Dagger

[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_relativism][u]Moral relativism[/u][/url] can only be carried so far before it becomes completely ridiculous. I don't think I'm being close-minded by asserting that [i]I personally believe[/i] people should not have to die brutally for their sexual behavior--customs, traditions, time & place be damned. To me your post doesn't necessarily seem arrogant, contrary to what you said (although the argument you're advancing does in a way smack of condescension, as it suggests Iranian society is so far removed from and so utterly unlike ours that there's simply no moral/cultural common ground and we must therefore blindly accept things like this as being "different" rather than wrong); it just seems apathetic. Moreover, as James mentioned (and now I'm speaking in a broader sense), it's not like Iran has been an uber-repressed society for thousands and thousands of years. I just don't see how "Oh, it's their culture" works as an adequate excuse for either them doing it or for us not condemning it... one could just as easily categorize the situation in North Korea (closed country, brainwashing, laws & policies which cause countless people to suffer in countless ways) as some kind of cultural thing that we simply have to tolerate because we're oh-so-civilized and enlightened. ~Dagger~

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/hika.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE=1][B]Category:[/B] Hikaru no Go [B]Name:[/B] Hikaru[/SIZE] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/hika1.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE=1][B]Category: [/B] Hikaru no Go [B]Name:[/B] Hikaru[/SIZE] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/hika5.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE=1][B]Category:[/B] Hikaru no Go [B]Name:[/B] Hikaru[/size] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/hika7.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE=1][b]Category:[/b] Hikaru no Go [B]Name: [/B] Hikaru[/SIZE] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/hika10.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE=1][B]Category:[/B] Hikaru no Go [B]Name:[/B] Sai[/SIZE] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/hika3.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE=1][B]Category:[/B] Hikaru no Go [B]Name: [/B] Sai[/SIZE] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/hika6.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE=1][B]Category: [/B] Hikaru no Go [B]Name: [/B] Sai[/SIZE] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/redtetsu.jpg[/IMG] [size=1][b]Category:[/b] Peace Maker Kurogane [b]Name:[/b] Tetsu[/size] It just occurred to me that I've made more than enough HikaGo avatars for a new category, so... um, voila. I switched these over from the Orphanage thread. ~Dagger~

[quote name='maverickwarrior']I find Yu Yu Hakusho incredibly overrated... I don't really see what's so special about it :animeswea[/quote] It's just a very solid shounen action series. Unlike most anime in the genre, it follows the manga on which it's based very closely: the entire manga was animated, with no filler or serious deviations from the original storyline. This alone sets it apart from comparable anime, such as Naruto. The animation is also superb if one takes into consideration when the show originally aired. As in his other series (including the currently-running Bleach), director Noriyuki Abe skillfully balances comedy, action and drama with the occasional hint of romance. Yu Yu Hakusho is at its heart extremely formulaic, but it doesn't seem hollow, and it makes the best of its formula. It is by no means groundbreaking, and it's not terribly innovative--it's simply great, relaxing entertainment that doesn't totally insult the viewer's intelligence, and stuff like that can be surprisingly hard to find. That's why I like YYH, at any rate. ~Dagger~

There are some misconceptions floating around here, I think. Part of the problem lies with the terminology. Some American companies use "yaoi" as an umbrella term for everything from light BL to really uber explicit material; others market their manga as shounen-ai. It seems pretty random to me--from what I can tell, only DMP is consistent about it; they've done a good job of making their yaoi brand distinct and easily recognizable. Tokyopop's new Blu line might turn out to be something similar. Fans often try to distinguish between shounen-ai and yaoi, saying that yaoi is the gay subdivision of hentai and that shounen-ai is the stuff with, you know, characters & a story. Personally I feel that by now the terms have become hopelessly confused; some people will pounce on you if you use yaoi to mean anything other than a category of hentai, while others pretty much refuse to admit the fact that plenty of BL is indeed just a specialized form of hentai. Boys' love is the term used most commonly in Japan, and it functions better than yaoi as a sort of catch-all phrase. ~Dagger~

