Anime

marko2te

Look, Ma! Two Heads!
What are your favorite films, series, what did you watch recently which would you recommend, well anything about anime.

My top 10 films:

1. Akira http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094625/

2. Grave of Fireflies http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/

3. Neo Tokyo http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185481/

4. Kaze no tani no Naushika http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087544/

5. Metropolis http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293416/

6. Ghost in the Shell http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113568/

7. Paprika http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0851578/

8. Jin-Roh http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0193253/

9. Only Yesterday http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102587/

10. Mind Game http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452039/



Top 10 Series:

1. Cowboy Bebop http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy_bebop

2. Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_In_The_Shell:_Stand_Alone_Complex

3. Samurai champloo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai_champloo

4. FLCL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLCL

5. Fullmetal Alchemist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist

6. Mushishi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushishi

7. Haibane renmei http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haibane_renmei

8. Evangelion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genesis_Evangelion_(TV_series)

9. Elfen Lied http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elfen_Lied

10. Death Note http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Note
 
I found Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Metropolis having a bit too much of the anime clichés without executing them well enough to overcome them. I would put Spirited Away
(aka Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) above those. Steamboy definitely delivers on the technical artistry, but I think most people would find it not quite as emotionally engrossing film as it should have been.

But really quite a few of the anime features that make it out of Japan and have word of mouth are good. The landscape of anime series is however littered with crap. For example Witch Hunter
Robin
, Wolf's Rain, Trigun, and even Inuyasha each have moments that are on par with those found in Samurai Champloo or Cowboy Beebop, but because of slow plot progression, ridiculous character drama, bad dialogue, and/or annoying character design or voice work they cannot be considered sparkling examples of good anime series. Maybe if you edited two or three of their episodes into a single 23 minute episode (by expurgating all of the crap), you would sit back and watch and say that those are pretty good episodes.

Of those series that you haven't listed I would recommend Paranoia Agent, Ergo Proxy, and Big O (I think the best giant robot series in a quirky kind of way).
 
My favourite anime films:

Studio Ghibli:
ハウルの動く城 (Howl's Moving Castle)
千と千尋の神隠し (Spirited Away)
もののけ姫 (Princess Mononoke)
となりのトトロ (My Neighbour Totoro)
火垂るの墓 (Grave of the Fireflies)
天空の城ラピュタ (Castle in the Sky)

Other studio's:

アキラ (Akira)
メトロポリス (Metropolis)

Series:

Naruto
Bleach
Full Metal Alchemist
Trigun
Cowbow Bebop
 
Ergo Proxy is amazing.

Personally, I recommend the newest Hellsing release (OVAs they are called I think), which follow the mangas almost to the letter...

It's awesome.
 
Ergo Proxy put me to sleep, but Hellsing Ultimate is pretty bitchin'. I don't think I have many favorites, since anime boils down to "it sucks" or "it doesn't suck" for me.

I follow the Berserk manga, and wish that the anime would be redone. And fucking hell, Miura, stop it with the breaks already. Christ.
 
i would add "lain - serial experiment" to the series. nice and weird.

i have only watched naruto on and off (and for the love of god, i dont know why), and its just a series of extreme cliffhangers. i really like the "mini"series (as is: restricted to some 30 sequels). never heard of "ergo proxy", thanks. gits:sac has a strange fascination, i really like that distanced way of storytelling.
 
I'm not much of an Anime fan but I loved Cowboy Bebop when it ran on MTV and I wish the DVDs weren't so expensive around here. I certainly won't pay 20€ for one DVD with like 4 episodes.
Death Note is pretty cool, too, but it seems to me like they are trying to artificially build up suspense later in the series.
 
Favourite movies;
Akira
JIn roh
Memories(3 short films, all equally great)
Howls moving castle
Spirited away
Princes mononoke.

Favourite series:
Cowboy Bebop(way better than the films)
Hajimeno Ippo
 
I loathe Anime. I think it's a reason to drop a third, fourth, fifth and sixth atomic bomb on Japan.

However, while we're on the subject of animated goodness, there's a series made by (Korean/ half-Korean?) Peter Chung called Æon Flux. check it out. Don't bother mentioning the movie, it's absolute shit.

The series is not anime, thank God. It absolutely lacks the flattened-out dimensions, cliche characters, RAZOR SHARP FUR, slo-mo bullshit and exaggerated expressions.

I've seen a few of the big titles, wasn't all that impressed by Akira, GITS, Spirited Away nor Jin Roh. They're ok, but not much above that. There's something that just yells "tacky" in those things.

On the other hand, the Dragon Ball movie was pure gold.
 
Dragon Ball Z is the only anime I have an invested interest in. It's the only anime series I've seen that knows it's a cartoon and doesn't try to be the next leap forward in popular culture.


I could also say I'm interested in GITS, but the dry and superficial writing and numerous plot holes prevent me for enjoying the universe and themes as much as I would like to.
 
I'm with Wooz on this one, anime as a form of drawing, is shit. Animated series on the other hand.

The new Resident Evil was kind of hot, computer animated.
 
iridium_ionizer said:
I found Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Metropolis having a bit too much of the anime clichés without executing them well enough to overcome them. I would put Spirited Away
(aka Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) above those. Steamboy definitely delivers on the technical artistry, but I think most people would find it not quite as emotionally engrossing film as it should have been.


