Dagger

Official Blue Gender thread: [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=23104&page=9&pp=15][u]Here[/u][/url]. TV announcements & schedules thread: [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=695935#post695935][u]Here[/u][/url]. In the future, please remember to check for pre-existing topics before starting a new series-specific discussion. Thanks, and happy posting. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[quote name='duoikari']I'm disgusted in you, where is be boy comics and gust comics, disgraceful the only one that i think i have read are [/quote] They're not included because the OP was referring strictly to North American manga companies. Anyway, isn't Be x Boy a magazine/label, not an actual publishing company like Kodansha? I could be wrong, but that's the impression I was under. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Remadi']I think their plan for access to chapters online for $.25 each is interesting and I think it's a good idea.[/quote] It really is. And like you, I think they're spot-on in their assessment of American consumer culture. I don't know much about the manwha scene myself, but I'm definitely interested in exploring it more. It does seem as though a lot of fans still don't make any distinction between manga and manwha... I imagine that if anything could remedy that, it would be a large-scale effort like this one. (And props to them for including some BL titles in the mix.) ~Dagger~

I recently read a couple of yuri one-shots by Taishi Zaou & Eiki Eiki. I'd recommend them, except I guess this isn't really the thread for that. :animeswea I started [B]Komatta Toki ni wa Hoshi ni Kike[/B] not too long ago. And I actually like it quite a bit. But I can't tell whether it's ever going to become "real" BL. Even though my instincts are giving me a definite no, I want to hold out hope because the series is ridiculously long (25+ volumes). Maybe the relationship just develops really... uh, slowly...? Oh well. I'll keep reading it anyway. In terms of what I've been reading lately, something else that sticks out for me is Sakuragi Yaya's [b]Nee, Sensei[/b] one-shot. I can't remember whether I've mentioned this before, but as a general rule I'm not too fond of teacher/student (or student/teacher) stuff. For some reason one of the characters almost always ends up being super-uke-ized, even more so than in BL manga as a whole. I actually thought she handled it quite nicely, though. Right now I'm about to start in on the ninth volume of [b]Kusatta Kyoushi no Kouteishiki[/b]. I can't totally figure out how I feel about it. I mean, I made it this far, and to be truthful I like it quite a bit... but some aspects of the series just drive me batty. I hate Tooru with a firey passion. This isn't entirely fair, seeing how as his only crime is being boring and totally inferior to Masayoshi, but I still hate him. I pretty much detest Masami as well. Ironically, I was rooting for [spoiler]Masayoshi/Masami despite that and despite the whole incest factor, if only because Masayoshi's feelings for his brother are so compelling and poignant.[/spoiler] So, yeah. There's way too much crying, and the humor doesn't always hit the spot, but the characters do change and grow to a surprising extent. And Masayoshi's character design (well, more so in later volumes) reminds me eerily of Eroica's Klaus. I guess on the whole, the good outweighs the bad. Even though I want to bang my head on a keyboard every time I get to another Tooru/Masami arc. EDIT: Just had to add that [b]Tenohira no Seiza[/b] is awesome. Really awesome... going by what I've seen of it, at any rate. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Gavin][SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. In answer to the title question, I have to say having read some of the fangirl responses given by CloudsOnly that scary might be the more accurate description of my thoughts. I disagree with Dagger in that any "rabid" fan of any material might be described as a fanboy/girl, given my enjoyment of various forms of sci-fi I would loathe to think someone might describe me as a fanboy. I think that fanboy/girl does more correctly describe someone who may be obsessed with a certain anime rather than a certain material.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] Well, there does have to be some kind of specificity involved. "Fangirl" is commonly used to describe BL (read: yaoi) and/or slash fans, which is an incredibly broad category. However, that usage works because there's a sense of identity to it that might otherwise be supplied by tying the term to a specific franchise (as in, "Oh, God, not another Inuyasha fangirl!"). Most people think of something very distinct & clear when they think of BL fangirls. The same is not true of sci-fi. Now, if someone was a rabid fan of a particular sci-fi author or whatever, then I say s/he would qualify as a fangirl/boy. Although as I mentioned earlier, the person's attitude is what's most important. And I've just put way too much thought into this. But I wanted to clarify my position, as it were. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Gothic InuYasha']Utena! God that was horrible. I hate that show with a true passion. I hated the story, the animation sucked, and what was with that crappy music. Was that music?[/quote] What, you didn't dig the heavy metal choral thing? For shame! :animesmil Utena is a prime example of a "love or hate it" anime. I'm surprised this thread went for so long without it being mentioned (assuming I didn't skip over any earlier posts). But I guess that's due in part to the fact that Utena is so tragically under-exposed. ~Dagger~