Volume 6 (episodes 19 through 21) was [i]intense[/i]. If the entire series had been like this, it might even have become one of my favorites. Some of the plot twists here were just incredibly cruel, from an emotional perspective, and the fact that the director didn't go way overboard in showing the characters' devastated reactions actually made it bother me more. While the plot device of having all the [spoiler]various siblings and pseudo-siblings forget each other (in Joshua's case, repeatedly) should have gotten old pretty fast, I found it to be surprisingly effective. Because Rosette didn't throw a huge tantrum or break down when Joshua completely turned his back on her--she demonstrated a great deal of restraint, as a matter of fact--I felt the sheer unfairness of the situation a lot more keenly. Same goes for how Satella responded to a hostile Fiore.[/spoiler] Of the three episodes on the disc, I enjoyed 21 the most. I had been very curious about that part of [spoiler]Chrono's past,[/spoiler] and I thought Hilary Haag did a brilliant job of voicing [spoiler]the other Mary Magdalene. At first I assumed this meant Rosette was her reincarnation, but that doesn't seem to be the case... maybe they're connected in some other way.[/spoiler] Anyway, her performance startled me. Her voice still had that same recognizable timbre, but the change in the delivery made a big difference. I'm definitely looking forward to volume 7. ~Dagger~

I wish you luck in your hunt, but OB isn't meant to serve as a substitute for a search engine. You might be better off trying other avenues while looking for this particular wallpaper. If you want to share your own art or discuss art in general, feel free to stop by the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=70][u]Studio[/u][/url], which is where that sort of thing normally goes. If you have any questions, feel free to private message me or one of the other staff members. Thanks. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1]Dagger, when you look at it in an objective light, and remove the fact that this is a brutal, horrific, and thoroughly undeserved punishment for something which deserves no punishment, then Gavin is correct. The boys could not have been unaware of the punishment meted out to those who were homosexual. There is [b]no way[/b'] that they could have failed to be aware of that. In our minds, does the punishment fit the 'crime'? Absolutely not. But, what we think doesn't matter. Just because somebody thinks they can fly, doesn't mean they can. The brutal reality of the situation, is that they knowingly broke the law, were caught, and punished according to the tenets of their system, no matter whether it is fair to our minds or not.[/size][/quote] I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around this. I wish I could formulate a better argument, but my reaction to what he said is a little more on the visceral side. The first thing I don't understand is why what we think doesn't matter. To me it seems like you and others are saying that we as outsiders cannot judge this situation as being wrong. Or, to put it differently, I feel as though if everyone throughout history had the type of attitude being presented here, no progress would have ever been made. The main sense I got from Gavin's post was "Well, it's an unfair law, but for their own sake they just shouldn't have done it in the first place." I submit that there are times when defying the law is the right thing to do. Gay sex may not seem to be as noble a cause as, say, the Underground Railroad, but loving who you want to love without getting killed for it is in my opinion just as valid a thing to fight for as women's suffrage and other inherently personal rights. That's why reducing it to a matter of breaking the law and being punished for it really rubs me the wrong way. It's not an incorrect way of looking at the situation, but to me it seems rather callous. Traditions & customs are all very well, but they can't be used to excuse everything. I feel that it's perfectly within my rights to look at their law, whatever it stems from, and say flat-out that I think it's morally abhorrent. ~Dagger~

Gavin, I think you may need to sit back for a moment and consider what you just wrote. From what I can tell, you are implying that they decided to break the law and that what happened was simply the inevitable and unfortunate consequence of what they did. This perspective on the issue sort of staggers me, frankly, so I'll just leave off here for the time being. I'm not really sure what else to say. ~Dagger~

Favorites threads are not forbidden here at OtakuBoards, but they tend to get closed rather quickly unless they meet a certain level of quality. We ask that instead of simply listing your choices, you also attempt to explain them. This helps the discussion keep moving, which is particularly important given that favorites threads seem to have a tendency to degenerate into spam. In general, we also place a strong emphasis on post quality. Using complete sentences is important, as is making your posts as clear and readable as possible. If you have any questions, feel free to private message me or one of the other staff members. Thanks. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[quote name='hidaboy']okay, I'm not defending 4kids but it the best non-cable households can get. One more thing i think someone should create an anime only channel. :cool:[/quote] Well, seeing how as 4Kids series are basically the [i]only[/i] anime that Americans who lack cable can get on television, I suppose they must also technically be the best. Still--and I know you said you weren't defending them--phrasing it like that is a bit misleading. :animeswea There is an anime-only cable/VoD channel, by the way (ADV's Anime Network). It's not available everywhere, though. ~Dagger~

I make way more avatars than I'll ever get around to using (probably), so here are a few of the already used and/or particularly lonely ones. [indent][size=1]Boo: The links expired. ):[/size][/indent] So... er, enjoy. That takes care of Death Note, Kaleido Star, Hikaru no Go, and Hunter x Hunter, I guess. EDIT: Moved the HikaGo avatars to the main submission thread. ~Dagger~

