Dagger

If you want to discuss CN schedule changes, please post in [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=646213#post646213][u]this[/u][/url] sticky thread. Also, try to keep in mind that OB places a strong emphasis on post quality; unless you start using proper punctuation and capitalization a little more liberally, some of your posts may be deleted as spam. Feel free to private message me or one of the other staff members if you have any questions. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Lunox][color=darkslateblue']Is anyone else excited about the FMA manga? :D Tons of people have told me that it's better than the anime because it gels slowly and has more character development/less plot holes. I'll be buying it when it comes out, anyway. [/color][/quote] Mm... I'll pick it up eventually. I'm really, really unhappy with Viz right now, though, so I can't say I'm too enthusiastic about any of their manga titles. However, what I've heard is that this is one of the rare cases in which the anime & manga are extremely different but both exceptionally good. While they do start off the same, I believe there's a certain point at which they're supposed to sharply diverge (in terms of plot). Of course, that's all second-hand information. ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards. If you would like to discuss anything related to Fruits Basket, please post in the show's official [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=648031#post648031][u]thread[/u][/url], which can also be found by browsing the Directory sticky topic. Moreover, be sure to keep in mind that OB has fairly high standards when it comes to post quality. Your posts don't have to be perfect, but in general it's important to try making them as clear and readable as possible; you can do this by using proper spelling, grammar and so forth. Anyway, you should feel free to private message me or one of the other staff members if you have additional questions. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

If you want to see a short video promo, just go [url=http://ppgcom.gooside.com/ppgz/ppgz_attack.html][u]here[/u][/url]. According to some of the Japanese fansites, they [i]are[/i] magical girls. Yay! Apparently the origin story is also somewhat different--which I'm more dubious about, but it's probably a wise decision for the Japanese writers to not totally imitate the original. The video quality of the clip isn't that good, but the animation looks great despite that. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Lady Katana][color=darkblue][b]Ghost! (aka Eerie Queerie!)[/b]- A nice shounen-ai series that I came across one day. It's what really broke my gums on the genre, which I've really fallen for, heh. I'm currently trying to get ahold of some other series like [b]Fake[/b] and [b] Descendants of Darkness[/b'].[/color][/quote] If you enjoyed Eerie Queerie, you totally need to take a look at [b]Hands Off![/b], also from Tokyopop. While it's closer to pure shoujo than shounen-ai, it covers similar themes and mixes comedy with drama really brilliantly. It's a fun series, but also manages to stay somewhat grounded in reality. Speaking of shounen-ai, I wouldn't say that [b]Gravitation[/b] is my favorite manga or anything, but I absolutely worship the ground that Maki Murakami (Gravitation's manga-ka) walks on. I'm normally a pretty humorless person, but her titles always make me hurt myself laughing. [b]Gamerz Heaven[/b] is just as hysterical and appealing as Gravitation, with wholly different themes and without any of Gravi's shounen-ai--which more or less cements her talent in my mind. :catgirl: At the moment, my favorite manga is probably [b]Death Note[/b]. The story is unbelievably good. The thought of Viz treating this as they've treated some of their other titles makes me want to cry, so I've started buying the Japanese tankoubon as a sort of insurance. I just love the artwork and the characters, especially L. *points to avatar* [b]Gunslinger Girl[/b] would be my second favorite. It's beautiful and haunting. And it's a big testimony to the strength of the characters & plot that I eagerly await each new volume, despite having already seen the anime (which is almost identical to the manga, in most parts). I wish ADV would try to put this out a little faster. [b]From Eroica with Love[/b] is also excellent. The artwork has a lean, old-fashioned delicacy to it, and I find the episodic stories delightful. The main character is so ridiculous and vain that one can't help but admire him; similarly, the antagonist is also likeable in his own militant, repressed sort of way. Naturally, the amusing shounen-ai innuendo and wacky "caper" stories are another positive factor. ~Dagger~

I just came across some additional screencaps, including (dare I say it?) what looks like a potential transformation sequence. It's really amusing how--at least in this case--American superheroes has translated over to the Japanese concept of magical girls. Not that I'm complaining. [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=23004&stc=1[/IMG] Note the Mojo Jojo close-up, the fact that the Professor now appears to be around the same age as the girls (let's just hope he's not a love interest!) and the simplified backgrounds (which, from what I can tell, are unusual for anime). If nothing else, I think the way the backgrounds are drawn indicates that they're going to keep some small part of the original series in mind when producing this new show. ~Dagger~

