Dagger

There are literally no real, translated yuri manga out there. You'll have to either take what you can get in terms of innuendo and side characters (for instance, there's a great yuri relationship in Loveless, but it only involves two supporting characters, and the main story is BL). With this said, [url=http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/manga/manga.php?manga_view=2358][u]Blue[/u][/url] is a fantastic, heart-rending yuri story. The artwork is spare and realistic and the tone is mature and true to life, which makes it look and feel quite different from your average manga. I very much recommend it, although the style may throw you off a little. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Hiniku] Nevermind about the previous question. It turns out that there are 6 DVDs to the series. I just don't know when they will come out. At least it isn't a matter of if there is a continuation anymore. :catgirl:[/QUOTE] The R1 release is three DVDs in length and has been completed. The R2 (Japanese) release is six DVDs in length and has also been completed, but it doesn't have more episodes--just fewer episodes per disc. As for a second season, it gets more unlikely day by day, as far as I'm concerned. I still have vague hopes in the back of my head (maybe they're waiting for the manga to get really far ahead; maybe they'll put out OVAs or something), but I can't be bothered to get too worked up about it anymore, unfortunately. ~Dagger~

[b]Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu:[/b] Makes struggling through the first season of FMP so, so worth it. In addition to showcasing the basic superiority of Kyoto Animation to every other studio out there, it's genuinely funny and full of life. I found the comedy in GONZO's FMP to be mentally deadening, if not downright insulting to my intelligence, but while the writing in Fumoffu is basically the same (just more over-the-top), the direction and animation are leagues better, and that makes all the difference. KyoAni forever. :love: ~Dagger~

Earthian is good stuff. I didn't like the primary love story very much, but there's so much going on in the series that this actually didn't have a large effect on my overall enjoyment of it. I'm looking forward to reading the last volume, which--if I remember correctly--is supposed to consist of side stories about Raphael and Michael (who I found to be more interesting than the main characters), among others. I've soured on manga about angels, but Earthian puts an interesting spin on that concept. ~Dagger~

I came to episode 9 a little late, but it was oh so great--definitely one of my favorites so far. I was won over the instant I recognized Mitsuki Saiga's voice. She's one of my favorite seiyuu, and getting to hear her play an over-the-top, gallant, bishounen in a girl's body type of character was just great. The parodies were fantastic throughout, and I died after Tamaki's [spoiler]onii-sama/onee-sama[/spoiler] line. Onward ho! I've been a bit spoiled for [spoiler]Haruhi's father,[/spoiler] but I'm looking forward to episode 10 all the same. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Hanabishi Recca] I don't have any good reason, besides that is the reason that Sodom was destroyed. [/QUOTE] Not to go off on a religious tangent, but it always bothers me when people cite this as an example. Sodom was destroyed for its residents' lack of hospitality (although God had already decided to destroy it even before then; they were just being given another chance). The story has virtually nothing to do with the morality of consensual homosexual activity. (I'd prefer not to start a Biblical debate. If you really want to respond to this point, please PM me so we can keep it out of the thread.) Getting back on topic, I agree with Fasteriskhead. It's an brazen attempt to get the conservative base fired up... it had no hope of succeeding, and everyone involved knew this from the start, which makes the whole thing pretty darn weird, at least as far as I'm concerned. Obviously I'm not cut out for politics. ~Dagger~