Final results of the "True Naruto" poll: Manga - 44.44% Anime (Japanese) - 22.22% Anime (English Dubbed) - 33.33% We have another Naruto poll bouncing around now. As usual, I'll let that run for a little while before merging it, assuming it doesn't become ridiculously spammy. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Nomura']Dagg...I'm confused! Shounen's like boys fighting and stuff right? Gosh...Please fill me in![/quote] Shounen means anime/manga that target young males. It can be anything from romance (Love Hina & Chobits are shounen, for example) to your typical fighting stuff (e.g. Naruto) to super-cutesy fare (like Pita Ten), etc. You can usually determine whether an anime is shounen, shoujo or whatever by going back to the manga on which it's based. If the manga runs in a shounen magazine, then it follows that the anime is also shounen. Just to make things nice and confusing, though, there are cases in which the manga is one thing and the anime is another (like Princess Tutu). But that only really happens when they're released concurrently or in reverse, rather than having the anime actually be adapted from the manga. And anyway, Rozen Maiden has plenty of fighting. :p ~Dagger~

I don't see a problem with applying the word (or its male variation) to any type of rabid fan. A romantic obsession doesn't have to be part of the equation. Using the Fullmetal Alchemist example: there are Roy (a particular character) fangirls out there, and there are Roy/Ed (a particular relationship) fangirls, but there are also fans of the series in general who could be called fangirls... y'know, "FMA fangirls." Or a better example might be FFVII fanboys. Often it does have a lot to do with looks or sexual appeal or whatever, but that doesn't have to be the main element IMO. It's complicated by the fact that people sometimes call themselves fangirls as a sort of self-deprecating sign of pride (much like the term [i]otaku[/i], actually!). I'm leaving this thread here for now (OL mods, feel free to decide otherwise), since there are fangirls/fanboys of everything from video games to live-action TV series... although the OP was thinking primarily of anime. Enjoying or seeking out fanservice isn't really what makes someone a fanboy, even if he does it excessively. There has to be an element of defensiveness & aggression & single-mindedness to the person's attitude to make him/her a fangirl or fanboy. That's the way I see it, at least. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Nomura']Thanks for giving a pic, Dagg... It looks to me like I would actually like this Anime, even if it is less or more a Shojo anime... Can't wait for the Manga! :animesmil Have you got any samples of the manga yet?[/quote] Actually, Rozen Maiden is shounen. The manga is done by the duo called Peach-Pit (whose other work includes the manga version of DearS). Here's Tokyopop's [url=http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?propertycode=ROZ&categorycode=BMG][u]page[/u][/url] for the manga series, which is supposed to start coming out next year. There are some notable differences between the anime & manga... for example, in the manga, Sousei Seki is [spoiler]evil and apparently dead.[/spoiler] [quote name='DeathKnight][color=crimson']Am I a bad person for not particularly liking Kanaria thusfar? :animeswea[/color][/quote] Nah. Although I thought she was pretty cool in episode 7. [spoiler]I was shocked by the strength of her attacks; they reminded me of something you might see in Melody of Oblivion. Her weapon is pretty awesome too. I guess I wasn't expecting her to be at all competent.[/spoiler] Episodes 6 & 7 were excellent. Megu-chan is [i]so[/i] emo, haha. [spoiler]Suigintou's return[/spoiler] was handled very well, and I particularly enjoyed the [spoiler]dream conversation between her and Shinku.[/spoiler] Character development is really one of this show's strongest points, and that became especially apparent in these past two episodes. I'm also looking forward to finding out more about Father, since it seems like episode 8 will be about him. I was very surprised when he was revealed to be [spoiler]a young-looking bishounen kind of guy... I had expected him to be some kind of crazy old geezer.[/spoiler] Also, on the subject of episode 7: Holy crap, cuteness overload. [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24908&stc=1[/IMG] I swear my teeth started rotting. (Best moment was when Suisei Seki slapped Hina Ichigo awake, though.) ~Dagger~

