Dagger

It's sort of difficult to phrase this reply in a way that doesn't point fingers at anyone. But I'll try my darndest, because that isn't my intent at all, and rather than touching on specific examples, I want to start off by conveying some general observations gleaned from my own experience. Like the level of activity in different sub-forums and pretty much everything else related to an online message board, moderation strictness tends to come in cycles. Sometimes it has to do with the level of spam. For example: during the period in which I was the sole moderator of the Anime Lounge, it got to the point that I just couldn't take care of everything on my own. So instead, I took a kind of triage approach, which meant that little things slipped through a lot more often... but the forum didn't implode or anything. Conversely, when I first became a mod, I was quite strict--whereas now, I lean far more toward the side of leniency. It took me a while to find a good balance, and it was particularly difficult to strike the right tone when I was first starting out, especially since I was as nervous as heck about being a mod in the first place. I get what you're saying, but I would really hesitate to consider this "a general trend." Rather, I see it as being part of the usual fluctuations. Now. As far as the Platypus thread goes, I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with the original post. Ideally, it would have ended up being a fun game-type thread, like the wish-granting topic. Rather than warning the OP, it might have been better to nudge subsequent posters to try and stay on track. So I understand your concern, and I thank you for bringing it up in a constructive, non-confrontational fashion. But just as it's sometimes better to let threads like that incubate for a little while before you pass judgment on them or on the individual replies within them, it's also better to let trends like the one you're seeing here continue to ferment before you start to worry about them too much. ~Dagger~

If you're interested in Get Backers, [i]don't buy anything past the fifth disc[/i]. The first half of the show has some amusing stand-alone episodes along with a fantastic longer arc (the Limitless Fortress saga). The second half has promising moments, but on the whole, it just kind of dies. Plus, if you leave off after volume 5, you'll save money and you'll stop at what's really a more satisfying point than Get Backers' actual ending. Witch Hunter Robin and Madlax are both solid series. I would recommend Madlax if you tend to like Bee Train anime (.hack, Noir, etc.)--not just the stories, I mean, but also the character designs and the style of animation. Both WHR and Madlax are moody and slow to develop, so I'd just flip a coin if you want to choose between them. It's worth noting, though, that Madlax's ending is a lot better than WHR's. In fact, I found WHR's to be a pretty big letdown. ~Dagger~

If you're buying anime and you're not getting anything out of it, then there's a simple solution. Stop watching it. If it doesn't entertain you or enlighten you--if it doesn't accomplish whatever you happen to be seeking in it--then obviously you'd better find another hobby. That aside, I'm somewhat alarmed by the fact that your post is phrased as though anime is a [i]person[/i]. And I'm trying to think of a more descriptive title for this thread, but I can't come up with anything that doesn't sound patently silly. Ah well... :animeswea ~Dagger~

A new chapter should be coming out fairly soon, no? Or has it surfaced already? [QUOTE=Lindus] That's actually an interesting point, I think. I had just sort of assumed that when a person became a Homunculus, they just gradually forgot. I suppopse I can blame the anime for that-- [SPOILER]in the case of Sloth, she gradually forgot who she had been, right?I haven't seen that part of the anime in a while[/SPOILER][/QUOTE] Okay... so my reply is coming four months late, but I figured I ought to answer this anyway, haha. I actually was under the impression that rather than [spoiler]slowly forgetting who she had been, Sloth was gradually [i]remembering[/i].[/spoiler] I believe that's why it bothered her so much. I like the manga version of FMA. Not as much as some, but I do like it. The comedy doesn't really click with me, for the most part, so I wish there was less of it. I'm sure I'm alone in that, though. I'm glad that it's very different from the anime, since that gives me more of a reason to continue reading it. For some reason, what I don't like about the manga are the manga-only characters. Ling and his posse [i]really[/i] get on my nerves. Not to mention that awful panda girl. Gah. *dodges tomatoes* But the plot twist with [spoiler]Ling becoming Greed[/spoiler] was pretty cool. Personally, I pray that [spoiler]he doesn't get redeemed or anything, because he's a lot more palatable when he's all possessed and evil. Go kill your comrades, Ling! Wreak havoc! Be your wonderful greedy self![/spoiler] I swear I'm not this sadistic in real life. Honestly. So... uh, any ideas about the [spoiler]tattoo on Hawkeye's back?[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

