Dagger

[quote name='Bloodseeker']It sounds like Jumangi meets a lugi board. Eh... at least it sounds better than Yu-Gay-Oh![/quote] I think the key difference between Hikaru no Go and, say, Yu-Gi-Oh is that Hikaru no Go is basically rooted in reality. The plotline has nothing to do with saving the world or monsters or whatnot. Part of what makes people object to YGO, in my experience, is that it turns a card game into a matter of life and death. That's not at all the case in HikaGo--pride and status and money are usually what's on the line. It does exaggerate some things for the sake of drama, but for the most part it's pretty down-to-earth (Sai is pretty much the only supernatural element in the story). ~Dagger~

I don't play Go yet, but I'd love to learn it properly. And I just found out that one of my close friends actually owns a Go board, which is pretty awesome. :catgirl: Last night, I finished the [spoiler]pro exam[/spoiler] arc (I believe that took me up to episode 45 or 46). Personally, I was quite surprised at some of the results. Granted, I figured that [spoiler]either Waya or Isumi would have to fail, but I had thought Isumi would be the one to pass. Although I like Waya a lot, Isumi's situation had much more desperation and pathos than his. I started to become worried as soon as Isumi beat Ochi, because after that the focus seemed to shift over to Waya (which, from my perspective, was a bad sign). I really, really hope that Isumi will continue to play some kind of role in the show--unlike, say, Mitani, Tsutsui or Kaga. Kaga has got to be one of the most woefully underused characters ever; I love the weird dynamic he had with Tsutsui.[/spoiler] Honestly, that's probably my one big complaint with the show--due to the way the plot progresses, some of the coolest characters are simply forced to drop off the radar. Speaking of which, Akira is [i]by far[/i] my favorite character in Hikaru no Go, followed by Sai and (of course) Hikaru. I almost have trouble explaining why, but Akira outshines everyone else--although that is, admittedly, more or less the way the script sets things up. I must confess that I tend to like seeing Sai play more than seeing Hikaru play--he just gives off this amazing aura of invincibility. Perhaps that's why I've found the Internet Go arc to be the most exciting part of the series so far. In reference to the [spoiler]pro exam,[/spoiler] I started to get the sense that they were going out far of their way to make Ochi incredibly unlikeable. I suppose that was sort of necessary for the purposes of the storyline, though. It's really neat how the artwork subtly changes over the course of the anime. It's sort of jarring to see flashbacks to the early episodes, because Hikaru and co. look so much younger (which, of course, makes sense). On that note, I've got to say that I get a big kick out of HikaGo/Death Note crossovers. Who wouldn't want to see Light lose to Sai in Go, or Sai & Ryuk trade stories about their human companions? It'd be hilarious to watch Akira try to politely deal with L's eccentricities. And so on and so forth. ~Dagger~

You might want to add links to the ongoing matches. We haven't had an event like this in recent memory, so I'm glad that you appear to have things organized & under control. Since more than two matches a week would start to flood the first page of the AL, I think you should stick to your current pace. As long as all of the versus threads stay relatively clean and free of spam, just like any other type of thread (thanks for setting a good example, by the way), I don't see a problem with it. ~Dagger~

Yeah... this is going nowhere fast. [b]PikaSurf[/b], please keep in mind that we usually ask a bit more from those starting a thread, even if it's just a poll. For example, it would have been nice if you at least mentioned your own favorite character. Similarly, it's important that you try to make your writing clear and readable--which generally entails using correct grammar, punctuation, etc. to the best of your ability. Now that I think about it, we haven't had a thread for the Yu-Gi-Oh TV series since the Yu-Gi-Oh sub-forum was closed. So you should feel free to create an all-encompassing Yu-Gi-Oh topic--just remember what I said in the paragraph above. Thanks. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Dubtitles are the bane of many anime fans, and with good reason. Moreover, a dub script [i]must[/i] be slightly re-written to flow nicely and sound natural. Therefore, it makes sense that the sub & dub scripts of pretty much any well-done series are inevitably going to vary. As I don't own Hellsing, I can't really comment on the quality of its subbing, but I would be surprised if Geneon (Pioneer at the time, I suppose) actually subbed in dialogue that wasn't there. You mentioned that you were watching it subtitled in English--there's a strong possibility that she actually did say (or think) the prayer in the Japanese version, regardless of whether or not her mouth was moving. Check it out. Anyway... [b]TwoMoons[/b], what do you want to be the primary focus of this thread? Dubs, or "anime dreams" in general? I'd like to tweak the title accordingly, to avoid confusion. ~Dagger~

