QuincyArcher

i really don't understand why it has to be a band or "you would die".... but i'll play along, also you say "boy band" but i absolutely refuse to make a boy band... so i'll just make a band in general. First off i would choose Harima (from his big bushy beard phase) from School Rumble as the Bassist, cuz he has a real tough guy look, but also a real soft side so he's perfect for the part. Next would be Naota from FLCL on lead guitar, frankly because [spoiler] a guitar comes out of his forehead, and he fought Haruko with the dual guitars when he absorbed Atomsk's powers[/spoiler] so he's born for that role. Next would be Chii from Chobits and i would put her on the Keyboard/Synthesizer, i dunno why really probably because she's a persocom so she'd have an edge with it. and at very least she'd look cute doing it anyway, she could also play the tambourine :animesmil. Then i would put Mugen from Samurai Champloo on the drums because i'd figure he'd be really good with keeping rhythm. If the song called for it, i would put Osaka from Azumanga Daioh on the Cowbell and i would just let her run wild with it. And lastly i would put Aoi from Ai Yori Aoshi as the vocalist because she has a great voice and on top of that she's a real hottie so she'd be a great figurehead for the band. I'd probably make the band sound either something like Stereolab or Enon. Something Poppy with a good mix of techno and rock.

Neither, i vote for Momiji :D ..... j/k Anyways, as i watched Fruits Basket i really didn't think of it as their relationships as becoming intimate really. Since Tohru lost her parents and her extended family didn't really show any affection for her (aside from her grandpa) i saw the Sohma family as becoming her new immediate family. So i really saw both Yuki and Kyo as becoming her new brothers in a sense. but maybe thats just me.

Ok... [B]Retribution[/B] I dunno if anyone else caught this, but your avatar and sig tell me that you're a Radiohead fan, like myself. The artwork from your sig and avatar is from the 'OK Computer' album if im not mistaken.

[B]Portland, Oregon:[/B] Born and raised here. I love this city and this is where i plan to live for the rest of my life. Portland is very culturally diverse and some parts of the city have a very Big City/Metropolitan feel while other parts have a very Small town/homely feel, and thats one of my favorite parts about it. Some other things i love about Portland is that it has a great concert scene, so if you're a fan of music, and i mean any genre, theres always a show that you can go to for a good time. [B]Seattle, Washington:[/B] Only been there a few times. Once visiting family when i was very young. and a couple times on a roadtrip with a few friends going to various concerts. its a decent city, but nothing all that exciting. Also my mom lives in Vancouver so i drive up to WA once or twice a month to visit with her there. [B]Boise, Idaho:[/B] Been there several times throughout grade school because my cousin's live out there and my mom would send me and my brother out there during the summer. Pretty boring, desolate place if you ask me. [B]San Francisco, California:[/B] My best friend attends College at USF so i drove down there once last year during spring break to hang out with him. Nice town, a lot like Portland in some ways, very easy to get around and great weather. [B]Tokyo, Japan:[/B] If i didn't love Portland so much i would probably end up living in Tokyo someway, somehow, someday. I love it there and have many family members out there. I love the culture, the people, the food. everything. Once i graduate from college i probably will spend a couple years out there and then come back to Portland. That's about all the places i've been, havent traveled very much in my time but im content with my life and my experiences so far. If anything i'd like to visit England and Germany at some point.

[QUOTE=Dagger] [b]Koi Kaze:[/b] You should probably take this recommendation with a grain of salt. Koi Kaze works best when approached as a character study rather than as a straightforward romance; it centers around an incestuous relationship. It's frustrating, profoundly disturbing and yet oddly rewarding to witness how the characters struggle with forbidden emotions. Koi Kaze treats its subject matter realistically and doesn't come off as being even the slightest bit sensationalistic. [/QUOTE] I'll really have to agree with dagger on this one, Pretty good show but it's not for everyone and you really have to go into it with an open mind. another romance series that i enjoyed would be [B]Ai Yori Aoshi[/B] which is about a girl from a fairly prestigious family who fell in love with a (i'd rather not spoil anything) fairly plain boy, and their relationship is forbidden by her family. and the series is about the two of them working to be together.