[CENTER]Retribution - 6 Baron Samedi - 4 [/CENTER] Congratulations, [b]Retribution[/b]. You'll be moving on to the final round. ~Dagger~

[CENTER]Kitty - 6 Doc - 2 [/CENTER] Congratulations, [b]Kitty[/b]. You'll be moving on to the final round. ~Dagger~

The bottom version is too pale & monochromatic for my tastes. The top version is somewhat better, but still not very eye-catching. If his skin were white/lighter instead, it might be more appealing... I can't totally picture that, though, so I dunno. Something to introduce more contrast, I guess, and make him seem like the focal part rather than an element of a background intended to set off a foreground object that isn't actually there. Er, assuming that makes sense. As for the middle version, the coloration in the circled areas is distracting and looks like a mistake: [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24899&stc=1[/IMG] (Sorry, the image degraded when I saved it, but you can look at those areas on the original to have an idea of what I'm indicating.) The stroke effect around his outline is a little too blunt--it would have a more sophisticated effect if it were subtler or at least more spread out. Hope that helps. ~Dagger~

[url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=4463][u]Rozen Maiden[/u][/url] started airing in October 2004. [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=5087][u]Rozen Maiden: Träumend[/u][/url] started airing in October 2005. Here are some examples of what the doll character designs look like, to give you a feel for the show's art style. Character names are given in order from left to right. [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24897&stc=1[/IMG] [Shinku, Sousei Seki, Suisei Seki and Hina Ichigo] [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24898&stc=1[/IMG] [Hina Ichigo, Shinku and Kanaria] I can't claim that Rozen Maiden has the best visuals ever or anything like that; more often than not, the animation is just adequate. However, it does have a certain flair to it, and the character artwork, surreal dream backgrounds and so forth are quite well done. Some of the battles aren't bad, either. I just finished episode 5 of Träumend. It was another comedy-heavy episode, but I actually found it to be genuinely funny and entertaining, which surprised me. Especially given how much of it centered around Hina Ichigo. Something else that impressed me was how Suisei Seki and Jun's relationship was handled in episode 4. It's really, really sweet how she [spoiler]becomes all embarrassed about liking him. I loved her blushing throughout the episode as well as the reading scene at the end.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

[quote name='duoikari']MAIN CHARACTERS ARE NOT UKES...[/quote] Well, why not? I guess you're talking about main characters of regular anime/manga, as opposed to main characters of BL anime/manga (who are ukes, more often than not)... ~Dagger~

[quote name='sbsp13668][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]I've heard that Rumiko Takahashi has very good romance mangas like Ranma1/2 and Inuyasha (they're the most popular of her's). They have very good plots :animesmil .[/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote] Her best-loved romantic anime is probably [b]Maison Ikkoku[/b]. It's also a good sight more mature than either of the above-mentioned series, and it has a real ending... although it lacks gender-switching teenagers, time-travelers and demons. So your mileage might vary, I guess. ~Dagger~