It's certainly very cute. I think the proportions of the leg nearest the viewer are slightly off; the femur seems a little short, that's all. Same goes for the upper portion of the arm nearest the viewer. But the awkwardness is pretty subtle, and on the whole this is a very nice piece. I love the general character design and the coloring is decent (you don't need to feel overly insecure about it, at any rate); plus, the costume is brilliant (awesome shoes!). Great work. :animesmil ~Dagger~

As far as I'm concerned it's not off-topic, seeing how well over half your post is devoted to 4Kids (the subject of this thread). I think there's room here for talking a bit about American companies in general (similar to how the "anime in America" thread, which covered more or less the same ground as this one, started to become something different: a debate about whether or not censorship is ever appropriate). Especially since the "OMG 4Kids, American companies suck" comments are all but inevitable. But if you really really want to switch this to PM, then I'll respect your request. Alternatively, I can split the thread. It's up to you. [quote]Took it exactly how long to be released over in american shores? Last I checked the series was released in the early 90s. We just recently saw Yu Yu start being released in 2002.[/quote] So basically you're blaming FUNimation [i]for when they licensed it[/i]? That really doesn't make very much sense. :animeswea [quote] Also if you've ever actually picked up a Yu Yu Hakusho dvd from funimation you'll notice the extras they provied are sub-par Textless openings and endings. Are nothing compared to the Japanese dvd releases. They actually give worthwhile commentary on their dvds such as audio commentary.[/quote] I own up to the end of the Dark Tournament & have the Chapter Black box set pre-ordered. You do realize that not all R2s are loaded with extras, right? Similarly, not all R1s are devoid of extras--although if that's your main beef, I don't understand why you're picking on FUNimation as opposed to, say, Geneon; Funi has put out extra-riffic DVDs before (see Fruits Basket), while Geneon pretty much always sticks to textless OPs/EDs and physical goodies like mini-pencilboards or figures. Not that I don't love them anyway. The point is, however, that one generally has to pay through the nose for R2 extras. I'll take a dub, subtitles and relatively dirt-cheap prices over some audio commentary which very well could end up getting ported over to R1-land, anyway. [quote]Remastered video and all the episodes of dbz comprised into one box set ranging around $250.00-$300.00.[/quote] Funny you should say that. CD Japan has it listed for 10,000 yen (about $900), and I know they don't mark up their products [i]that[/i] much. It also makes me question whether you actually own a copy of the Dragon Box you spend at least a paragraph praising. So again, this is a case of paying through the nose for the extras which you seem to hold in such high regard. There's nothing wrong with that (people are allowed to have personal preferences and so forth, maybe you enjoy spending money on R2s), but it's still no reason to bash R1s. I like extras well enough myself, and it's always nice to get a disc bursting with extras (such as Planetes or the final volume of Revolutionary Girl Utena or the first Yugo the Negotiator DVD--extra-heavy R1s do exist, you know!). But--and I'm sure we'll agree on this count--it's the content which ultimately matters most. [quote]No offense but I certainly hope you don't base your opinion on how good a company is based on how many aquisitions title wise they have.[/quote] Um, how did you reach this conclusion? I was arguing that it's unfair to attack American companies in general just because 4Kids sucks, since the amount of product put out by 4Kids is tiny compared to the amount of product put out by everyone else. What it boils down to is that the number of high-quality, fully uncut, bilingual R1 releases out there totally dwarfs the number of cut and/or dub-only releases. And there's no need to try and convince me that 4Kids is bad news; I'm not sure what in any of my posts led you to think otherwise, but I'm perfectly aware of the company's flaws. [quote]A.)Anime in america is considered a Business, they're out to cheat the consumers. That's why you have titles going for $30.00 with shoddy results.[/quote] This is what makes me have trouble taking you seriously. News flash... anime is a business in Japan, too! That's why bishoujo titles cost so much more than Shounen Jump anime--it's because companies know that lonely otaku are willing to really cough it up for their [i]moe[/i] fix. That's why the AIR movie is coming out in not one, but three over-priced versions. (Each of the two highest-priced ones has different, non-overlapping and almost equally appealing extras, so you have to buy both to get all of them. It's annoying as heck for the consumer, but it's a brilliant business decision). That's why Gainax willl never, ever tire of milking Evangelion for all it's worth (heard of Project ShitoXX?). I would argue that American companies are not out to cheat consumers, certainly not any more than Japanese companies are. And you still haven't elaborated on what makes R1s so shoddy, extras aside. If one ignores 4Kids (for editing & etc.) and FUNimation (because you have some kind of vendetta against them), then what's left? Are you a major videophile (i.e. does dot-crawl make you want to scream)? A dub-hater? Do you buy enough current R1 DVDs to be able to judge them fairly, or do you stick primarily to R2s? I'm simply trying to figure out where you're coming from, as I said in my earlier post. [quote]B.)You may not agree with my bashing of 4-kids animation and funimation. But I'm sure you're going to find a lot of people out there that agree with my beliefs. And in fact half the people in this topic agreed they dislike the way 4-kids is handling their products.[/quote] 4Kids suck. We were never in disagreement on that. I am going to say that it's completely unfair to lump together 4Kids (butchered shows, butchered releases) with FUNimation. Just about the only main complaint one can have about today's FUNimation, aside from your thing about extras (which is basically the price one pays for getting your anime with a dub and subtitles for far, far less than what the R2s cost), is video quality. But unless you're a huge videophile, I can promise you that you're not going to notice the difference. Video quality is the only thing which really sets them apart from, say, Geneon, which many people take to be the pinnacle of R1 excellence. Here's why you should stop referring to Funi and 4Kids in the same breath. Want Japanese extras? Awesome. Want to pay a lower price? Great. Guess what Funi is doing with their release of GONZO's Samurai 7? Yup, they're mirroring the R2s almost exactly. So for a lower disc count and significantly lower prices, the LEs will offer the same extras (including art booklets, individual artboxes for each DVD, a very long storyboard book for every single episode) as the R2s. Personally I think that's pretty cool, if perhaps a bit excessive. If you're looking for a company that gives you Japanese extras at R1 prices, right now FUNimation is probably your best bet. I do own some R2s. But I would never buy the R2s for a series which had been licensed by a reliable company (i.e. not 4Kids), because I find the majority of R1s to be just fine and dandy, at least for my purposes. Maybe you don't, and I'm not attempting to convince you to like R1s better--I just wish you wouldn't use such harsh words ("shoddy," for example) in reference to them, as I don't see much of a basis for your contempt. Again, I respectfully submit that one should not pass judgment on all R1 companies merely because 4Kids is the bane of many an anime fan's existence. Yes, 4Kids is not the company from whom one should want to buy one's DVDs, but there is much better stuff out there, and in sheer volume it honestly towers over what 4Kids is squeezing out. ~Dagger~

