. Although your grammar and spelling are more or less accurate, you need to explain how watching Outlaw Star and/or .hack//SIGN ended up changing your life. Here at OB, one-line replies are rarely considered acceptable. If you can somehow distill the essence of a brilliant insight into the span of a single sentence, I will be highly impressed. Until then, however, I recommend that you consider putting more thought and effort into your posts. Many thanks. ~Dagger~

Haha, Big O's ED is awesome. The opening theme, however, gets old [i]very[/i] quickly. It's obviously meant to be somewhat cheesy and satirical, but I never bother watching it. That's the handy thing about DVDs--you can just skip forward to the actual episode. ^_~ Dorothy is the best android girl ever, hands down. Oh, I love Melfina dearly, and Chi's sheer cuteness gives her a big edge over the competition. Galatea will always be... well, her merrily chaotic self. And heaven knows that I have yet to fully explore Mahoromatic, Metropolis, Armitage or Steel Angel Kurumi. All the same, Dorothy instantly won my heart. Why? Well, without giving too much away, she defies categorization. She's ornery, sarcastic, soft-spoken, thoughtful, and has all sorts of surprising predilections. Her English voice actress (Lia Sargeant) portrays Dorothy perfectly. I personally love Big O's artwork, although a lot of people seem to dislike its untraditional look. Some fans complain that it seems too much like western animation, but I think that's a silly gripe. The very genre of anime was originally drew its strongest influences from Disney. Anyway, Solo, if you ever need me to explain any plot points or summarize missed episodes, I'd be more than happy to help. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Oh, Beck, you [i]must[/i] watch the GSG anime. For some bizarre reason, it actually reminds me of Fruits Basket (strange, I know >_>). The two shows have virtually nothing in common besides the fact that both are absolutely heart-wrenching, and can make you tear up over characters whom you've known for less than five or ten minutes. Despite its lush artwork and amazing animation, Gunslinger Girl is ultimately about tragedy, hope and complex relationships--and those three elements are featured prominently in many of my favorite anime. I am [i]so[/i] thrilled about reading the manga. From what I can tell, it looks fantastic... as soon as I can get my hands on ten bucks, I'm sprinting to Borders and grabbing a copy of GSG. Even though I like Triela--they're all pretty loveable, as a matter of fact--Claes is currently my favorite of the girls. I cried like a little baby during the episode about her past, just as I did during episode 8 of Fruits Basket. Speaking of which, some of GSG's camera angles are vaguely Daichi-esque (Akitaroh Daichi is the man who directed FB, as well as Now and Then, Here and There). I guess I find it interesting to compare the ways in which FB and GSG play with the viewer's emotions. ~Dagger~

Yeah.... I don't think I'm going to continue downloading Ayatsuri Sakon. The basic set-up simply doesn't appeal to me that much. I [i]might[/i] keep watching it just because I want to learn the story behind Sakon and Ukon's partnership; I keep trying to convince myself that Ukon is nothing more than a marionette, but even the most skilled puppeteer would be incapable of creating a character with such a well-rounded personality. Perhaps I'm giving this anime the benefit of the doubt by assuming that it'd try to be moderately realistic. All the same, it would make more sense if Ukon was actually a.... demonic spirit, or something to that effect. Because supposing that he was in fact a lifeless puppet, I'd have to start doubting Sakon's sanity. No one can pour so much of his personality into an empty vessel and avoid suffering any negative psychological effects. So here's my question: does the show ever explain where Ukon came from and what he really is? Oh, and by the way--in the beginning sequence of the first episode, did any of you briefly think that Ukon was Kurama? They have the [i]exact[/i] same hairstyle, which really threw me off for a couple of seconds. ~Dagger~

[quote name='guylover14']Hey. I really love Inuyasha. But I haven't had cable for a while. It sucks so much! *crys*[/quote] Welcome to OtakuBoards, guylover14. I feel your pain, but even a lack of cable cannot excuse poor post quality. Before writing another reply, please re-read our [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?]rules.[/URL] While your grammar and spelling are perfectly acceptable, it would be nice if your future posts were longer and more relevant to the topic at hand. Thank you very much. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions. ^_^ EDIT: Eyah... Looking back over this thread, I've come to the realization that many of the posts here are somewhat sub-par, at least in terms of punctuation and such. C'mon, folks--Inuyasha fans already have a pretty bad reputation. You've got to show all those elitist naysayers that intelligent human beings actually watch the series. ^_~ ~Dagger~