A note to all--you can vote without posting. In fact, please don't post just for the sake of announcing who you voted for. Explaining your reasoning is, of course, quite welcome. Legato doesn't need any help from me, so I voted for Kuroro. He's right up there with the best of them, in terms of being calm and devious, but he just doesn't get enough recognition. I would have gone for Seishirou, but his evilness is a bit less... methodical. I feel like I've got to award Kuroro points for being incredibly organized. EDIT: Legato is losing to Vicious? Now that's just not cool. Hmm, maybe I should have voted for him after all. :animestun ~Dagger~

Er... :animestun Fanfiction belongs [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=87][u]here[/u][/url], in the forum called OB Anthology. Please keep in mind that your thread title must include a rating, and that OtakuBoards has rather high standards when it comes to post quality. You should try to clean things up a little, particularly in terms of grammar and punctuation. It will probably help to take a look at our [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?][u]Rules[/u][/url] and [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/faq.php?][u]FAQ[/u][/url]. Anyway, feel free to private message me or one of the other moderators if you have any additional questions. Happy posting. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Kairi, I like the artwork in your avatar. What's it from? [b]Name:[/b] Uesugi Muryou [b]Age:[/b] 37 [b]Relation to Partner:[/b] He's one of the bandits. I'll edit in some more details later. [b]Fighting Style:[/b] Rarely aggressive, he seems to prefer letting his partner take charge. Unless his presence is particularly needed, he may even choose to abstain. Muryou often acts so relaxed and difficult to faze that he comes across as being rather vacant--but despite appearances, he's always planning ahead. He generally tries not to use weapons unless his opponent is clearly at or above a certain skill level, and he has a tendency to present himself with a sort of condescending humility--especially if the person he's dealing with appears to be younger and/or less experienced than himself. [b]Weaponry:[/b] When the occasion demands it, Muryou wields a naginata (a type of long, glaive-like weapon). At times he also uses throwing knives. [b]Skills:[/b] He has an extraordinary talent for stealth and can nearly always sneak up on someone unnoticed. He's also rather good at tracking things (animals, people, etc.) and reading lips.

I've been interested in Speed Grapher for a while, ever since the official website first went up. I was quite surprised when I saw the trailer, as I definitely hadn't expected it to be so gory/sexual (at first all I knew about it was that it was supposed to be some kind of "anime about photography"), but that's not necessarily a strike against the show. Hopefully I'll be able to watch the first episode sometime tonight or tomorrow. The artwork in general looks great, and that .gif you posted is just awesome. I've heard... er, interesting things about Takehito Koyasu's character, so I'm also looking forward to seeing what all of the fuss was about regarding him. Do you know how many episodes it's going to be? ~Dagger~

I just moved this thread from the Otaku Lounge, our general discussion forum; in the future, please post anime-related topics in the Anime Lounge. Additionally, it's helpful if you try to scan the first page or so of the forum to make sure there isn't already a current thread pertaining to the subject you want to discuss. For example, our most recent "favorites" thread is located [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=46315&page=2][u]here[/u][/url]. Feel free to post there if you would like to nominate or talk about your favorite anime. Thanks! I'm running a bit short on time, so I can't go into more detail at the moment. But if you have any questions, you're welcome to private message me or another staff member. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[quote name='TwoMoons']why would you be happy if FUNimation got it versus all of the other companies? :animestun[/quote] One thing first: If you're just replying to the post above you, you don't necessarily need to quote all of it. Usually it will be quite clear who you're referring to. Anyway, FUNimation is currently the most proactive anime company out there, in that they plan on actually trying to do something about the current market saturation rather than simply whining about it 24/7. Their recent releases (such as Fullmetal Alchemist & Spiral) have been Geneon-quality--albeit slightly cheaper, once you factor in steeper online discounts. Plus, I love their dubs. :animesmil But to sum it up, I'm confident that Funi would treat HikaGo well and would stick with the series from start to finish. ~Dagger~

Well, fans got confused as to whether he was female or not long before he started showing up in the dub version (which has only been for the past two episodes or so--this is the second time we've heard him speak at length). And he [i]does[/i] dress rather like a girl. So I wouldn't exactly blame that on his English voice actress. :animeswea Anyway, I was also hoping that [spoiler]Ed would commit mass murder.[/spoiler] Heh. I'm a little sadistic, I guess... ~Dagger~

Hikaru no Go proves that a good story can make anything exciting. It's structured like your typical Shounen Jump action title--except that instead of revolving around a young boy saving the world or slaying monsters or playing ridiculously unrealistic tennis, it takes place in a modern-day setting and revolves around the ancient Chinese board game called Go. The protagonist, Hikaru, stumbles across an old Go board and discovers that he is the only person who can see & converse with the ghost (Sai) who haunts it. While still alive, Sai was a master player; once he and Hikaru become acquainted, he begins using Hikaru (who starts off without any knowledge of the game) to play Go for him. This is easily one of the most addictive anime I've encountered--without intending to see more than one or two episodes a day, I ended up watching the first 40 episodes in less than a week. I could go on and on about how thrilling HikaGo is, but that would probably get sort of tedious. I will say that it manages to infuse the important matches with an incredible amount of emotion--pretty much every other episode has my heart pounding, and the only thing going on is a bunch of junior high school kids (and some adults) placing black and white stones on a wooden board. I'd buy the graphic novels, too, if they weren't edited. But that's a story for another thread. :animesigh The Hikaru no Go anime is currently unlicensed; I hope it gets picked up soon. I'd be particularly happy if FUNimation got it. ~Dagger~