[B]1. Age[/B] Just turned 20 last week [B]2. Gender[/B] Male [B]3. Where are u from? (nationality, country)[/B] Born and raised in Portland, OR. My mom is native Japanese and my dad is from Georgia [B]4. How did u come across anime?[/B] Back when i was an infant my grandparents on my mom's side would periodically send me tapes of various animes that aired on japanese TV back in the mid-late 80s. been hooked ever since. [B]5. Do you think Anime influences u as a person? Explain[/B] Yes, i believe that anime has an effect on how i view various situations, opinions and events. It also has a large impact on my personality, like what i find funny and/or offensive and so on. [B]6. Research shows that anime is increasingly popular with the western world. Why do you think this is so?[/B] I have said this before and i'll say it again, the internet is probably the biggest cause for the rapid growth in popularity of anime in the western world. the fact that we're all here on this message board discussing anime is proof enough. [B]7. What attracts you to anime?[/B] Sometimes the art styles, sometimes the plotlines and sometimes recommendations from friends. [B]8. Is your interest in Anime, in any way related to an interest in Japan or to learn about Japenese society?[/B] Definately, i love learning about japanese culture. and anime is a great source of information and not to mention very entertaining at the same time. [B]9. Have you taken a Japanese language class or been to Japan?[/B] Currently attending my second year of japanese in college. Have been to japan on four separate occasions: once for the funeral of my grandfather, once for the funeral of my grandmother. and twice as a vacation to visit my relatives. [B]10. Have you learned anything about Japanese culture, and if so, give 3 specific examples?[/B] I'll state a few things about japanese culture that i noticed on my last trip to Tokyo last summer. [B]1.) [/B] The pornography industry in japan is HUGE! and its really not frowned upon like it is here in america. some of you may find this funny or maybe offensive but its true. almost every Department store, electronics store, hobby shop, book shop (and even sometimes grocery stores!!) that i visited in tokyo would have entire sections or even entire floors! dedicated to hentai and pornography, it blew me away!! and all of these shops had children frequenting their estanblishments (granted not in the porno sections) but the kids could freely go into those sections if they wanted to. [B]2.)[/B] Everything is much smaller and more compact in japan. everything from housing and buildings to streets and automobiles are much much smaller than in the states. The streets are much narrower and your typical car is much smaller in japan (i even saw someone driving down the road in a 1 person car, it looked like a cross between a mini-cooper and a go-kart). I stayed at my cousin's apartment in tokyo and though it was considered normal size in japan, it was laughable on american standards. my Apartment is easily twice the size it was. [B]3.)[/B] Things which are considered geeky/nerdy (for lack of a better word) in american culture, like video games, anime/manga, etc. are the backbone of the Japanese economy. Well, i hope that all helps your report. Good Luck!

Sounds like quite a tough situation indeed. not sure what advice i can give other than, just don't let it get to you. If people are being mean, either be mean back or just ignore it all together because once they know what they can do to push your buttons they wont stop. Trust me, at that age they'll eventually grow out of it and so will you. If you really wanna make friends just randomly throwing a party with some people you hardly know probably isnt the best idea. Try to find people with the same interests as you and just talk to them, thats always the best way to start out.

Beautiful people do not rule the world, Rich people and Politicians rule the world. Beautiful people control the media and pop culture.

I'd really like to suscribe to Newtype, but for a magazine it's way too rich for my blood. I wouldn't mind suscribing to a version without all the "free" junk that drives the price through the roof.

I consider myself a fairly hardcore gamer, i was born with controller in my hands, and i don't see anything wrong with casual gamers. If not for casual gamers then the gaming industry wouldn't be where it is today, they helped to drive the gaming industry into the mainstream which allows us to have a much wider selection, higher quality and much much cheaper access to games. You should be glad that there is such a thing as "Casual Gamers". And besides, thinking that you're somehow above casual gamers and wanting to "ban" them makes you an Elitist.

[QUOTE=Xander Harris] As for subtitled anime and TV, I must disagree with you. As someone else pointed out, immersion is the key to learning a language. If I get really serious about Japanese, I should be watching things w/o subtitles. When you watch with subtitles, you are trying to read and listen at the same time. This is one of the reasons our Spanish teacher was so vehemently opposed to subtitles. When you don't have them, you have no choice but to listen and absorb if you want to have any hope of comprehension. Just my 2 cents on that topic....[/QUOTE] Well i was speaking from my own experience, it really all depends on what learning styles suit you best. From my experience watching anime with subtitles has helped my japanese comprehension immensley. (In fact, watching with subtitles helped me to learn a majority of the Hiragana before my classes even got into that subject.) I believe that if you're just listening to or "absorbing" foreign words but you having nothing within your own comprehension to ties those words back to, it makes the learning process much harder. It's just like when you were learning your first language. you hear a word that you don't understand, you wont know the meaning of it right away. There needs to be some foundation to tie the meaning down.

Well if you do want to teach in japan you'll have to be fluent in japanese and nothing less, i hope you know that especially if you wish to teach a language in a foreign country. So learning second-hand wont suffice, if you are in college than take classes thats the best way to learn. I am currently taking my second year of japanese in college and i find watching subtitled anime as well as reading non-translated mangas to be a great study aid, not to mention entertaining. I say subtitled anime because it is much easier learn the japanese spoken word with the english translation when you're hearing it and reading it at the same time, rather than watching the anime raw.

