Anime New Anime [Summer 2004]

[Dagger]

I have a lot to look forward to this season. [b]Samurai 7[/b] and [b]Samuari Champloo[/b] are both promising series, and a number of intriguing promos have just been released as well. If nothing else, I'll get to see a whole variety of artistic styles on display, some of them quite innovative and exciting. Below I've listed a couple of the shows that have caught my interest (either through trailers, promotional images or word-of-mouth).

[b]Kurau, Phantom Memory:[/b] While I think all studios have their flaws, I love almost every BONES anime I've seen (RahXephon, Scrapped Princess, Wolf's Rain, etc). Their track record is rather good, especially in terms of creating impeccably consistent artwork. Judging by its promo, Kurau will feature strong production values (one of BONES's biggest strengths), and the story sounds as though it could be pretty interesting.

[b]Maria-sama ga Miteru, Season 2:[/b] I went straight from hating Marimite to loving it, and now I can't wait for the next thirteen episodes. New characters, the Roses' graduation and a slightly older, even cuter-looking Yumi--it's all very thrilling. Between this show and Madlax, I should learn to stop ragging on otherwise good anime after only seeing one episode. ^_^;

[b]Gankutuou:[/b] Gankutuou is a science-fiction version of The Count of Monte Cristo. I'll admit, the whole concept struck me as being rather wonky until I saw the [i]amazing[/i] trailer. Artistically, the series takes anime in a totally different direction than most current shows, forgoing detailed cel-shading for flat but very striking and colorful character designs. If nothing else, it'll definitely be quite stylish.

[b]Soukyuu no Fafnir:[/b] I'm actually not all that enthusiastic about this series... the character designs were created by the same man who worked on Gundam SEED, s-CRY-ed and Infinite Ryvius, and it's almost painfully obvious. I guess people who like his work will want to see Soukyuu no Fafnir, but I wish he'd at least have attempted to make its characters look a [i]tiny[/i] bit different from those in other popular anime.

[b]Otogizoushi:[/b] From what I've heard, Otogizoushi's plot is somewhat similar to Mulan's. That in and of itself captured my attention, since I really enjoy stories about women who achieve great success in traditional male roles, especially those related to fighting or the military (Mulan, Joan of Arc, and so forth). For me personally, the artwork is also immensely appealing--very realistic and muted, but not to the point of seeming drab.

So, what anime are you anticipating? :)

~Dagger~

[Okita]

I saw the first 2 episode of Champloo and am very much hooked, the style of the show remind me of bebop in it's execution, it *feels* like bebop and that alone is enough to warrant a look, the fight scenes is very nicely choreographed and the character refreshing, Samurai 7 will either flop or become another instance hit, the name alone will garner attention as the movie is somewhat legendary, i do hope that it will live up to it's reputation, since a game base on the movie was recently release that was simply abysmal.

I have not heard of Otogizoushi before but you description sounds promsing, I'll be sure to check it out! thanks for the info!

ps: for azumanga daioh lover, check out Sensei no Ojikan, which is a clone but still fairly funny! the main character is the teacher who looks like a she's 10 years old! @_@

[Dagger]

I am such a bloody idiot. How could I possibly forget to mention Miyazaki's latest movie, Howl's Moving Castle? It's [I]only[/I] based on one of my favorite books of all time. :rolleyes: But all sarcasm aside, I can't wait to see this film. The title character looks fabulous, and the new two-minute trailer (which can be downloaded from the link below) has definitely heightened my excitement and expectations.

[URL=http://www.tzone.org/~llin/clips/Howl_Trailer_20040626.avi]http://www.tzone.org/~llin/clips/Howl_Trailer_20040626.avi[/URL]

Sensei no Ojikan is one of the few anime comedies which I actually enjoy. Admittedly, its non-serious frankness about homosexuality plays a big role in that (although Kitagawa's obsession with Mika-sensei tends to be more creepy than cute). Watching bizarrely frenetic series like Jubei-chan and Jubei-chan 2 increases my appreciation of Sensei no Ojikan and other relatively calm comedies.

~Dagger~

[r2vq]

As with Okita-san, I have also been hooked onto Samurai Champloo. It's a funny anime even if one of the main characters is a bastage...

I have also seen the promo and the beginning to Samurai 7. Though, it bores me and I have yet to see any real promise. But I promise to watch the first two episodes before deciding to discontinue.

Dagger-dono you give some really good descriptions. ;_; It makes me want to see.
And so, as always r2vq will follow Dagger-dono's recomendations. :) (except for Maria-sama... I don't plant on watching the first season)

---

So... assuming these are series, what about the new movies for this summer? One was already mentioned...

-ArV

[Okita]

[QUOTE=r2vq]

Dagger-dono you give some really good descriptions. ;_; It makes me want to see.
And so, as always r2vq will follow Dagger-dono's recomendations. :) (except for Maria-sama... I don't plant on watching the first season)

---

So... assuming these are series, what about the new movies for this summer? One was already mentioned...

-ArV[/QUOTE]

Firstly, Maria-sama is very Yuri and girly to the max, if you want a sugar fix, it's actually not that bad, however, i cannot recommnend in as I have the first season and didn't enjoy it at all.

Secondly be sure to check out the two big Shiro Masamune based movie coming out this year, Appleseed the movie and Ghost in the Shell 2: innocence, of the former all I've seen is a VERY nicely done intro (the show will be fully cg I am told).

I must also say that while GITS 2 is arguable bigger in name, I do not like it as much, it story is typical Mamoru Oshii, which is to say, deeply plot driven with alot of in character dialogue that makes little to no sense and introspective monologue enough to fill half the flick.

Also Makoto WILL NOT appear for most of movie. The saving grace will of course be the typical last 20 minute action feista like mosh other Oshii flick, and of course the stunning graphic

And finally YOU WILL CHECK OUT FINAL FANTASY ADVENT CHILDREN because it's simply that good (even if it's crap I'll still say it since I'm basically blind to any fault related to FFVII ;) )

[Balmon]

While I'm here, and since you all seem like intelligent Anime viewers - I will pose my problem to you. I've been killing myself trying to figure out the music at the end of Episode 17 of the Ghost in the Shell: StandAlone Complex episodes. The one where Aramaki goes to London to meet up with his ol' British chicky friend.

Can anyone help me out? It's the last song playing while he's in the car with Major discussing the difficulties of transporting wine through British customs.

Thanks a ton.

Phil

[COLOR=Navy]I would help you if I'd seen the series. :/ For now, I would suggest looking at the tracklistings of all the Stand Alone Complex OSTs. In the future, please try to avoid making totally off-topic posts.

~Dagger~[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

Judging by the first episode of [b]Kurau[/b], this anime may turn out to be just as great as I had hoped. It's actually much more futuristic and inventive than BONES's other science-fiction series--complete with flying cars, nifty computer displays and machinery that reminds me vaguely of the Boomers seen in Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040.

The animation is, as expected, quite beautiful, and while the artwork varies little from that of other BONES series, I'm more than satisfied with the character designs. Kurau also has some fantastic, highly evocative background music. Most importantly, I took an immediate liking to the title character and thought the episode was well-paced, well-directed and even a bit poignant. Hopefully Kurau will continue living up to its initial promise. ^_^

~Dagger~