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Post by Staulmaster on Feb 18, 2008 19:58:37 GMT -5
...where we sit down and watch animes. My friends asked me to stay one night, and I will admit I was skeptic, but I ended up enjoying them quite a bit. There are four shows we're currently watching, and instead of making four separate threads, I'll talk about them heaàre. If anyone else has seen or heard of these, I'd like to hear back from you.  ------------------------------------------------- Mobile Suit Gundam 00This is the newest series in the Gundam franchise. I haven't seen any others, but this one's kind of interesting. It's about a group called Celestial Being that consists of four people piloting four Gundams trying to eradicate war in the world by destroying military forces on both sides. I find the plot to be pretty convoluted, and I've missed quite a few episodes, so I have trouble following it, but as far as I've seen it's a solid anime with an interesting plot and characters. -------------------------------------------------- Lovely ComplexThis is my favourite. It's a comedy about a teenage girl who's way too tall for her age, and a boy who's way below the average height for teenage boys. The show usually consists of them bickering with each other while constantly trying to find dates, which is hard considering their height complexes (hence the title). It has a lot of quirky, anime-ish jokes, but a lot of them I found really funny. I like seeing how the two main characters (Risa and Otani) are constantly fighting, without realizing that they have plenty of things in common and that they're perfect for each other (of course, you know that at the end they'll end up with each other).  ------------------------------------------------- So long, Mr. DespairThis one's bizarre.  It's about an extremely pessimistic school teacher who's always taking every aspect of his life in a negative light and always trying to kill himself. Only to be saved every time by an extremely optimistic (though somewhat naive) schoolgirl. The art style is different from traditional anime shows, with a darker tint and colour scheme that reflects the dark humour of the show. It mostly consists of the teacher trying to put a negative spin on everything he encounters, while the optimistic schoolgirl counters by putting a positive spin on everything. It also deals with the different quirks and habits of the classmates, particularly the girls (all of which somehow fall in love with the teacher). ------------------------------------------------ BokuranoThis one I found to be particularly dark and disturbing. Though, I've informed myself on the basic plot: 15 children are playing on the beach one day, only to stumble upon a cave that they've never seen before (the beginning focuses particularly on the children and their different personalities, so that you may get to know them and their behaviors). Once inside, they see several computers installed on desks. A man comes in, asking them if they want to play a game. There are fifteen monsters they have to defeat to save the earth, one at a time. Strangely and naively, they accept, and each give their name and hand print. As soon as they're finished, they're teleported out of the cave and see a gigantic mecha outside. They're somehow transported inside it, where they see the man from before piloting it. A giant robot appears in front of them, planning to attack the earth. He gives them a tutorial on how to use the robot and destroys the enemy. The children are then teleported back outside. Basically, the premise is that every day, a new monster appears and the children must defeat it one at a time, as they take turns in the giant mecha. Sounds simple, right? Well, the mecha feeds on life force to run, so after a child pilots it, they die. There are other rules to the "game" as well, such as defeating the monster in 48 hours, and every episode always focuses on one character in particular, which is the next pilot. It usually details the background and motivations to that specific character, while building up the tension to the untimely battle. So yea, these are the animes that we watch. They're pretty cool. Much better than I expected, and if you know about any of them and would like to talk about them, than go ahead! |
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Post by UNIT 0918 on Feb 19, 2008 23:10:01 GMT -5
Wow, Lovely complex sort of reminds me of a novel that I read, except it was only about a short college student who couldn't find love. Bokurano sounds like something you would see in Battle Royale, except more towards the moral side, since the kids aren't fighting each other (Although they'll probably fight each other trying to not be the next in line for the mecha).
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Post by Staulmaster on Feb 20, 2008 19:11:32 GMT -5
Actually, I haven't gotten to this part in the show yet, but my friend told me something interesting about the plot of Bokurano:
You see, the mecha has fifteen lights on its face, and when one of the pilots die, one of the lights go off. However, one of them, a girl, is pregnant, and when she dies two lights go off...this means that at least one person will survive, so the tension of who's going to be next is even greater. Of course, they're all doing it for the good of the earth, so they don't really fight each other to not be the next pilot.