If you're looking for a console RPG, any of the classics made by Sqauresoft would work like Chrono Trigger or FFV or FFVI for the Snes. Also any of the PS1 titles by square are good as well like FFVII, FFVIII or FFIX. But if you really want something with literally endless amounts of replay value, i would have to suggest an MMORPG. I personally play FFXI which is available on both PS2 and PC (that is if you're willing to pay the monthly fee.) and I just checked my current playtime on FFXI earlier today and (although its not something i should be particularly proud of) i've already put in over 25 days worth of play (thats right, over 600 hours of active playtime.) and im a fairly moderate player, my brother has put in well over 50 days of playtime. which says a lot for the game as well as the genre itself.

I'm really not sure what you're trying to get at or prove with this thread. But why do you care so much about it? If you like anime but don't consider yourself otaku, great! But with this thread are you trying to prove to us that you're not Otaku, or to yourself? I don't think you have to let anyone or some stupid quiz you found online tell you what you are, decide for yourself. Being Otaku is all just a state of mind, there is no solid definition of 'Otaku' nor are there any losses or benefits of being Otaku. and besides, the word 'Otaku' is just the japanese word for 'enthusiest' meaning you're passionate about something, but it apparently has a fairly different meaning in english. But personally i am very passionate about anime as well as japanese culture (partially because i am japanese by blood, american by nationality). And yes, i do consider myself Otaku.

I've been to a lot of shows, but i'd have to say the best show was Cursive, The Rapture and Mogwai all in the same show last summer. I had already seen Cursive a few times before and they never fail to disappoint. The Rapture completely blew me away with how awesome they are live. But Mogwai kinda sucked, Dont get me wrong, i love Mogwai, but the way they play live is the exact opposite of how they play on their albums, but it was all in all a stellar show. Something that was kinda funny though, was the bassist from Mogwai had on a shirt with the NERV logo on it from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

The Ursa Major level in Katamari Damacy, getting my katamari up to a decent size without rolling over a teddy bear or something was a pain. Also finding all the presents was pretty tough.

Hmmm this will be tough to decide, but heres my 10: 10. [B]Samurai Champloo[/B] - Although this series hasn't even finished airing in japan (last i checked they were on episode 24) it has very quickly become one of my favorite series. I'm not a fan of rap and/or hip-hop so i was a bit skeptical going into this series, but that doesn't seem to hinder it at all. This series has lots of great action, a great cast of characters and an excellent plotline. I highly recommend it. 9. [B]Azumanga Daioh[/B] - This is a very cute and extremely hilarious series, i was hooked right after the first episode. Although this series doesn't a very deep plot or any rich character developement like you'll find in other animes. It's probably the best series that you can pop in any episode for a quick laugh without feeling like you're missing something. All of the characters are very loveable and have their own unique personalities and quirks that will keep you coming back for more. 8. [B]FLCL[/B] - I actually had to force myself to get through the first episode of this mini-series just because it was so bizarre right from the get-go, but in the end im very glad i did. This is a great series with a very strange, twisting plot thats probably not for everybody. But if you're a fan of other series' by Gainax then you'll probably love it. This series also had a great soundtrack. 7. [B]Cowboy Bebop[/B] - This is probably one of the most well known and highly acclaimed series here on Otakuboards, and rightfully so. A perfect combination of Sci-fi and Spaghetti Western with some great Jazz-y themes. Intense action, great storylines and a very diverse set of characters. 6. [B]Elfen Lied[/B] - I have to thank Dagger for getting me curious enough to check this series out. Underneath all the gore and nudity this series is a gem that many people will overlook. It has a very deep, addicting plot that can be very intense but also very emotional at times. This series also had the best, most satisfying ending that i have seen in anime (but that doesn't necessarily mean its a happy ending.) 5. [B]Chobits[/B] - Another very cute series with a fairly interesting and unique plot and setting. If you like romance-comedies with a unique twist then Chobits is one of the best out there. But on top of that, i also think that Chobits is one of the best looking series' out there as well. Clamp did an excellent job animating this series and putting tons of detail into everything, each episode is literally filled with tons of eye candy. 4. [B]Last Exile[/B] - This series is easily one of the best just on style alone, everything from the design and mechanics of the ships to the almost dream-worldish setting. But to top it all of it has an excellent plot that just gets better with each episode, and some of the best character developement i've seen. 3. [B]Mahoromatic[/B] - This series has a little bit of everything. Action, Drama, Comedy and Romance and it all meshes together perfectly. and combine that with a great set of characters (Mahoro is still my favorite character in all of anime) and a very unique premise and the product is an anime worthy of my top 3. 2. [B]Fruits Basket[/B] - I have known about this series for years, but only got around to watching it about a month ago. This series is home to the best cast of characters out there. I found each character to be very charming and extremely likeable in their own way, Everyone has their own set of quirks to set them apart from the rest. This series also has an excellent storyline that can be very serious, emotional or even flat out hilarious when it wants to be. In fact, out of every anime, tv show and movie i've seen, episode 15 of this series in the only thing that has ever actually made me cry. And that says a lot for this series. 1. [B]Neon Genesis Evangelion[/B] - Over the years many series' have tried to copy, compete with, and even beat NGE. But none have ever come close. NGE is an incredible and unforgettable series with a real mind bender of a storyline with lots of underlying commentary about modern society. This series also has the best character developement out there. Neon Genesis is a must-see for any self respecting anime fan. period. Well there ya have it. My top 10, some other series worth honorable mention are: Ai Yori Aoshi, Love Hina, Koi Kaze, School Rumble, Ghost in the Shell, Noir and Tenjou Tenge. Unfortunately they werent quite good enough to make the top 10, but still worth seeing.