Fasteriskhead: Well, considering that theory is going to require something of a paradigm shift on my part, but I do like it. While I don't know that it'll cause the scene to be more palatable for me on an emotional level, it's a lot more logical. Kudos. On a slightly similar note... although I've given it some distance, I still have difficulty identifying just why I have such deep objections to the last scene of EoE. At first I believed it was because it's such a [spoiler]hopeless[/spoiler] ending, but now I don't think that's it at all. I'll use Texhnolyze as an example. By the end of the series, [spoiler]every single character has died miserably. The final shot conveys no sense of redemption or hope; all it evokes is a sense of relief that the ordeal is over.[/spoiler] And yet it feels absolutely fitting and even satisfying. I can say for a fact that I wasn't more invested in Eva's characters than in Tex's, and I fully acknowledge that the Eva TV ending (which I prefer) may very well be representative of [spoiler]false hope rather than real hope.[/spoiler] But I just can't like EoE's conclusion very much, darn it. Plus, my reluctance to accept it wasn't exactly aided by my continual irritation over the lack of anamorphic widescreen. :p ~Dagger~

Just caught the first episode on AS. I find it slightly frustrating that in all three of the mecha series I'm currently buying/watching (Mars Daybreak, Fafner and now E7, in case anyone's interested--if we stretch the definition and include Gankutsuou, that's four!), Johnny Yong Bosch plays the lead. I like his voice acting, but that's really a bit too much of a good thing. Plus, I'd prefer to hear him in an older role. Well, either way, Crispin Freeman is back on TV (as Holland, naturally), and that is worth a celebration. Hopefully they won't truncate the OP in future episodes; if they could squeeze in full OPs for FMA, they should be able to do the same for Eureka 7. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Samurai Mix]Thats why I hated the TV ending b/c [spoiler] she recovers from her depression in Eoe. But in the TV ending she lays naked in a bath tub?[/spoiler'] [/quote] To be honest, when it comes to that aspect of Evangelion, I think the TV ending is a lot more realistic. Maybe I need to watch EoE again, but to me [spoiler]Asuka's recovery[/spoiler] seemed so sudden, even jarring, that it really struck the wrong chord and yanked me out of the (otherwise engrossing) film. I said this in an earlier post, so at the risk of being repetitive, I'll say once again that I thought the writers should have spent more time on [spoiler]her transformation.[/spoiler] :therock: (Don't mind me... I just wanted to use that smilie.) ~Dagger~

I liked the ending of the movie quite a bit, actually. The series as a whole is deeply bittersweet, and the movie reflects that: [spoiler]in order to be together again, the brothers had to give up something tremendous--their home. But their resilience and courage is such that they can make a home out of this new world, and they can do great things & be extraordinary people even without the "crutch" afforded them by alchemy.[/spoiler] I also very much doubt that [spoiler]the suits of armor would be able to destroy the Gate, especially given that the alchemy Al uses to animate them fades swiftly. At the end, neither Ed nor Al have any idea how long it'll take them to destroy the Gate. Ed would never accept that as a solution--what if Al lost control of the armor before the task was completed?[/spoiler] Much of FMA is about difficult choices, and in my opinion, the movie does a good job of extending that theme even further. :) ~Dagger~

Must... not... highlight... spoilers! :animestun There are three downloadable episodes left for me to watch, so I must be catching up--right? Right? Anyway, I just saw the episode in which [spoiler]Henry draws the map for Ana Lucia.[/spoiler] Why is it that the Korean episodes always seem to be especially excellent? I thought this was the best one (er, the best episode in general, I mean--not just the best Korean episode) I had seen in a while. The writers did a great job of weaving together the disparate storylines--which is something they almost always do well, for that matter. I liked how they kind of toyed with the viewer's head without trying [i]too[/i] hard; a good example of this is the beginning scene, when [spoiler]Sun is shown meeting the bald dude, and at first you just naturally assume that they're having an affair.[/spoiler] By the way, I loooove [spoiler]Henry. His ending monologue (about what he would do if he really were a member of the Others) had me in shivers. So cool! It's creepy how effortlessly he figured out the group dynamics, not to mention how he's subtly and not-so-subtly playing the plane characters off one another.[/spoiler] [spoiler]Where's Desmond? I want more Desmond.[/spoiler] :( Oh, and backtracking a little further, I was ecstatic over how they showed the real story of what happened between [spoiler]Claire and Rousseau.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

