Dagger

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Katana [/i] [B]The very last thing I don't like is that usually, the main character is a guy. :mad: It's just so obnoxious how the characters repeat themselves, like in every episode they try and get the same girl but fail miserbly. It seems that in the world of anime, guys can do everything and girl's can't. *walks away steaming* [/B][/QUOTE] What about Noir, Princess Nine, Vision of Escaflowne, Fruits Basket, Card Captor Sakura, Witch Hunter Robin, Serial Experiments Lain, Sailor Moon, and Revolutionary Girl Utena? Many, many series have strong, likeable female leads, who can hold their own against any man or woman. Sure, few of these shows will ever come to Cartoon Network--but then, has CN's roster [i]ever[/i] contained the proverbial cream of the anime crop? EDIT: I forgot to mention Magic Knight Rayearth and Slayers. Also, I'm of the opinion that Kagome is the star of Inuyasha (rather than Inuyasha himself). ~Dagger~

I think it's safe to say that he was being sarcastic, a la PT's thread of a few days ago (see "Mi life is teh suk!!!1!!!11"). ~Dagger~

Alright, rttocs, I altered your banner and came up with two different alternatives. Here's the one that matches your request most closely (the other has a colored background, and lacks those black ribbon-like stripes). Belldandy: Do you have a specific picture of Kamui in mind? ~Dagger~

Well, RahXephon contains quite a few twisted relationships, but I think that Haruka's (mostly) unrequited affection for Ayato definitely takes the cake. I'd feel more sympathy for her if she wasn't twelve years older than he.... It's understandable that Ayato would be attracted to her, but she's practically fixated on him. The whole situation generally makes me feel rather uncomfortable--it's not supposed to be reminiscent of pedophilia, but it is. And even if they did get together, he's a teenager. She's an adult with her own job, her own life, and much more experience and wisdom. They argue enough as it is; if Ayato and Haruka became romantically involved, they'd never have a moment of peace. Not to mention the fact that both of them would probably end up being social outcasts. ~Dagger~

Actually, I think that Return of the King has a fairly good chance of winning Best Picture. Lord knows that Master and Commander certainly won't.... This is the Academy's last chance to reward a franchise which is both massively popular and critically acclaimed. If RotK is as amazing as it's rumored to be--if it really does outshine FotR and TTT--then I can't think of any film that might possibly stand in its way. ~Dagger~

1. A plot which makes me think, but isn't overly convoluted. 2. Strong, compelling, well-developed characters. 3. Attractive artwork and fluid, consistent animation. 4. A healthy balance of drama, comedy, romance, and action. 5. Originality, particularly in terms of storyline and characterization. As of now, my favorite animes are RahXephon, Boogiepop Phantom, Shamanic Princess, Read or Die, Voices of a Distant Star, Yu Yu Hakusho, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Gravitation. Not all of these shows meet every one of the above requirements--for example, by today's standards, Yu Yu Hakusho's animation can only be called sub-par. But its interesting characters and perfectly timed humor definitely make up for that shortcoming. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by WW2 [/i] [B]Heh, I'm afraid I wouldn't date anybody from anime. They're all just a bunch of big eyed weirdos with some serious problems. There's also the fact that they're not real, just marks on paper. Ouch, imagine the paper cuts!:eek: [/B][/QUOTE] Hahaha, paper cuts.... reading that definitely brightened my day. However, to be fair, not [i]all[/i] anime characters have big eyes. Just look at the casts of RahXephon and Last Exile. It's a minor point, but one I thought I ought to make. After all, in real life, Ayato Kamina would appear far more normal than, say, Inuyasha or Kenshin. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Verykawaiineko [/i] [B]IM SOO HAPPY..i finally got to read DD..it was great and Eclipse was just yummy.......^__^ also the lil omakes at the end of each vol were halarious..[spoiler]eclipse as house wife*snickers* and erutis..as a bondage queen..LOL[/spoiler] [/B][/QUOTE] Yes, it always makes me laugh when Eclipse acts out of character. So cute. ^__^ I'm about to travel to Michigan, and I'm planning to visit the giant Borders store in Ann Arbor. So hopefully I'll be able to pick up the next few volumes while I'm there. I've been searching for information on Demon Diary, but haven't been able to find much online. I assume that it's still ongoing in Korea--do any of you know for sure? ~Dagger~