Please refer to [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=40687][u]this[/u][/url] thread. When starting a series-specific topic, you should try to provide us with a little information about the anime you have in mind, or at least offer your thoughts on the show in question. Doing that encourages discussion and helps keep up good post quality all around. If you have questions about this or anything else, feel free to private message me or one of the other moderators. Thanks. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Rick Hunter']...when Funimation drop the ball on various franchises like Dragon Ball and Yu Yu Hakusho.[/quote] Um, what's wrong with Funi's release of YYH? The episode count is far from stellar, but that aside the DVDs aren't significantly worse than those from other companies. [quote]This is why american companies should not be left with the handling of anime. They constantly drop the ball. Give me a region 2 dvd over the shoddy american products any day.[/QUOTE] Heh. You know what that reminds me of? There's a saying--nobody ruins anime like the Japanese. It's meant to be facetious, obviously, but when it comes to R1 releases it's completely true. Toei is a prime example of this; they entered the market with incredibly "shoddy" DVDs and are now putting their launch titles (Air Master & Slam Dunk) on hold for re-evaluation, thanks to deservedly low sales. Synch-Point, which I believe is the American division of some Japanese company, has done an unbelievably horrible job of putting out I'm Gonna Be an Angel. Does year-long breaks between discs sound like fun to you? Anyway. As for R2s, that's easier said than done, my friend. Yeah, they're are great--if you understand Japanese (or are willing to hunt down timed scripts, assuming any even exist) and have an R2 player or a DVD-capable laptop which you're willing to devote solely to R2s, not to mention a wallet the size of Mount Everest. R2J DVDs are just not a realistic option for most people. And speaking for myself, I like having the option to watch DVDs dubbed. With that out of the way, do enlighten me--how does 4Kids plus the distant past version of FUNimation lead you to the conclusion that American companies are "constantly drop[ping] the ball"? The number of anime acquired & released by 4Kids is quite frankly piddling compared to how much is aquired & released by better companies. FUNimation is now almost on par with Geneon, and even so their slate of series is comparatively small. I just don't see where you're coming from here. And your general reference to "shoddy American products" is at best rather insulting. ~Dagger~