Finally finished volume 4~ There are five episodes (14 through 18) on this disc, and they really serve to boost the show's darkness quotient. I had been wondering how the storyline would proceed after episode 13, which seemed to wrap things up in a pretty conclusive fashion, but it actually flowed quite smoothly and naturally. I loved how the writers and animators handled [spoiler]Mytho's evil side.[/spoiler] And of course I got giddy whenever they manage to work in something about [spoiler]Fakir's knight persona.[/spoiler] I also have to add that episode 17 takes the cake for pure hilarity. I was totally not expecting the scene in which [spoiler]the French bishounen refused Kraehe's love, leaving both her and Princess Tutu in sweatdrops.[/spoiler] It threw me off, but at the same time, it was insanely funny. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=xyzxzy] Btw, I just read [b]Reverse!?[/b] by MISHIMA Kazuhiko. The plot is very refreshing. There're no explicits scene so far.[/QUOTE] You know, I had no idea that Reverse was more than one volume! Thanks for reminding me about this series; I just read the first two chapters of the second volume, and it's as funny as ever. I like all of the main characters, even the devilish Mifune. :animesmil ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=BKstyles] It seems like an "action-packed" anime but to what calibur i wonder, and what of the storyline and characters themselves? Any input is appreciated.[/QUOTE] Well, it's basically a shounen action series, so whatever twists the storyline may take, ultimately they're geared toward producing bigger battles... complete with training sequences, lesser fights and obvious boss fights, weapon upgrades and so forth. If you're at all familiar with Yu Yu Hakusho, Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin, One Piece, Inuyasha, et al, you probably have a decent idea about the format. The animation ranges from adequate to excellent, the characters are pretty memorable (despite the staggering size of the cast), and overall it's very well done, taking the genre into consideration. It's not the greatest thing since sliced bread (or FMA, for that matter), and it's not exactly profound. But it [i]is[/i] more fun to watch than most series of its type, at least for the first 60 episodes or so. ~Dagger~

I just dropped in to note a couple of things... first of all, I read [B]La Esperanca[/B] volume 2 yesterday. It's still not very BL-ish--in fact, it lacks the tension (sexual and otherwise) of the previous volume, but there's a great two-part side story at the end, so I don't feel cheated. The artwork is as gorgeous as ever, and I stand by my assertion that the series is the equivalent of Maria-sama ga Miteru, but with males. Other stuff I've been reading lately includes [b]July 1999, Shanghai[/b] by Mizushiro Setona (highly recommended) and [b]Antique Bakery[/b] volume 3 (more Ono antics!). I ordered [b]Sound of My Voice[/b] (Boku no Koe) last week, but it probably won't ship until May. Secondly, I received [B]The Lonely Ring Finger[/B] in the mail today and have started reading it casually. It's very, very far from being high literature--in fact, I would be downright embarrassed to be caught reading it in public, and not just because there are boys surrounded by shoujo flowers on the cover. However, the translation is competent, at least in the early chapters, and it succeeds in being a nice, fluffy diversion. At the very least, it reads less like bad fanfiction than novels adapted from anime, and that's a plus. But it's still no Boogiepop and Others. Last of all, I placed an order for Eiki Eiki's [b]The Art of Loving[/b]... which is technically supposed to be out by in a couple of weeks. Given DMP's terrible online distribution, though, who knows when I'll actually get it. If anyone here is familiar with the title (formerly Renai Koufukuron), could you comment on it? I bought it on blind faith, based on the manga-ka. In any case, [b]Il Gatto Sul G[/b] volume 1 ought to be coming out around the same time. Keep an eye out for it! [quote name='Shinjitsu][color=dodgerblue']I've just recently become acquainted with Gravitation and omg, it's like... my one true love!!! Lol, I really really love it. Yuki/Shuichi = OTP ^_^[/color][/quote] I'm glad you're enjoying it. For me it's more like Maki Murakami + insane comedy = OTP, but there are many reasons to have fun with Gravitation. :catgirl: ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Sandy] So it's [I]not[/I] completely "bogus". If 1000 people out of 10.000 admit they're gay, it's only logical that 10% of the whole population is gay.[/QUOTE] Not to put words in anyone's mouth, but I believe what Azure's saying is that this doesn't necessarily reflect the [i]real[/i] percentage. 10% of people in the sample may say that they're gay, but there could be others--a few, or many--who don't admit to it, thus skewing the results. Worse, a higher proportion may admit to it in some cultures than in others, so the location of the study could also have a large effect on the outcome. Or, younger people may admit to it in higher numbers than older people (or vice versa), and so on. I don't think that the two of you fundamentally disagree, since you also used the word "admit." I don't feel that the scientific studies which produce these percentages are totally bogus, heh, but I agree that one needs to approach them with a certain level of skepticism. ~Dagger~