I just finished watching this movie for the first time, and boy, was it an experience. I've heard that Velvet Goldmine is something of a cult classic, so I was curious as to whether anyone else at OB had seen it. For those who have, here are my thoughts: Visually, the film was beyond gorgeous, what with the torrents of feathers, vibrantly colored costumes, and glittering makeup. The music didn't sit well with me initially (I'd expected it to have a harder sound), but as VG progressed, its soundtrack gradually grew rougher and looser. I loved listening to the songs played during the movie's final sequence. Velvet Goldmine did a beautiful job of evoking the decadent emptiness which lies at the heart of stardom. Some of its imagery really stuck with me (for example, towards the beginning, when a young Jack Fairy paints his lips with blood). However, I was somewhat disappointed when nothing really came out of all the relationships I was rooting for. It seemed as though VG's ending was meant to be somewhat uplifting, but all that I truly walked away with was a pervasive sense of.... well, emptiness. I must say, Ewan McGregor stole the show. His character was more accessible than John Rhys-Meyers's emotionally shattered Brian Slade. McGregor's fine performance reminded me that he's quite an excellent actor, and I'll be sure to rent a few of his other lesser-known films. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by SadClown [/i] [B]My favorite thing about this thread is how everyone is critisizing the movies and saying how bad they are eventhough so much work went into making them. I'd like to see any of you do better. [/B][/QUOTE] Making [i]any[/i] movie requires tremendous amounts of work and money (although some are definitely less expensive to film than others). I'm not an experienced director or scriptwriter, so perhaps I might be incapable of "doing better." However, I can guarantee you that with a different crew (lead by someone like Peter Jackson or James Cameron), the Harry Potter movies would have been much more entertaining and enjoyable. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is (so far) fantastic, and has succeeded in fulfilling the high expectations of many ardent fans. What's keeping the Harry Potter series from doing the same? ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sara [/i] [B][size=1]From a slightly off-kilter standpoint: Five years ago, anything anime-esque I drew was classified as Pokemon. Now it's assumed I'm drawing Inuyasha characters. ....For what [i]that's[/i] worth. :p[/size] [/B][/QUOTE] Heh.... most of the people whom I've encountered seem to think that anything which contains the word "anime" is automatically associated with Yu-Gi-Oh. It's slightly depressing to spend hours on a Cowboy Bebop sketch, and then be told that your painstaking rendition of Spike looks exactly like "one of those Yu-Gi-Oh kids"...... ^_^;; ~Dagger~

Yes. Because we all know that violence is the sole factor which determines whether or not a particular show is good. It seems that every single anime classic--from Neon Genesis Evangelion to My Neighbor Totoro--features gouts of blood and frequent helpings of grievous bodily harm. [/end sarcasm] I personally don't mind gore, but your attitude irks me, Trigunner. ~Dagger~

I actually [i]love[/i] it when voice actresses play male roles. Maybe it's just one of Dagger's many fetishes (like referring to herself in the third person.... ^_~) Kurama's seiyuu (Ogata Megumi) sounds convincingly male, although you might not want to take my word for it. Either way, there's something about the sound of a female voice that I find rather irresistible. The director of YYH specifically requested that Kurama be voiced by a woman; I think he believed that Ms. Ogata was capable of bringing a certain softness and subtlety to the role which an otherwise talented male might not have been able to. ~Dagger~

Having never watched Ramna 1/2, I can't compare it to Inuyasha. However, I've read several Ramna 1/2 discussions at adultswim.com, and it appears that CN would never even dream of considering airing the series. I'm not sure why the execs are so vehemently anti-Ramna (cleavage and such, perhaps?), but I suppose that Inuyasha contains far less potentially controversial material.....although the anti-Harry Potter crowd might dislike the idea of demons running around with big swords. "....herd mentality of young Americans...." Heh, yeah, that basically sums it up. ~Dagger~

Question: I was under the impression that anime DVDs cost more than regular DVDs due to the expenses involved in creating a (hopefully) decent dub track. Does this hold true? ~Dagger~

Demon Diary was released fairly recently, which is probably why you didn't hear of it until now. It has no corresponding anime series, and probably never will, as far as I'm aware. Anyway, the best places to find information on DD are Amazon.com (sadly enough) and Tokyopop's site--I haven't discovered a single Demon Diary shrine, despite my prodigious use of the all-mighty Google. I just read the second volume, and I am [i]so[/i] happy that I bought it. If anything, it's funnier and sweeter than the first--I especially loved learning [spoiler]how Eclipse and Raenef first met[/spoiler]. Even the secondary characters, such as Erutis and Chris, are quite endearing. My favorite part was when [spoiler]Eclipse yelled at Raenef for letting Chris tag along, and Erutis sat sulking in the corner, muttering, "If anyone needs me, I'll be here..."[/spoiler] Ah, how very amusing. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Queen Asuka [/i] [B][color=hotpink][size=1]I can tell you right now why InuYasha is so popular. BECAUSE IT'S AIRED ON CARTOON NETWORK! It's just the next "thing" for everyone to be into. First it was DBZ, then it was Cowboy Bebop, now it's InuYasha. It's disgusting, really. Anything they show on CN will automatically be "everyone's favorite anime." That's pretty much why I avoid the network anime series. What's really aggrivating is that I was reading the InuYasha manga months before they ever dreamed of airing it on CN. Gah, it gets on my nerves.[/color][/size] [/B][/QUOTE] You've definitely made a good point; after all, FLCL and Trigun would never have become popular were it not for Adult Swim. The same can be said of shows like Outlaw Star and Tenchi Muyo. However, Kikaider, Blue Gender, Lupin III, and Reign the Conqueror (among other series) never really got off the ground. It seems to me that in order to become the next big thing, a show must not only air on network TV (preferably CN), but also attempt to combine action, comedy, and a smidgeon of romance--and be relatively easy to understand. Though Trigun may contain much in the way of allegory and subtle social commentary, its basic plot is pretty straightforward. And Inuyasha just isn't complex at all. I can understand why that would be so annoying; it's like when people become enormous fans of a certain band only [i]after[/i] they achieve stardom, and then claim to have adored them all along. ~Dagger~