I want more episodes of this show so desperately that it just may drive me crazy. If you haven't guessed, I finally managed to watch episodes 10 through 12. I still haven't seen the Prologue, though... what is that, an OVA episode or something? Despite the fact that the series just sort of stops, haha (the final episode title, "Endless," is both annoyingly cutesy and annoying in general--it gives me hope that they'll do a second season or an OVA sequel or whatever), I really absolutely adored the last three episodes. Episode 10 wrapped up Yamato & Kouya's storyline nicely (with a big [spoiler]shoujo-ai[/spoiler] payoff for the straight male fans out there). Episode 11 was sweet and hysterically funny. And as for episode 12, I don't even know where to start. It's patently obvious that they made it with a continuation in mind--if the existence of said continuation is contingent on DVD sales, I may have to end up having to contribute in some fashion. It's almost torturous; even with its faults, Loveless is by far the best BL series I've seen--and knowing how incredibly good it could become with an additional ten or twelve episodes is going to send me up the wall. Aside from the fact that it was the final episode, I loved what happened in 12. [spoiler]The revelation about Seimei's message, the dream sequence, the surrealism of it all--everything was executed so perfectly.[/spoiler] I have to confess that I fangirled like nobody's business during the ending scene. *takes a deep breath* Anyway, it was all very moving. And the artwork was stellar. And knowing that this may never be extended (well, apart from in the manga) will haunt me for months. Argh! ~Dagger~

[quote name='Lady Asphyxia][font=Arial Narrow][size=2]Keeping that in mind, and on the fact that I've never really seen anime, what shows would you recommend, and why? Are there any essential things that a person, like myself, should know before they step into the anime realm, or can it just be picked up as you go?[/size'][/font][/quote] Well... it's difficult to recommend anything without knowing what you like outside of anime (your preferences in books or live-action movies, for example). And I don't really fall into the camp of people who maintain that certain anime should be required viewing. I guess movies & short OVAs make a good starting point--anything by [b]Hayao Miyazaki[/b] will be at the least visually ravishing and at best pretty damn good all around. I would recommend Spirited Away and his older material over his most recent movie (Howl's Moving Castle), which I like for biased personal reasons (read: I am a whore for the book it was based on) despite the fact that it's not nearly as strong a film. [b]Makoto Shinkai[/b] is an up-and-coming director whose two main works (Voices of a Distant Star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days) have received a lot of praise. Voices of a Distant Star (Hoshi no Koe) is only half an hour long and was animated entirely by Shinkai himself, making it a stunning technical accomplishment in addition to a moving and tautly told love story. The DVD also includes an excellent animated short called She and Her Cat. Personally I didn't take nearly as well to Place Promised, but a lot of people seem to like it, and it's a gorgeous-looking movie. When it comes to series, you just sort of have to plunge in and see what interests you and what doesn't--trial and error, basically. I could throw out some names here and there, but I can't guarantee that you'll like them--whatever shows you watch at first are going to serve as more of a litmus test (for where your tastes lie) than anything else. Essential things you need to know... well, most importantly, [b]beware of hype[/b]. If you watch Neon Genesis Evangelion or Cowboy Bebop (or Fullmetal Alchemist, or whatever else people like to build up as the greatest series ever) and find yourself wondering what's the big deal, don't assume that it's all which anime has to offer. I hate to be the one saying this, but there will be cases in which watching the English dub of a show is just not the best choice to make. There is always the chance that it's not the series that's really irking you--it's the dub. There are tons of good dubs out there, of course, but the variability is something to keep in mind. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Blaklite]GOOD Dubs: Fullmetal Alchemist, Read or Die, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star(Unedited), FLCL, Samurai Champloo, Paranoia Agent, Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell:Standalone Complex, Akira, R.O.D. the TV, (plus more that i can't remember) BAD,HORRIBLE, GODAWFUL DUBS [color=red][i]//snip//[/i][/color] AND ANYTHING ELSE ON GODFORSAKEN AMERICAN TV[/QUOTE] There's something seriously wrong with this picture. Every single anime in your "good" list has aired on American television... :animeswea (In the future, please try not to go overboard with all-caps sentences and rows of angry smilies. People will get your point regardless, so you might as well be a little calmer about it, right? Also, as OB is a discussion-oriented forum, it'd be appreciated if, when in this type of thread, you explained your choices instead of simply offering big lists.) It is perhaps a little early to declare [b]Kodocha[/b] one of the best dubs I've ever heard (especially with the minor dialogue changes), but I was pretty much floored by the first volume. Given that most good dubs improve as they go along, I can only imagine how awesome the English language version of this series will become later on. Laura Bailey really nails Sana's manic energy without becoming too shrill or annoying. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Otaku America][COLOR=DarkGreen']That's the main reason I stopped watching Gantz. ADV is only putting 2 episodes per DVD.[/color][/quote]Due to excessive fan complaints, ADV has decided to bump up the episode count for later volumes of the series (of course, this also means that they're bumping up the price). So if you liked Gantz, you might want to start it up again eventually. Personally, I'm waiting for them to box-set-ify it. ~Dagger~