I'll have to name a couple as well. First (although she [I]really[/I] wasn't a villain) Sara from episodes 20 & 21 of Samurai Champloo was one of my favorites [spoiler] the blind woman with the amazing staff skills[/spoiler]. and if we're allowed to choose from manga's as well. I really liked Zaraki Kenpachi from Bleach [spoiler]after his fight with Ichigo, when they showed the details of his past and how he met Yachiru, he became one of my favorite "bad guys"[/spoiler]

I'm really not sure what you want to discuss with this thread, but if you're angry about the way that anime portrays women. then you're going to need a bit more evidence to back yourself up other than just listing the title 'Love Hina'. you said that they would [quote name='Synical'] have women with boobs bigger than thier heads wearing skimpy bikinis [/quote] but i can remember very few episodes where they would wear bikinis let alone for the entire episode. exactly which characters are you referring to? i guess Mutsumi had fairly large breats, but she also dressed very conservatively throughout the series and there were also characters in the series to provide contrast to the others. (hence Shinobu, Kaolla and Motoko). who did not have 'Breats bigger than their heads wearings skimpy bikinis' as you put it. Please, if you wish to start a discussion put a little more effort into your post and a bit more evidence to back up your claims.

If you see a swastica in any animes, they have nothing to do with WWII, the axis powers, or nazi germany. The Swastica symbol is actually an ancient japanese symbol for peace (if you go to any ancient temples in japan, which pre-date WWII by hundreds of years, you will see the Swastica symbol on many of the temples) it is merely Hitler and the Nazi regime that turned the swastica into a symbol of hate.

[quote name='Dagger']describing Elfen Lied this way is sort of misleading, because the show actually features wonderful characters and an emotionally moving story. If anything, it is one of the few super-violent anime that I would encourage people who strongly dislike blood & gore to at least consider watching. [/quote] I agree completely, i really dislike series' with over-the-top amounts of blood and gore (i really had to force myself to get through Akira all those years ago, but im glad i did because in the end i loved that movie) Although Elfen Lied contains excessive amounts of blood and gore, i don't believe that any of it could be considered 'mindless gore' like you would find in other series' . I think that all of the violence in this series serves a purpose and greatly helps to convey a message by the end of the series. Like dagger said, i would highly recommend this series even if you're not a fan of violence. But then again, if you don't have the stomach for it... don't eat anything before watching it :animeswea

I think i kinda resemble Keitarou from Love Hina but without glasses. Just a nerdy japanese guy struggling with college.

In my experience i've seem to have found it the complete oposite of what most people are saying in this thread. Throughout my school years and into college it seems like most fans of anime i come across are guys (like myself). In fact i met one of my best friends in High School because he was reading a manga before class and we started chatting about it. I have really yet to meet any girls in person that are into anime and really open about it. The few that i have met tend to be really shy about it and almost appear to be ashamed of their hobby in the open, while most guys that i have met are extremely open about it and embrance their hobby. Maybe it's just the area i grew up in but thats just the way its been for me.

Resident Evil 2 was probably one of the worst movies i have seen in my life. Though im not saying the first Resident Evil movie was fantastic either, but i do think that it was one of the movies made based on a video game series so far. But RE2 was just a complete no-brainer film with nothing but blazing guns and explosions, essentially it was a Steven Segal caliber flick... except with less of a plot (which may be hard to believe).

I saw this movie about two years ago and was unimpressed for the most part. everyone who recommended it to me said that it's like Resevoir Dogs or Sntach & Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. But it really falls short in comparrison to films like those. Although it did have some funny moments, the action was fairly uninspired and the ending was pretty stupid. also seeing Willam Defoe crossdress made me want to throw up. but getting back on the subject, i would have to agree that it is more of an underground cult film. it never really had much mainstream success.