Well, we don't know for sure if it will be happening or not. :animeswea But the fact that FUNimation seems to support the creation of a second season is definitely a positive sign. And to answer your question, I believe that the manga volume which covers the final arc of the anime has already been released by Tokyopop. ~Dagger~

There are several reasons that I've locked this topic. 1) We already have a recent "favorite anime" thread, which can be found [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=46315][u]here[/u][/url]. Though it follows a different format, it basically covers the same ground. 2) There are separate forums for anime and manga; as a matter of fact, a "favorite manga" [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=46500][u]thread[/u][/url] was recently started in the Manga Workshop. While some discussions will inevitably involve comparing the anime & manga versions of a certain series (or comparing anime and manga in general), we do try to keep threads about the two mediums separate. 3) As OB is a discussion-oriented forum and has fairly high standards when it comes to post quality, we do not outright forbid favorites threads, versus threads and so forth, but we do ask that those participating in them attempt to explain their choices. Things tend to degenerate quickly when members just post lists of names. I hope that helps a little. If you have any additional questions, please private message me or one of the other staff members. Thanks. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Blackjack][color=DarkGreen][size=1]It's spelt [i][b]Vicious, [/b][/i]people. I'm sorry to be like this but it annoys me that you list him as one of your favourite villains but then mix him up with a thick, gloopy liquid.[/size'][/color][/quote] Preach it, brother. :animesmil 1. [b]Johan Liebert[/b] from [b]Monster[/b]: The best anime antagonist of all time, hands down. I know that's a pretty sweeping statement, but Johan is diabolical to the extreme. I would kill to see him go head-to-head against Light (the main character of the manga Death Note, who is comparably evil & intelligent; if we could nominate manga characters for this, Light would totally be second on my list). 2. [b]Kuroro Lucifer[/b] from [b]Hunter x Hunter[/b]: Funnily enough, I know less about this guy than any of the other villains on my list. He's very mysterious, but I guess that's part of what keeps my interest. His calm attitude makes it impossible to know what he's really thinking, and he has the most interesting nen talent in the entire show. 3. [b]Seishirou Sakurazuka[/b] from [b]Tokyo Babylon[/b] and [b]X TV[/b]: Besides being appropriately sophisticated and polished, Seishirou is (again, in my opinion) easily one of CLAMP's most interesting characters. He and Subaru aren't exactly iconic characters on their own, but when you take their peculiar relationship as well as the other people involved (like Hokuto) into consideration, the dynamic created by Seishirou's presence starts to feel a little more special. 4. [b]Zoisite[/b] from [b]Sailor Moon[/b]: He made the first season worth watching. What I particularly like about him is that he manages to be both evil and deeply sympathetic, which is kind of rare in anime. Most evil characters become more sympathetic and/or well-developed by either seeing the error of their ways or showing that it isn't quite their fault that they've ended up going to the dark side. Zoisite, however, is bad to the bone. 5. [b]Akio Ohtori[/b] from [b]Revolutionary Girl Utena[/b]: I was actually kind of tempted to put down [spoiler]Anthy[/spoiler] instead, but that's debatable at best. ~Dagger~

On a related note, the definition of "feminism" in Japan is approximately equivalent to the English definition of "chivalry." Besides being supremely ironic, I think that this sort of helps put things into perspective. If you ever see a male (or female) anime/manga character declare himself to be a feminist, chances are that he [i]isn't[/i] a feminist, at least not in the American sense of the term. ~Dagger~

Fruits Basket fans, take note... According to those who attended the FUNimation panel at Sakuracon, Funi is actively trying to raise US support for a second season of Fruits Basket. Whether or not it will actually amount to anything remains to be seen; however, Funi's dedication to the show is pretty darn impressive, given that the conventional wisdom says it didn't do terribly well in the American market. Maybe the manga's incredible success has made the DVDs start to sell a little faster. Anyway, I think most of this is supposed to take place at conventions, where Funi representatives can talk to & interact with fans directly. I'm not much of a convention-goer myself, but I thought I'd let you all know. Though I have doubts about how a second season would function (plot-wise), I'd definitely snap it up in an instant if one was ever released. ~Dagger~