By "human transmutation," I believe they're referring specifically to attempts to create an entire human body or otherwise duplicate human life. What Kimbley does is almost the exact opposite, so I doubt that it counts. [quote name='Samurai Mix']Yes what she said. Did people download them ?Or is there a DVD I can buy?[/quote] You can buy the DVD [url=http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=ANSB-2005][u]here[/u][/url], but you need an R2 or region-free player, and it's not subtitled. Although subs aren't really necessary to enjoy them. ~Dagger~

:catgirl: Speaking of lyrics, there's an insanely detailed analysis of the final duel chorus that I can link you to when you finish the series. I still can't decide whether it's pure genius, or Ikuhara just wrote the lyrics when he was high. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Lunox][color=dimgray] James wrote in the previous post that no matter what size of population you have, about 10% will be homosexual. I'm wondering if this is applicable to the populations of the ancient world and past civilizations. All I know is that there are some past cultures that had sex between men as the norm, but has the 10% thing been constant?[/color][/QUOTE] First off: I adore your new banner & avatar. :love: Secondly, I don't think your question can ever be answered (unless we get a couple of genius statisticians to go back through time, and even then there'd be problems). But it's worth noting that going by what James said, cultural values or what's deemed societally acceptable shouldn't have an affect on the actual percentage. What they would affect is the number of people who come out to others or even understand that they're gay. I'm guessing that you have ancient Greece in mind when you refer to "past cultures"--but even if you don't, it's an interesting example to bring up, so I'm going to pounce on it anyway. It would be misleading for someone to state that ancient Greece (as well as samurai culture, as a previous poster mentioned) had sex between men as the norm, as that oversimplifies the issue. Physical relationships between older, experienced men and younger men were encouraged as being intellectually beneficial, but this was in large part because it was believed that women were so inferior that one couldn't possibly cultivate one's mind through a relationship with a female. However, it would be a little strange for a pair of lovers to stay together even after the younger one aged; marriage and procreation were as important there as anywhere else. So the true norm was bisexuality; they didn't have the same concepts of gayness and straightness as we do. That doesn't mean there weren't people who were 100% gay or lesbian, attracted solely to members of the same sex, but on the whole, the ancient Greeks had a much more fluid mindset in regards to sexuality. Getting off that tangent, I think that everyone referring to high school trends need to keep in mind that they [i]are[/i] talking about high school... a place where almost everyone is trying to prematurely define him/herself, and some people will start cutting and **** for attention. Is it so shocking that others might say that they're bi without really meaning it? Particularly females--it shouldn't come as a big surprise, when lesbianism is supposed to be so attractive to hetero guys. Unfortunately, this leads to viewpoints like the OP's. I guess I'll have to join everyone in just referring to my personal experiences, but even in the uber-liberal place where I live, the world isn't quite so friendly that people go around claiming to be gay just for the heck of it. Bisexuality might get called into question more easily (which is in itself unfortunate), but I've yet to meet someone who would attempt to fake being gay. ~Dagger~

I've been told that it's set after Legend of the Twilight. I also found the following mini-timeline, but I suspect that at least some of the stuff on it is spoiler-ish (for other .hack material, if not Roots), so I've spoiler tagged it... at least for the moment. [spoiler]2014: UdeDen 2015: CC Corp Fire 2016: The World R:2 2017: .hack//Roots and .hack//GU[/spoiler] [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6248][u]Here's[/u][/url] ANN's page for the show, and [url=http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/hack_roots/][u]here's[/u][/url] the Japanese site. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Diablo'] Let alone some kid trying to be king of the pirates.... (can't stand kid type fantasy stories either).[/quote] But he's 19! :animesmil I never could get into Naruto. And despite watching significant portions of both Trigun and Rurouni Kenshin (in Trigun's case I saw practically every episode, albeit not in perfect order), I wouldn't really count myself a fan of either show. I'd mention Kannazuki no Miko as well, but I seem to bring it up in almost every thread of this nature, so... ~Dagger~