[quote name='persocomblues']I second that, NGE is probably the worst series out there. I find fans typically enjoying it because their friends like it. The anime is horribly dated for first time viewing it now is almost impossible, they could have touched up the DVDs some more, they didn't.[/quote] Actually, they did. The recent re-release, Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum, is fully remastered. It features vastly improved video & audio quality, along with extra footage not included in the original version. Quite a few scenes were all but re-animated, and the annoying frame jitter was removed. The differences are blatantly obvious even to those who don't usually pay attention to how the video looks. It surprises me when people cite Eva's age as a strike against it or say that it's superior to comparable newer series in every regard but visuals. I watched Eva Platinum [i]after[/i] seeing RahXephon, and there were times when I found myself thinking that Eva was the better-looking series. Maybe it's just that something about the character designs made it hard for me to tell if/when they went off-model, although I'm usually very picky about that kind of thing. I dunno. [quote name='Sting']Neon Genesis Evangelion. I'm still watching this anime till this day because I'm trying to catch the story of it and I hear great things coming from other people, but Shinji (I think that's his name) is pissing me off to the point where I can't stand to watch another episode. Constant whining.... cowardice.... I cannot stand it.[/quote] Poor Shinji. He always gets such a bad rap. There was one point in the series (around the final quarter or so, I think) in which I felt that the way he expressed his insecurities was just becoming too repetitive. That didn't last too long, though. I shocked myself by absolutely loving the ending; admittedly it doesn't fit at all with how the rest of the show is done, but the final two episodes are daring & brilliant. I don't care if they arose from a budget shortage or Anno just going over the edge or what. I still find them meaningful. The last episode can practically stand on its own as a sketch of the human condition. But about Shinji... yeah, there are a lot of people who just don't like him. On a somewhat related note, I would venture to say that going into this show expecting hot-blooded, kick-*** mecha action with some Matrix-style philosophy in the quiet moments is a very bad idea. Shinji may not be as endearing as the typical happy-go-lucky shounen hero, and he may not be as easy to root for as a Gundam pilot or whatever. To me, though, he seemed real. There's a painful honesty in the way he's portrayed. Of course he's paralyzed by fear. Of course he complains about his situation. He's not some kind of hero. He's just a kid. ~Dagger~

Okay, this is going to seem like a pretty weird request coming from me, but bear with me. Approximately when--going by where we are in the English broadcast--is Gaara going to show up? Because I've just heard that he's going to be voiced by Liam O'Brien (Hideaki in His & Her Circumstances, Maniwa in Paranoia Agent, Mamiya in Utena, etc). If there's any dub voice actor who could inspire me to watch a series I have no interest in... well, it's Liam O'Brien. And lately I've been itching to hear him in another young role. So, yeah. Help... please? Heck, just tell me about episodes when Gaara gets to talk a lot. :animeswea ~Dagger~

[quote name='sakurasuka][SIZE=1']There are many steriotypes that apply to bisexual/homosexual men. 'Cutesy' and 'girlish' being two of them. They generally don't apply to most bisexual men, but they are steriotyped nonetheless.[/SIZE][/quote] Ah, I see. I didn't really take your statement as being a reference to men only. And speaking personally, I've noticed much more generalization about gay men (and women) than about bisexuals of either gender; I guess that's why it threw me for a loop... ~Dagger~

[quote name='sakurasuka][SIZE=1']He was obviously reffering to the fact that bisexuals are generally more 'cutesy' than heterosexuals...[/SIZE][/quote] But how is it a fact? I've never heard something like that before in my life, lol. I'm not trying to be PC here or anything--I'm just genuinely confused. From my perspective, it seems like a pretty random assertion to make. ~Dagger~

[b]Rozen Maiden[/b] (together with its sequel, [b]Rozen Maiden: Träumend[/b]) is a about seven Victorian-style dolls who walk, talk, drink copious amounts of tea and have magical powers that tend to be rather useful in battle. One by one, the dolls gather around Jun Sakurada, a sullen middle-schooler with a mild persecution complex and an addiction to buying informercial-type junk online. The big highlight of the first season (along with the development of his relationship with Shinku, the main doll) is how he works through his fears. I was actually quite surprised by how well the writers handled that, even though it was a little clumsy at times. Rozen Maiden features a somewhat kooky mixture of shrill, SD-heavy comedy and serious, surreal action/drama. Many of the best scenes in the first season take place inside various characters' dreams. There's an interesting mythology behind the show, although it hasn't been fully explained yet... the one doll who manages to defeat all the others is supposed to become Alice, the most perfect and beautiful girl imaginable. The Lewis Carroll parallels grow even more blatant in Träumend, when an eerie white rabbit character is introduced. My favorite doll is probably Shinku, but I also like Sousei Seki quite a bit (I thought the first season improved immensely when she was brought in). I find the constant bickering between Hina Ichigo and Suisei Seki irritating--and Hina Ichigo herself is barely tolerable. But despite a lot of those kinds of minor annoyances, there's something charming and mysteriously fascinating about Rozen Maiden. I'd like to see it get licensed. Tokyopop seems to think the manga will do extremely well, so hopefully the anime will follow it over here at some point or another. ~Dagger~