This thread is awesome. :love: [b]Revolutionary Girl Utena:[/b] Utena is the one anime that significantly altered my way of thinking, the way I look at other anime series, other forms of entertainment and other manifestations of popular culture--and even my life, if that isn't too corny. I like shows that compell you to think about a particular issue without being preachy or immediately selecting sides. Despite outward appearances, Utena avoids the typical Girl Power approach and offers a much more nuanced, ambiguous examination of gender issues. Its over-the-top surrealism and layers upon layers of symbols gave me a very different viewing experience from what I was accustomed to. [b]Koi Kaze:[/b] This series is about the incestuous relationship between a twenty-eight year old man and his formerly estranged, fifteen year old sister. It could have been cheap and sensationalistic. Instead, it turned out to be a profoudly moving, sickening, riveting show that kept me watching and forced me to care for the characters even when their actions made me feel ill. It lends a different meaning to the idea of what makes a series mature. Koi Kaze is a tremendously emotional and well-directed anime. I didn't think it would have much replay value, but I was wrong. The English dub is also one of the absolute best dubs I've ever heard; some of the acting sent chills up my spine. [b]Brother, Dear Brother:[/b] Another member here persuaded me to watch Brother, Dear Brother (Oniisama E), and I'm still thankful for it. I just wish I had the courage--and the time--to watch the series again. It took some serious adjusting, what with the unexpected character designs and the incessant triple-panning, but it also taught me to appreciate the beauty of Riyoko Ikeda's original artwork and to have a lot more patience when trying out older anime. It's an extraordinarily lovely and stirring show, in terms of its character development as well as its visuals... and for some reason, when I think about it, I feel as if it was made at exactly the right time, as if a bunch of different factors converged to make it become as good as it could possibly be. I have no clear basis for stating this--it's just something that vaguely began to occur to me as I watched Rose of Versailles, which is also very good but (at least for me) doesn't hit the spot in quite the same way as Brother, Dear Brother. And one last quickie... [b]AIR TV:[/b] The show that instantly turned me into a Key & Kyoto Animation maniac. When I learned that KyoAni would be producing a remake of Kanon, it was as if manna had fallen from the heavens. After taking 2+ years to struggle my way through Full Metal Panic, I bought Fumoffu out of blind faith in KyoAni. And it was so, so worth it. ~Dagger~

[b]han ki-tae[/b], I'm claiming your character. At its current size, the image is too large to quote. So in a few moments, I'm going to reduce its dimensions and upload it to my Photobucket account for quoting purposes. ETA: There we go. I'm happy that I finally got the chance to claim a character--and the fact that she reminds me of Aerith only makes it better. :catgirl: [quote=han ki-tae] second one is mine. she is very delicated and basically she is underwater and she is basically swiming towards who is the love of her life. not much bout her character developed though. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/meninanolaroutline.jpg[/IMG] [/quote] See you in twenty-four hours. [CENTER]-----------------------[/CENTER] And voila! Although I kind of cheated by only doing a bust. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/Save.jpg[/IMG] I took a few liberties (i.e. with the front of her dress and the facial style), but for the most part, I tried not to stray too far from the original design. There's no real explanation for the way she's biting her necklace. I just thought it was cute, heh. Anyway, I'm going to attach my character soon... I have to go scan him first. Okay, all attached. My apologies for the quality; I rarely (read: never) finish drawings, and this was the only doodle I could find that wasn't on lined paper. The significant characteristics are his glasses, his mole and the fact that he's quite skinny. Bonus points for including the cape that I totally skimped on sketching. ~Dagger~

This is one of the few bands whose name means something to me (albeit something very vague, haha). My favorite song of theirs--granted, I've heard maybe five total--is [b]Selling The Drama[/b]. I'm sort of surprised that no one's mentioned it yet. [b]All Over You[/b] is pretty decent, too. Either I haven't heard any of their new material, or I didn't recognize it when I did happen to hear it. Most likely the latter. ~Dagger~

I haven't had the awful forum experiences that some people here talk about. There are some forums I lurk at, some I visit occasionally and some I post at like mad, but I've stuck with all of them because they offer good discussions, information and whatever else I'm seeking from them. While there are people who will undoubtedly cry foul about making distinctions based on age, I've noticed that out of the forums I go to, the ones with older (on average) member bases are the ones that can afford to have the most laid-back moderation. Granted, one of those forums has an absolute ban on religious & political topics, which probably helps a little, but it's not as if anime fans can't find plenty of other things to wrangle over. That aside, I'm glad y'all are enjoying it here. But I'm sure you'll become disillusioned with us and go off to form ex-OB support groups sooner or later. ;) ~Dagger~