[spoiler]The latest episode would have been awesome no matter what, since it featured Tucker's debut as a chimera (I adore his whispery new voice). But naturally many other parts of the episode were excellent as well, from Ed's anguished debate with the two "suit of armor" brothers to Barry's hysterical method of giving Scar the slip. I particularly liked seeing Al and Scar have a civil conversation and even sort of work together; I thought that was really nice. Plus Greed (who is voiced by one of my favorite dub actors--I love how Funi has made a habit of borrowing ADV's best VAs!) also made an appearance, and he seems to be just my type. The pointed teeth were a nice touch.[/spoiler] I have a slightly unrelated question. On Saturday, I noticed that FMA was rated TV-14. Has this been true for prior episodes as well, or is it new? EDIT: To answer your question, Noside, I believe FMA is taking a break after episode 25 or episode 26. ~Dagger~

Feel free to post [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=14885&page=3&pp=15][u]here[/u][/url] if you'd like to discuss the series or movie(s). I don't think this title has been added to the Directory sticky yet, however. More importantly, please work on improving your post quality. Here at OtakuBoards, we place a strong emphasis on using proper spelling, punctuation, grammar and so forth. As your post is somewhat lacking in this regard, it would be a good idea for you to start making your writing a bit more clear & readable. Thanks in advance. If you have any questions, you're welcome to private message me or one of the other staff members. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

I found some screencaps at another forum (don't worry; I'm positive they're official), so I attached them to this post. Just be warned that the image is kind of big. Presumably most of the shots were grabbed from the opening sequence. I really want to see how the other villains will turn out, especially Him. ~Dagger~

Thanks for the summary; as I had missed last week's episode, I found reading it very helpful. I want to keep watching Zatch Bell, but the sheer sloppiness of the editing is driving me crazy. At this point I'm tempted to throw in the towel until ShoPro provides us with some information on the eventual DVD release. For me there's not much point in getting interested in a series unless the DVDs will be uncut. Although I'd like to assume the show will be available in some kind of uncensored form, I'm not feeling too optimistic at the moment. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Lunox][color=darkslateblue']More on the fight scenes...do you know any other anime that has similar fight scenes such as FMA? The moment I saw them, I wondered why other people haven't already thought of them. Whenever I'm drawing/making up animated scenes, the kind of fight scenes I make up are similar to FMA: fast, fluid, and sometimes with pretty cool angles.[/color][/quote] Right now Adult Swim is somewhere in the early twenties, in terms of episode number. Do the battles get a lot better later on in the series or something? While I think the extended action scenes are pretty well choreographed, and there have been some very impressive sequences, FMA indulges in still shots and motion lines a bit too often for my tastes. Samurai Champloo's fights, for example, contain a lot more actual movement. ~Dagger~

Which anime directors do you pay particular attention to, and why? Do you have a favorite director? What about least favorite? Does he or she display a distinctive & immediately recognizable style? I wouldn't say that I have a favorite director, although if I see certain names attached to anime which I feel otherwise ambivalent about, it does encourage me to give them a closer look. For example, I started watching uncut Sailor Moon almost solely because [b]Kunihiko Ikuhara[/b] (the man responsible for Revolutionary Girl Utena) directed some of the later seasons. And obviously [b]Hayao Miyazaki[/b] movies tend to have a powerful draw. Above all, I especially enjoyed seeing three very different [b]Hideaki Anno[/b] anime (Evangelion, Nadia and His & Her Circumstances) fairly close together. Though each has its own tone and they belong to separate genres, there were times when scenes from, say, His & Hers immediately made me think of Eva or Nadia, and vice versa. I can't wait to get my hands on the original Gunbuster. ~Dagger~

Tsubasa's website now features a streaming [url=http://www3.nhk.or.jp/anime/tsubasa/yokoku.html][u]trailer[/u][/url] for episode 1 (which is different from the promo I mentioned in my previous post). I don't like Sakura's voice at all, and Yuko's character design is depressingly simplistic--it appears as though it were sort of forced into the anime's style, and the way she looks really doesn't do justice to the Xxxholic manga's artwork. But other than that, I'm still pretty happy with what I've seen so far. ~Dagger~