I love Spirited Away but didnt like the ending, it was too happy for my taste, i expected happy ending but still i felt disappointed.

Steamboy as you said was visually great but the plot and characters were a bit streched.

Recently i watched Tekkon Kinkreet and to me its visually the most impressive piece of animation,


Dragula, Wooz, there are lots of awful anime just like there are lost of awful tv series and movies but i recommend to try some anime that were mentioned here. Maybe for a start Cowboy Bebop a noir, space western, action, drama, thriller series without super powers, mechas or aliens.



Also not really a anime but did anyone watch The Triplets of Belleville http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286244/ a great french animated movie with almost no dialog.


[/url]
 
Cowboy Bebop.
Most Miyazaki films, especially Spirited Away.
Hikaru no Go if you like go.
Read or Die 3-parter is OK.
Ghost in the Shell is OK.
Some other stuff is passable I guess.

Aeon Flux is like bad anime mayonnaise left out too long.
 
Whee, an anime thread ^______^

You guys sure watch some old stuff =) I like most of the series/films you posted up here, except that I'm not that much of a Miyazaki fan (I prefer Mamoru Oshii's works), and I'm not at all into shounen (naruto, bleach etc).

Here's my 10-list

Series:

1. Gankutsuou (Count of Monte Christo +sci-fi... what?)
2. Ghost in the Shell 2nd GIG (soo much better than season 1)
3. Shigofumi (letters of the departed)
4. LastEXILE
5. Rurouni Kenshin Tsuyoku Hen OVA
6. Kurozuka (a nice new PA anime)
7. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (and any of the sequels - some of the best comedy you can get your hands on)
8. Full Metal Panic! (the only mecha anime I like)
9. Hakaba Kitarou (classic horror/comedy manga finally got a not-for-kids release)
10. Minami Ke - a hilarious comedy.

Films:

1. Place Promised in our Early Days (Beyond the Clouds, the Promised Place by Makoto Shinkai)
2. GiTS by Oshii
3. GiTS SAC Solid State Society
4. TekkonKinkreet (one of the most interesting anime movies, even though it was made by an american)
5. Dead Leaves (the most bizarre movie I've seen. And I mean BIZARRE)
6. Kara no Kyoukai (the Garden of Sinners) movies.
7. Sword of the Stranger
8. Sky Crawlers (haven't seen yet, have high expectations)

I recommend all and any anime on my lists.

-----------------------------------------------------

Comments: Ergo Proxy - not that great, the manga is supposedly much much better.
FMA - can't wait for season 2!
Steamboy - a huge letdown, way too childish for someone who made Akira, and not THAT great visually.
Only Yesterday - that was one super-boring and over-melodramatic movie.

I loathe Anime. I think it's a reason to drop a third, fourth, fifth and sixth atomic bomb on Japan.

...
The series is not anime, thank God. It absolutely lacks the flattened-out dimensions, cliche characters, RAZOR SHARP FUR, slo-mo bullshit and exaggerated expressions.

You, my man, need to chill. Just because you don't like the style doesn't mean that you need to spew that crap. It seems to me that you haven't seen that much of what I consider good anime (and I'm sorry that you didn't) to form generalized opinions like that. Don't get me started on how bad the American TV series andmovie industry is. Let's not turn this into a flame war.

Also not really a anime but did anyone watch The Triplets of Belleville http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286244/ a great french animated movie with almost no dialog.

Yeah, really off-topic >__< BUT, I actually saw some of it on the TV this summer and it looked very well-done and a lot of fun. Traditional Western animation, of course.
 
I was very partial to it when I was a kid, sometimes Ill catch a series if it peaks my interest.


Its easy to generalize anime when theres so much shit coming forth from it, but anime has had a huge influence on animation everwhere.Especially Miyazaki films. Osamu Tezuki(the grandfather of anime)himself has had a huge influence on even disney cartoons, with The Lion king being an all out ripoff as an example.

I thought Jin roh was phenominal, and some others that are good are mushi, cowboy bebop, paprika(especially paprika),, planet es, and monster. Another powerful anti war film is Grave of the fireflies.

Not all anime is bad, and while most of it is utter shit, its really just the mistake of looking too far into the mainstream ones. Think of it like watching a few episodes of Gi joe, then watching mulan and snow white, and then declaring that all american animation is shit.
 
That would be - "Berserk". The ending cought me off guard though .... Good shock value and the manga is just brutal. Hope they make another season of it.
 
I liked Dragonball and the Z era but after the Cell saga, they come up fighting a damned bubblegum devil...WTF. They discarded most of the support cast in favor of the Saiyans, they served no more purpose than a role of cannon fodder. Not that the characters were particularly deep but characters like Yamcha, Krillin and Piccolo have been with you since Goku was a kid, so one grew attached to them. They still became cannon fodder.

Rurouni Kenshin was fine. The music is very good and the anime is well drawn. The only problem is that Kenshin was invincible so the series suffered from monotony after a while: Kenshin comes up against powerful enemy...enemy beats Kenshin up...Kenshin starts talking and debilitates the enemy's mind...Kenshin kicks the enemy's ass. That was the series in a jiffy.

Saint Seiya is my favorite anime series. Promotes good moral values, is violent without becoming gory, the music score is beautiful and it touched a particular part of my mind when I was a kid. Suffers from monotony at times.
 
Back
Top