I have two suggestions before this thread completely dissolves. 1. There's a lot of unnecessary post clutter here. It would clean things up significantly if each person who posts a picture edits his post to let respondents know whether or not they are correct, instead of creating a new post altogether. [quote=Example]Here's my picture blah blah blah. [Image] Blah blah blah blah. EDIT #1: Member Whatever: Close, but no cigar. EDIT #2: Whoever Else: Nope, that's not it either.[/quote] 2. If you want to give hints, either include them in your original post from the beginning or edit them in as the need for them becomes apparent. It might be more fun to spoiler-tag them, but that's up to your discretion. Basically, though, it isn't reasonable to make a whole new post just for a quick hint. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=duorocks17][FONT=Century Gothic][COLOR=Blue] I hope that this wasn't the last episode, I'm really hoping for another season, I mean, it even gave a preview and all! but if not, this wouldn't be the first show i've watched that gave a preview but never put out a new episode. But with all the popularity this show is getting, you'd think they'd keep going right?[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE] Well, I mean, it's the last episode if you go by Haruhi's order... but it's not the last episode if you go by Kyon's order. Although I'm sure you've figured that out by now. Also, I've probably said this before, but the idea of a second season is pretty plausible as far as I'm concerned, especially if the DVDs sell well. However, chances are that anything of the sort wouldn't air until after KyoAni finishes Kanon 2006, their next big anime. As for episode 10, I'm finally starting to appreciate the broadcast order... because it was really exciting, and you could practically smell the money oozing out of the [spoiler]Yuki versus Asakura battle[/spoiler] scene. I even liked the psychedelic backgrounds they used in that part. Very nice. Additionally, [spoiler]adult Mikuru[/spoiler] is made of win and gold. However, I do have a dire complaint--how can Kyon not like girls with glasses!? I call shenanigans. ;) ~Dagger~

The first four episodes are decent rental material, but they really don't cover any new ground (I actually think the first four episodes of Trinity frickin' Blood were more compelling, to be painfully honest). The mustache enemies went a little too far into Bizarro World for me, much like the Martian in that one episode of Kamichu. I loved episode 1, though--the style, the introductory villain of the week, all that good stuff. I'm looking forward to Netflixing the rest of the show. ~Dagger~

My favorite Miyazaki film is probably [b]Castle in the Sky[/b], although I have a severe weakness for Howl's Moving Castle. Kiki's Delivery Service and Spirited Away are also good, solid soul food... the perfect movies to watch on a rainy day. I did not like either Princess Mononoke or Nausicaa very much. I saw the majesty in them and was awed by their visuals, but I can't say that I would want to see either one again, at least not anytime soon. For me, Castle in the Sky and Howl's Moving Castle have the most replay value out of all of Miyazaki's works--which is probably why I prize them more highly, when you get down to it. Oh, and I've never seen Totoro in its entirety. Feel free to cast stones or whatever. ~Dagger~

I would definitely recommend watching the Utena anime instead of reading the manga. The manga offers but a pale shadow of the anime's glory. :) As for the DVDs, there are 10 TV series DVDs and then one DVD for the movie. Make sure not to watch the [url=http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005LP42.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg][u]movie[/u][/url] until you've finished the TV series. (It's a re-telling, not a sequel, but it's just better to watch it afterward). From glancing quickly at my copies, I don't think the DVD cases are numbered, so here's a list of all the DVD titles, in order. Volume 1: The Rose Collection 1 Volume 2: The Rose Collection 2 Volume 3: The Black Rose Blooms Volume 4: Impatience and Longing Volume 5: Darkness Beckoning Volume 6: The Beginning of the End Volume 7: Temptation Volume 8: Revelation Volume 9: Finale Additionally, if you're at all interested in buying the series, it's pretty cheap. There are three box sets, one with the two Rose Collections & the movie, and two more with four DVDs each. Each has an MSRP of $39.98--which means that if you get them during an online sale, it practically costs chicken feed. In [url=http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/][u]DDD's[/u][/url] 20% off sale, which is currently running, you can get the box sets for under $18 each with the sale coupon codes... and if that isn't making out like a bandit, I don't know what is. I hope that was of some help. Anyway, I'm going to merge this thread with the official Utena topic shortly. ~Dagger~

[quote name='PhoenixClawth']I care, Desbreko. =3 [/quote] As do I. :catgirl: Oh, and here are two Death Note freebies. Although they're from the live-action movie, I humbly request that they be included in the pre-existing DN section. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/erusama.jpg[/IMG] [size=1][B]Category:[/B] Death Note [B]Name:[/B] L [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/lightkun1.jpg[/IMG] [B]Category:[/B] Death Note [B]Name:[/B] Light[/size] That's all for now! ~Dagger~

So I finished watching my tape of episode 9 (last night's episode). Now, is it me, or did this show just turn into FMA? :animeswea I actually mean that as a sincere compliment. Since there are obviously some similar themes, I'm assuming that BONES ends up going in a different direction with E7, and seeing how all of that plays out should be interesting. But still, the "military dog" lines almost made me fall out of my seat laughing. That must have been a deliberate reference. ~Dagger~