Sango did try to kill Inuyasha, and she very nearly died in the attempt. Miroku's lechery is ironic [i]because[/i] he's a monk--that's why his womanizing habits are so amusing. And both of them have perfectly solid reasons for "hanging out" with Inuyasha and Kagome; like those two characters, they want to take revenge on Naraku. ~Dagger~

[b][i]DON'T CHEAT.[/i][/b] It's stupid, unethical, and utterly pointless. The ends do [i]not[/i] justify the means. Hells Fire, if you know that cheating is wrong, then why on earth would you encourage her to do it? This isn't exactly a life or death situation, and it doesn't call for such "drastic measures." If the immorality of the act alone is not a sufficient deterrent, then consider this: Worst-case scenario #1--She doesn't cheat, gets a bad grade, and isn't allowed to watch TV for several weeks. Worst-case scenario #2--She cheats, and is subsequently caught and suspended or expelled. One poor decision will negatively affect the rest of her career as a student. Which sounds more appealing to you? ~Dagger~

Anubis responded with an exasperated cough. "Old man?" he repeated incredulously, brushing the dust from his cloak in a positive fit of meticulous irritation. Leile's smile widened; she hadn't expected him to be so easily fazed. After a moment or two, the mage's face slid back into its usual impassive half-smirk, but his eyes had changed--somehow, they seemed more alive, and less indifferent. "Watch and learn, spring chickens." Aissa let out a strangled noise which could only be described as a chortle. Unconsciously mimicking Anubis's comically indignant reaction, she muttered, "[i]Spring chickens[/i]?" "I thought my grandfather was the only person who used that phrase," Leile remarked. She leaned back against the wall, grinning broadly. "So just how old are you? Seventy? Eighty? I must say, you seem rather sprightly for a man of your age." The mage very nearly rolled his eyes. "Thirty-five," he said coolly. "I really shouldn't tolerate such insolence . . ." And then he vanished. No fanfare, no billowing smoke or brilliant lights. Anubis had merely . . . disappeared. Leile was tempted to gape, but she managed to restrain herself. She felt the hairs rising on the back of her neck--this was more than a little creepy. Where on earth had he [i]gone[/i]? The fire abruptly went dark, and she grabbed Aissa's arm, eyes wide. "What the--!?"

With what aspect of studying do you struggle, and what is your test going to be on? If I knew, I might be able to help. ~Dagger~

I actually like Naraku. He's unapologetically evil, and no more stereotypical than Sesshomaru, Kagome, or Inuyasha himself. In my opinion, Read or Die is the best action anime ever made.... but were someone to take a poll, I think that DBZ would probably emerge victorious (unless Inuyasha already did, as is indicated by Cahoots's post). On a side note, Inuyasha isn't really a love story--at least not in the sense that Kare Kano, Gravitation, Chobits, and Love Hina are love stories. It has romantic elements, to be sure, but several seasons pass before they start to take center stage. ~Dagger~

Study, study, study. Try to get a decent amount of sleep, and don't allow yourself to procrastinate or become distracted (particularly not by OB...). On Sunday night, eat a healthy, solid dinner, review everything you've learned once last time before you go to bed, and don't stay up late. Remember to eat breakfast on Monday morning. And study. As far as I can tell, that's really the only solution. ~Dagger~

Wow.... I'm almost overwhelmed by the sheer prettiness of it all. I really, really like the border you used for the first and third banners; the second's border seems to be a little bit too insubstantial. Between those two, I'd pick the third--both are wonderful, but it's better balanced (in terms of Hitomi's position relative to the rest of the image). Hmm... I usually lean towards avatars that have faces in them, but in this case, I'd pick the one on the far left. It's so.... soft, for lack of a better word. Very nice. As for the avatar on the near right: though Hitomi's knees are undeniably attractive, I'm afraid that I might start picturing Arcadia as a pair of disembodied legs. ^_~ Lovely work, as usual. *claps giddily* ~Dagger~

Inuyasha was rated the #1 action anime? That's surprising.... I would have expected either Yu Yu Hakusho or Dragon Ball Z to claim that particular title (more for popularity than any specific merit). Now, Eugi, let's be fair. Ugly is in the eye of the beholder. So although your other points are valid, your dislike of Inuyasha's artwork doesn't automatically make it a bad show. The problem with Inuyasha is its fans are overly enthusiastic--often to the point of rabidity. As with any other super-hyped series, this tends to be a turn-off to the uninitiated, who usually end up wondering what all the fuss is about. ~Dagger~