[quote name='EVA Unit 100']Better than the One Piece Japanese/manga version? Blashphemy! You die now! :devil:[/quote] You think that's blasphemy? How about if I say that I like Hunter x Hunter, Yu Yu Hakusho [i]and[/i] Bleach better than One Piece? :animesmil [Insert obligatory paragraph about the almighty pwnage of any shounen action series involving Yoshihiro Togashi and/or Noriyuki Abe.] ~Dagger~

[quote name='Sessh0umaru01']... anyways I want to watch some "hardcore" anime with a good plot/storyline and to get my adrenaline going. And could you recommend me another anime with beautiful music, interesting storyline, ummm... yeah thats it I think. Well anyways thanks in advanced :cool:[/quote] Not really sure what you mean by "hardcore," but whatever. [b]Lain[/b], which you listed with a couple of other anime in your most recent post, kind of seems like the odd man out. Unlike the other three, it's not a fighting-based series. It's extremely slow-paced, introspective and at times downright obtuse. I think it's enjoyable enough in its own way, but it's not the series you want to turn to if you're in search of the "Must see the next episode now!" kind of adrenaline rush. I'm not really in the mood to name a lot of series, so here are two that haven't been mentioned yet. If you want something that will get your adrenaline going (well, at least in certain scenes) and features beautiful music, an interesting storyline, etc., you could do a lot worse than [b]Escaflowne[/b] (the television series). [b]Hikaru no Go[/b] sounds pretty boring & sedate--it's a series about a difficult-to-learn and esoteric (in the Western hemisphere, at any rate) board game. Surprisingly, it's actually very thrilling and addictive, and you don't have to know a thing about Go to appreciate it. Honestly, I think Hikaru no Go is a lot more interesting than any of the Shounen Jump action-adventure anime. ~Dagger~

Minase Masara... that sounds familiar. I remember liking her artwork a lot. There's been some new DMP stuff floating around Amazon lately. It's not the most official source, but most licenses exposed by Amazon pan out in the end. At least in the case of Viz and such. [url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1569709009/102-9913801-8800134?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance][u]Dear Myself[/u][/url] [url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1569709025/102-9913801-8800134?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance][u]Hybrid Child[/u][/url] [url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1569708835/102-9913801-8800134?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance][u]Close the Last Door[/u][/url] [url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1569708819/102-9913801-8800134?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance][u]The Sky Over My Spectacles[/u][/url] EDIT: Forgot to note that I picked up Earthian v. 1 the other day. What a gorgeous release. The print quality is really nice, the faux dust jacket is pretty, and there's a lot more content than in most manga. It actually feels pretty substantial/heavy when you heft it, which is sort of gratifying. Much love for old-school Kouga Yun. ~Dagger~

Well, it's been a while, but the second volume is finally out. And it's amazing. The way the fairy-tale stuff was handled this time around really struck a nice chord with me personally. I also thought the anthropomorphic characters came across a lot better--the chihuahua's cameo was hilarious, for example, and so were the scenes with Mr. Cat and the female goat. Of course that could also be a case of me being better prepared and/or knowing what to expect. Remarkably, I find myself strongly liking all of the principle characters (Duck, Rue, Fakir and Mytho). It helps that the dub is extremely good and features a number of my preferred voice actors, but I think the strength of the script is a bigger factor. Admittedly, the series won me over completely the moment I heard Chris Patton speaking German, haha. There's so much going on under the surface in these episodes. I want to re-watch them, but I think I'll hold myself back till Christmas (which is somewhat closer to volume 3's release date). I can't remember the last time I was so upset to realize I had reached the end of a disc. ~Dagger~