I think I'd enjoy an RPG in which each player would have one or two characters that they'd be solely responsible for, along with a cast of multiple characters who wouldn't be assigned to a particular player and could be used by anyone, so long as it made sense in the story. Or a player could eventually trade his personal character for one of the free agent characters, if he so desired. I feel as if I just explained that idea in a way which made it seem a lot more complicated than it really is, but oh well. To put it more simply, it'd be a hybrid of the usual system and the dynamic story thing Sandy described. I also like being told what to do. Go chapters! ~Dagger~

There's nothing to debate. It continues (and completes) the story; ergo, it's a sequel. In fact, it's a much more direct and contiguous follow-up piece than many other anime sequel movies. Just think of it as episodes 52 through 55 if you must. ~Dagger~

This is an old, old Internet joke. A little too old for me to come up with anything clever to say about it. Sorry, guys. :whoops: Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Another amusing phenomenon that I was just reminded of... it doesn't hold true here, but there are some anime discussion forums where you can easily pick out who's male and female by looking at their avatars. That is, the straight men have female avatars and the straight women have male avatars, while the gay men and women are basically wild cards. :animesmil ~Dagger~

I would imagine that gender dynamics differ from forum to forum. One of the forums that I post at on a more or less daily basis is about 75% male and 25% female. It could be because of fewer "frills" (signatures must be text-only and only four lines long, including code), but I find that if people there don't include their gender in their profiles, it can be almost impossible to determine who's male or female. I've gotten PMs there from people who were bewildered about my gender, and I've been mistaken about the genders of members whose posts I read frequently. I really would hesitate to make these kind of generalizations, particularly since they don't seem to hold true as you move across the age spectrum. To put it another way... what you've described, PaganAngel, is not atypical as far as adolescent behavior is concerned (just think of it in a high school context; males are nearly always the class clowns). I think the true peculiarity of gender roles in forums is that you can never really know if someone is being honest about his or her identity. There are forum-goers everywhere who actually seem to enjoy confounding others (and yeah, I'll admit that it tickles me when people peg me for the wrong gender). Getting confused or misled about others' genders is far more common on forums than in real life. ~Dagger~

Heh. It was funny to see this thread again, because as much as I criticized the first book, I thought that [b]Eldest[/b] made it seem like a work of genius in comparison. The second book really descended into awful fanfic territory, as far as I'm concerned; Eragon could not [i]possibly[/i] have become more of a Gary Stu. It was worth reading just for the laughs, really. I'm actually looking forward to the last part of the trilogy now... my sister and I will have fun MST3King it. [spoiler]The fact that Eragon underwent a physical transformation to acquire elf-like beauty[/spoiler] was what really killed me. ~Dagger~

You want it to be uglier? Aim for excess. Increase the size and floppiness of the bow at the waist; make the skirt larger and frillier (with many more tiers of little bows) and try to incorporate even more clashing colors. I recommend neon green. Right now the colors are pretty bad--which is a compliment in this case, haha--but the design itself is fairly conservative, as far as hideous dresses go. You need to pile on more stuff into order to create a true atrocity. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Tatsubei Yagyu][COLOR=Navy][FONT=Comic Sans MS] Also, who did yall think was the strongest Org. XII members? I was surprised that the first two (The Sitar one, and Xaldin, the Six Lance dude) were stronger than the two you fought before the last one.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] I thought they were all kind of lame, to be honest. The fight with the gambler (whose name I can't remember) was interesting and irritating at the same time, but it wasn't actually that hard. I guess I had the most trouble with the Demyx (I mean the sitar dude--did I spell his name right?) battle in [spoiler]Hollow Bastion.[/spoiler] I thought I was in the clear, and then the [spoiler]"kill five forms in five seconds"[/spoiler] thing popped up and completely took me by surprise. I didn't even know you could be rescued by Mickey until I got to the ending stats and saw that I had been rescued by Mickey.... 0 times. :animeswea Anyway, I was quite thrown off by the fact that [spoiler]most of the Org. XIII members were already dead.[/spoiler] Does that get explained in Chain of Memories? Speaking of which, is Chain of Memories really worth playing, or should I just go read a summary if I'm curious about how its plot ties in to KH2's plot? ~Dagger~