Every so often, Right Stuf (the online retailer that holds the license to His & Hers) offers this series as a cheap bundle, or else does a temporary price cut on the box set. It's gone as low as $30 to $35 in the past (versus a $130 MSRP), so if renting doesn't work out for you, you might want to keep an eye on their weekly specials or something. Of course, there's no telling how long it might be before another low-priced bundle pops up. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Retribution][SIZE=1']That's... Naruto? My god...[/SIZE][/quote]Like many others, I had thought he was Advent Children's Cloud (especially with that outfit, haha). Must be a doujin image or something. I greatly prefer it to Kishimoto's art style, at any rate. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Retribution][SIZE=1']They do things in anime that would cost millions to make into a movie, and it wouldn't be possible on 'regular' television with all the special effects.[/SIZE][/quote] Not to mention that one can find things in anime which would probably not fly elsewhere, regardless of how expensive or inexpensive they might be to produce. Take [b]Koi Kaze[/b], for instance--it's a slow-paced, thirteen-episode character study which revolves around a pair of estranged siblings (one an adult man, the other a fifteen-year-old girl) who find themselve grappling with incestuous emotions & desires. The series isn't for everyone, but it's nevertheless close to brilliant: non-judgmental, thoroughly unsensational in its approach to what is a very controversial subject, subtle, painfully realistic... animated or not, one would be hard-pressed to find something similar on American television. Even going beyond the controversy, there are types of stories in anime which could prove virtually impossible to locate anywhere else. That's another part of what attracts me to it. ~Dagger~

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but I don't think this thread is quite up to the standards we try to promote here at OtakuBoards. However, talking about attractive characters (or characters who are at least intended to be attractive, whatever) is hardly forbidden; it's how you go about it that counts. Post quality--proper grammar, proper spelling, general readability, and so forth--is of particular importance. With that said, if any of you have questions about OB's policies, please send a private message to me or one of the other staff members. Thanks. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

I don't think this lock demands much explanation. Therefore, thread closed. *flourish* (In the future, BasouKazuma, it might be best to just ignore topics which you know will be closed--saves you a little time and effort, no?) ~Dagger~

What a loaded question. I have to leave soon (to see Howl's Moving Castle again, which is actually rather relevant, haha), but I'll try to give a cursory answer. Basically it breaks down to 1) the art (rather, the fact that anime is animated), and 2) the stories, not necessarily in that order. It helps that I've always been a fantasy fan, particularly when it comes to reading--and that about five or six years ago, I pretty much ran out of fantasy books which seemed worthwhile. Which is not to imply that I don't watch realistic anime, too; I've always enjoyed animation, but I wasn't especially passionate about it until I stumbled into anime. My tastes in anime are, for whatever reason, a whole lot broader than my tastes in anything else. In many ways anime is my replacement for all the books I used to read as a kid--I still read frequently now, yet it's startlingly hard to find books I actually want to spend my time on. Anime isn't a genre... it's just a name for animation from a specific country, and animation is a medium. It's easy to explain why I like specific shows, but it's hard to explain why I like the medium; similarly, it's a little difficult to pinpoint why I like paintings in general, as opposed to simply those of Salvador Dali. I can't necessarily say "the characters" because I have in the past enjoyed series which made the characters take a backseat to the plot. I can't necessarily say "the stories" (even though I have, haha), because I have in the past enjoyed episodic or deliberately nonsensical series, or those which elevated the characters above all else. I've enjoyed five-minute long anime (She and Her Cat) and 112 episode long anime. On my shelves I have Gravitation next to Gungrave. Do you see where the difficulty lies? All I can really tell you is that whatever your preferences (and this is a general you), there is some anime out there which will appeal to you and/or won't totally disgust you, assuming you aren't turned off by the very fact that it's animated. ~Dagger~