[quote name='sakurachi24][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=2]uhm... hello this is my first post and all. well i was informed by a friend that there were only 12 episodes of Gravitation. i cant help but like that show. :animeswea heres my problem, i saw episode 13 the other day on the anime network and thats why im asking. :animesigh so how many episodes are there really? this topic stresses me out, :animeangr i really want to know what happens to shuiichi and yuki. the're so cute together.[/SIZE'] [/FONT][/quote] Gravitation consists of thirteen television episodes plus a two-episode OVA. The OVA is not a direct sequel, but rather a side story (while I'm not sure where it belongs on the TV show's timeline, it'd be best to watch it after finishing the series). If you really crave more material, you might also want to check out the hilarious manga. It gets off to a rough start, but the later volumes have stunning artwork, and Maki Murakami's humor is simply priceless. As of now the manga is twelve volumes long and technically incomplete. However, it was recently reported that Ms. Murakami has decided to return to the series after a very extended break, and will finally start putting out new chapters. So it looks like fans can hope that there will someday be a real ending. This all having been said, I think the TV series wraps up its part of the story satisfactorily. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Kaze][FONT=Times New Roman']Now that I've seen them with fingers, I can die satisfied. Wait no, I can't; they still DON'T HAVE NOSES OMG *explodes*[/FONT][/quote] Oh, they have noses alright (super-tiny button noses, which is to be expected, but you can see 'em if you squint). :catgirl: I love their weapons. It looks like a yo-yo for Blossom, a... uh, bubble wand for Bubbles, and Buttercup appears to be holding some kind of wacked-out croquet mallet. The costumes also rock. I suppose transformation sequences are a bit too much to ask for (this isn't exactly Sailor Moon), but that would be the coolest thing ever. I really hope the anime uses longer versions of the English opening and ending songs. From what I can tell, though, Mojo Jojo has the best character design of the bunch. ~Dagger~

On a related note, the second FMA DVD is supposed to come out pretty soon; I just received my copy from good old TRSI. The production booklet contains profiles of Hughes and Mustang, a brief note from the producer (Masahiko Minami), black-and-white lineart, background reference pictures, small character sketches (including Scar, Nina, Winry, Barry and a couple of random bystanders), screenshots, episode summaries and some really gorgeous artwork. People who are all caught up with the current episodes on Adult Swim don't need to worry about spoilers in the booklet, by the way. The DVD's cover art features Al. Anyway, I'm off to wallow in the glory of Barry the Chopper. [spoiler]Although after last Saturday's episode, it'll be kind of weird hearing his voice coming from a human body.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

[quote name='EVA Unit 100']Some good news: AoD confirmed that the director of Fullmetal Alchemist will be doing this project. Now the part of me that was scared this was going to suck is now scared of which girl will be turned into a chimera by Mojo Jojo and if the new Professor is a humunculi.[/quote] Thank heaven that AoD doesn't mess around with April Fool's shenanigans; the fact that this was posted there relatively unchallenged is more than enough to convince me. I believe Ojamajo Doremi was also mentioned (although I can't recall the context--I think Doremi's producer is working on the new Powerpuff Girls series or something). The awesome part of all this is that unlike Ojamajo Doremi, Powerpuff Girls Z won't run the risk of being snapped up by 4Kids. [quote]In semi-related news, I also read that the manga-ka behind Gravitation is working on a shonen-ai manga about Colin Creevy's obsession with Harry. Now I love Harry Potter, and like Gravitation, but that idea seems more than just a bit disturbing. Luckily that rumor is 99% likely to be an April Fool's Joke.[/QUOTE] Haha, yeah... although with her gift for comedy I honestly believe Maki Murakami could make anything entertaining. I mean, she is the woman who wrote a manga about some guy's fetish for his girlfriend's neck. As a certified Murakami whore, I'm now sort of sad that this probably isn't true. But she [i]is[/i] working on new chapters of Gravitation--which was revealed a good while ago, actually, so there's little chance that it's a joke. The series had been on hiatus so long that I sincerely thought it had gone the way of CLAMP's X/1999. @Tony: The Professor's design threw me off as well. Who does he think he is, Elvis? :animeswea ~Dagger~

Oh my god. This is seriously the best news I've seen all week--hell, make that all month. I haven't been so giddy since Fafner was licensed. These new character designs kick *** forward and backward; it's like Pretty Cure on crack! Thanks for the image, EVA! :animesmil I'll post some additional thoughts once I stop gibbering in excitement. ~Dagger~