[b]iluvsasuke[/b], please attempt to bring up your post quality; so far, your posts have been treading dangerously close to being spam. At OB, we place a strong emphasis on using proper spelling and punctuation, which greatly aids the flow & fluency of any discussion. If you have any questions about this, feel free to private message me or one of the other staff members. Thanks. Anyway, there's no need to use "if" in regard to Naruto's dub. It's going to happen. Ideally, it will be good, but things don't always work out for the best. At the same time, I think it makes more sense to avoid judging it until you hear it for yourself. ~Dagger~

Let's try to give reasons for our choices, okay? That's my main stipulation for allowing tournament-type threads to take place. Lists of names aren't going to cut it, and may end up being deleted. [B]elflord9d[/B], I'd really appreciate it if you briefly explained why you picked those particular villains. ~Dagger~

So apparently there's going to be a live action Monster [url=http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=filmNews&storyID=2005-04-07T053322Z_01_N07660163_RTRIDST_0_FILM-FILM-MONSTER-DC.XML][u]movie[/u][/url]. Produced by New Line Cinema, no less. This almost certainly means that the manga (currently pseudo-licensed by Viz) and the anime (which is, as far as I know, unlicensed) will make it over to American shores in due time. Thoughts? One part of me is thrilled about this, but I'm also inclined to be uncharacteristically pessimistic. I mean, how does one cram a story which is supposed to span 78 episodes into the space of three or four hours (and that's being generous)? I'd have preferred a live action TV series... but no matter. I'll take what I can get. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Jahjahwarrior17']:animeswea I'm not obsessed with panties, I'm just really interested in knowing why...and what Dagger said was a real help... it is fanservice, but in a way, does that mean it's sexual...the "pantie shot" is directed at male fans[/quote] Have I mentioned that your banner & avatar are both incredibly awesome? Man, I can't wait to see the next volume of Get Backers. Speaking of which, here's another example of clear-cut fanservice--Hevn's entire character design. To answer your question, panty shots are intended to be sexual (at least the sort shown in Najica are, haha). ~Dagger~

Panty shots = male-oriented fanservice. All of the shows you listed in your previous posts (Najica, Love Hina Again, Mahoromatic, Da Capo, DearS) are, at least to a certain extent, fanservice anime. And all of them are aimed at pretty much the same audience demographic. In general, you can assume that panty shots are supposed to be somewhat titillating, although there are obvious exceptions (i.e. Kiki's Delivery Service). To echo what I said in the sexism thread: regardless of one's personal experience, it's simply a fact that panty-shot-swamped anime are in the minority. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=r2vq]It's apparently trend in Anime that the most attractive guys are the most effeminate. That's why a lot of a Bishounen/J-Rockers look like girls. I'm not sure why that's popular? Can anybody explain that? I was always partial to the quiet, friendly, powerful type. Like this guy. He's the best bishi ever. ^^ hey.. he's pretty effeminate too...[/QUOTE] Indeed he is. :animesmil I can't speak for everyone, obviously, but I'm a fan of androgyny. In real life, I tend to be drawn toward uber pretty-boys, and particularly in anime artwork I think that stylization toward femininity is a whole lot more attractive than the opposite. It just holds a strong aesthetic appeal that I very much prefer to the traditional masculine look (although that can work well too). This is especially true for 2-D art, i.e. manga & anime; I don't need flat drawings to be sexy in a very primal or earthy sense, but I do want them to be beautiful. And combining the loveliest qualities of feminine & masculine beauty means that you're getting the best of both worlds--which, of course, generally turns out better in art than in everyday life. Right now I'm really digging [b]Akira Touya[/b] from [b]Hikaru no Go[/b] (the most addictive shounen anime ever!). His rivalry with Hikaru is perhaps the main driving force for the show, and he's also a very charismatic, talented and admirable character. Plus I absolutely love his character design. Those eyes! ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=ladyarianrod]1. Kuroro/Quoll, Hunter x Hunter. He is the leader of the Spider gang, a ruthless band of powerful and inredibly cruel criminals. He believes in what he's doing and he seems to have no regrets for his violent lifestyle. 6. Hisoka, Hunter X Hunter. Another weirdo from this great series. Hisoka is bizarre and powerful. He isn't really on any side, but he sides with Kuroro's gang for a while. He is deceptive by nature.[/QUOTE] Good choices! I also love Hunter x Hunter's villains, particularly Kuroro. However, I don't know that I would call Hisoka a pure bad guy, per se; in my mind, he kind of exemplifies the "pseudo-evil" type of character one often finds in anime. In the later OVAs, he [spoiler]even plays on Gon's side in that volleyball game. And in the TV show's Celestial Tower arc, he ended up being the driving force behind Gon's improvement & determination--more like a straightforward rival than the usual shounen villain who must be defeated.[/spoiler] Basically, he gets in the way a lot, and he can be pretty ruthless, but I don't think he's a true antagonist on the same level as Kuroro & the Spiders. ~Dagger~