[B]GoldScorpion78[/B], please pick just one signature image; I don't want to have to make the choice for you. Thanks. :) Speaking for myself, [b]silver_blade[/b], I wouldn't call Loveless shota (your definition of the word is also a bit off, heh). But this argument's been debated to death already, so I guess I'll just leave it at that. [QUOTE=EVA Unit 100] I admittedly haven't seen much of Utena outside of bits and pieces (I'm intending to start watching the series as a whole tonight, Dagger!), but it has some pretty heavy lesbian themes in it (moreso than in Evangelion).[/QUOTE] Woohoo! You're either going to love it or totally hate me for recommending it... :animesmil Warning: Long post ahead. And a quick note about terminology--I'm going to call shounen-ai/yaoi "BL" (boys' love) and shoujo-ai/yuri just plain "yuri." Both are terms that can cover everything from outright porn to stuff in which the characters don't even hold hands. That said... Someone who has started with [B]Gravitation[/B] might as well watch [b]Mirage of Blaze[/b] and [b]Descendants of Darkness[/b]. For a while, they (along with Gravitation) were the only significantly BL-ish anime out in America, and fans seemed to gravitate toward them as some kind of holy trinity. Pun intended; don't hit me. After that, move onto something far superior: [b]Loveless[/b], which also has yuri. However, be warned that if you're going to watch this, you [i]will[/i] end up needing to read the manga--it's one of those series. If you're desperate for more, try [b]Sukisho[/b]. Personally, I have a lot of problems with it (but at the very least, it's much better than Gakuen Heaven, the most recent anime to be adapted from a BL game). The truth is, though, if you're looking for BL, manga is the way to go. There are tons and tons of BL series about to start coming out over here (not to mention all the ones that are already being sold). Several BL-dedicated lines have been created by various companies, including Be Beautiful (mostly explicit), Blu (covers a range from fairly innocuous to much more explicit) and June (ditto). To learn more, I recommend checking out [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=44119&page=8&pp=15][u]this[/u][/url] Manga Workshop thread. Pick a random page, read backwards, start from the beginning, or just make a post asking for recommendations... it's up to you. Even if, as you say, you don't like it. ;) The situation is almost the opposite with yuri. You'd be hard-pressed to find any yuri manga over here (and compared to the number of BL series, there aren't all that many yuri titles in Japan, either). On the other hand, more and more yuri anime are being made nowadays. [b]Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito[/b] and [b]Kannazuki no Miko[/b] pretty much have to be mentioned--despite the fact that, frankly, I didn't care much for either of them. [b]Devil Lady[/b] is a lot better. For something more elegant and more based in subtext, go with both seasons of [b]Maria-sama ga Miteru[/b] (or [b]Oniisama E[/b], aka Brother, Dear Brother). As for newer shows, [b]Kashimashi ~ Girl Meets Girl[/b] is fairly well liked, but you have to work past the fact that the main character is a boy who gets permanently transformed into a girl (not a spoiler). And two highly anticipated yuri anime started airing in Japan a few days ago: [b]Simoun[/b] and [b]Strawberry Panic[/b]. The jury's still out on them, I suppose, but the former sure seems a heck of a lot better than the latter. For the moment, I stuck mainly to mentioning yuri/BL series in which the yuri/BL content is either an obvious focus or present in the form of a major canon relationship. ~Dagger~

I'll start off by saying that a) I'm not at all well-versed in the .hack franchise, and b) my Japanese comprehension is limited at best. But I figured that people would want to hear about this series, and I actually quite liked the first episode, much to my surprise. Boy, will it be embarrassing if it turns out that I failed to locate a pre-existing Roots thread... The main character of .hack//Roots is a new player called Haseo, who's voiced by Takahiro Sakurai. He's just starting to get a feel for The World, and he's also starting to get into some trouble here and there, thanks to the fact that this guy called Ovan has shown an interest in him. There's a surprisingly great scene in the second half of the episode during which a much more experienced female player threatens him, trying to find out the nature of his connection to Ovan. I also liked the part when [spoiler]the males with female avatars[/spoiler] attacked him. Anyway, the music is being done by Ali Project instead of Yuki Kajiura, but I thought it was decent enough. And, perhaps because Mashimo is just supervising instead of directing (according to ANN, at any rate) the visuals and direction style are somewhat different from what I'd anticipated. For me, that's a good thing, although the animation is solid rather than outstanding. I particularly enjoyed how comedy and dramatic tension were combined here and there, which helped keep things interesting. ~Dagger~

She's Etna from Disgaea, a video game (and now a brand new anime series). If you'd like to discuss the Disgaea TV show, please post [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=52797][u]here[/u][/url]. Thanks! :) Thread closed. ~Dagger~

I watched a few minutes of the first episode... but it didn't look nearly as well animated as the footage on the Disgaea promo DVD. Which was probably to be expected, but I still found it disappointing. Anyway, I might come back to this later, but as I'm not a fan of the original game, it doesn't hold much appeal for me. ~Dagger~

I suggest that you read [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=52251][u]this[/u][/url] recent thread. :catgirl: ~Dagger~

[quote name='the Samaruimist]finally full metal alchemist, did they [spoiler]find each other again?[/spoiler']I like to know all of the question. :animesigh[/quote] This question is answered in the movie. All things considered, FMA's final episode had a lot more closure and clarity than I'd expected... particularly after hearing so many complaints about it. ~Dagger~