[B]Bloodseeker[/B], I combined your two posts. In the future, please don't double-post. The same effect can be accomplished by deleting your last reply and then just submitting a new one. [B]marking time[/B] and [B]Havokio[/B], please edit in explanations for your choices. For example, someone who isn't familiar with Texhnolyze might have a hard time figuring out Ran's appeal. Although I have to say that she isn't my favorite Texhnolyze girl; that honor goes to Doc, who I thought had much more personality (plus she came across as being both seductive and mildly psychotic, which is always a nice combination). Shows with one great female character tend to have a [i]lot[/i] of other wonderful and attractive female characters--which makes it really hard to choose. This definitely applies to AIR TV (I regret not being able to show my appreciation for Kanna & Uraha, not to mention Minagi & Michiru) as well as Elfen Lied (I'm very happy someone nominated Lucy, but because I went for Nana, poor Mariko-chan got left out in the cold) and a host of other anime. The one character I really, really wish I had a fourth slot to nominate is Dianna Soriel from Turn A Gundam. Kihel is awesome as well, but I like Dianna a bit more (and in any case, the show gives her more screen-time). ~Dagger~

[quote name='Lore][font=trebuchet ms']Fan of the dash I may be, but I maintain that such a thing is humanly impossible. Thank goodness.[/font][/quote] Hehe, yeah, that was a bit of an exaggeration. :catgirl: I do tend to over-use dashes in creative writing, though. Maybe because I'm predisposed to read really quickly, I find that they break up long sentences for me more clearly than commas or parentheses. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Godelsensei']And the Gentleman With Thistledown Hair is quite possibly one of my favourite fantasy characters of all time. He's so full of himself and unwilling to take advice or receive the opinions of any one, it's tear-jerking. He's the kind of character more books need: proud, pretty, and entirely fantastic.[/quote] You know who he really reminds me of? Howl from Howl's Moving Castle (who just happens to be my favorite character in what is possibly my favorite book ever). What's great about the GWTH is that he's even more shameless, over-the-top and narcissistic than the inimitable Howl. In fact, I think I got so attached to him that (don't read this until you finish the novel!) [spoiler]my disappointment at how he was taken out kind of tainted my feelings about the ending as a whole. I just think there would have been better (perhaps slightly more dignified and less hasty?) ways to off a character like the GWTH. That having been said, Stephen is a pretty cool guy, and I'm glad that it was he who defeated the GWTH, rather than Jonathan Strange or Mr. Norrell.[/spoiler] On the whole I ended up liking Mr. Norrell better than Jonathan Strange. Maybe I simply find it easier to identify with grumpy old curmudgeons. :animeswea ~Dagger~

[quote name='Bloodseeker']FF9's sucked pretty bad too. What was up with that completely random fight at the end? And he wasn't even hard![/quote] Haha, yeah. Much as I love the ending of FFIX, the final fight was [i]bizarre[/i]. [spoiler]I mean, one normally expects the last boss to have some kind of connection to the rest of the game, but in this case there wasn't any real link.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

I just had to edit a couple of posts here, so I'd like to say this before things get too out of hand... [b]Please use spoiler tags[/b]. If you don't know how, refer to [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=46199][u]this[/u][/url] thread. Ignoring warnings to start including spoiler tags in your posts [I]can[/I] take you one step closer to a ban. So if you don't understand what all of this is about, or if you still have questions, don't hesitate to private message me or one of the other staff members. Thanks. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Wayfarer][SIZE=1][COLOR=Blue]Yeah, I'd have to agree with some of these people when they say that all women in [U]all[/U] video games, anime, or manga (or at least most of them) are really cliched and steryotypical.[/COLOR'][/SIZE][/quote] I'm mildly surprised to see someone with a Rurouni Kenshin avatar make that statement. While Kenshin is not my favorite show, it features plenty of non-fanservice-y women, from Kaoru to Megumi to Misao. Though some of them possess the traits of certain stock character types, they don't fit the description in your post (which immediately brings to mind Faye Valentine, haha). Saying that this applies to "all" anime/manga or even to "most of them" is simply not true, as I mentioned in my original post. It'd be silly for me to start naming anime that can't rightfully be construed as sexist, because there are far too many of them out there. After all, people aren't really going to take notice of shows that don't seem to be sexist--they'll only notice so-called sexism when it's actually present, which is what makes it seem so prevalent. Does that make any sense? ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, ReikaiRose. If you have any additional questions about Samurai Deeper Kyo, you should post them in the official SDK thread (which can be found by checking the "Directory" sticky located toward the top of this forum). x kakashi x, please bear in mind that this is a discussion-oriented message board. Replies such as the one you made above should be saved for PMs (private messages; click the button at the upper left hand corner of your screen to use our PM system). We do place a fairly strong emphasis on post quality, which not only entails using proper grammar and so forth, but also saying something of substance (which may take two lines or two paragraphs--content is more important than length, so long as what you've written is clear & readable). Thanks in advance for keeping this in mind. Thread closed. ~Dagger~