I didn't know what battle royal was, so I wikipedia-ed it, and you're right, it does sound something like it, and both are as disturbing (although I find bokurano to be more so).
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Post by UNIT 0918 on Feb 27, 2008 21:41:48 GMT -5
After looking up Bokurano, I actually find Battle Royale more disturbing simply because the students have to kill each other, including their friends, to survive. But what's even more disturbing about Battle Royale is the fanbase, who I've not taken a liking to in the same amount as I don't like Naruto freaks. If you read comments on Battle Royale YouTube and crunchyroll videos, you may find them very disturbing. These fans rave about how they love the students killing each other and that they would love to do it themselves as well (Humans really are disgusting creatures...  ). Bokurano seems like a story I would like to add to my watch list. I'm don't usually get into serious anime, but Bokurano seems like a good one worthy of my attention. Plus, the art style is to my taste. I usually find a correlation between serious anime and an art style I'm not fond of. And to finish things off, the theme song, "Uninstall" is really awesome and seems appropriate to the anime. Thanks for sharing these anime Staulmaster! I'll be sure to take a look at some of them, especially Bokurano. |
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Post by Staulmaster on Feb 28, 2008 22:59:55 GMT -5
Oh, well you're welcome! Glad I could help broaden your anime horizons, lol. I get what you mean about Battle Royal being more disturbing than Bokurano. I looked up the movie and that poster freaked me out. Really, I find Bokurano to be an interesting concept but it's just too depressing for my tastes. But if you like it, than great!  |
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Post by TronBonne on Mar 15, 2008 11:47:06 GMT -5
I just finished watching Bokurano yesterday. After reading your description of what Bokurano was about, there was no way I could ignore it! The whole series was pretty sad, but I liked the concept...I've never watched anything like it (never watched Battle Royale). Oh and I loved the opening and both ending songs....anyway, the manga is supposed to be a lot different from how the anime turned out, so I'm hoping to check that out, it's supposed to be much darker.
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Post by UNIT 0918 on Mar 15, 2008 15:27:28 GMT -5
Oh and I loved the opening and both ending songs. Yeah! "Uninstall" is now one of my favorite anime songs! It has this awesome feel to it, just like theme songs of my other favorite anime and video games like Evangelion's "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" and Kingdom Hearts' "Passion". Well, since Staulmaster shared a bunch of anime that he was watching, it might be fair to share some of the anime I'm watching for myself.
Fate/stay nightLike I said in the Fate/stay night thread that I made, I watched this anime when I got back from Anime Los Angeles. The awesome Saber cosplayer and the awesome Fate/stay night AMV that I watched pumped me up to watch this immediately. Anyway, after finishing watching the anime in 1 1/2 days, I became obsessed. The story is about Shirou Emiya, a good hearted teen that gets caught up in the Holy Grail War, a battle royale (Wow, another battle royale.  ) between chosen people for the Holy Grail, which grants one wish. Shirou becomes caught up in the war and becomes a Master. Saber (<3), Shirou's Servant, appears and fights along side him. While the main story does not really catch my interest, Shirou and Saber's relationship with each other does. Fate/stay night is now one of my top favorite anime, right under Evangelion.
Whoops, I gotta go now. I'll write about the other anime I've been watching later. ^^; |
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Post by Staulmaster on Mar 27, 2008 22:11:35 GMT -5
Wow...you people have an affinity for dark and disturbing animes, don't you. lol In any case, I'm sticking with good ol' lovely complex for now. ;D Fate/stay night sounds pretty interesting Rockman, I too enjoy watching certain animes for character relationships rather than plot. I'll be sure to Wikipedia it in the near future! |
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Post by UNIT 0918 on Mar 27, 2008 23:38:38 GMT -5
Actually, I don't have an affinity for dark and disturbing anime. I just happen to find Bokurano's concept interesting. I have friends that watch dark and gory anime, which I don't feel like watching.
Rock Musical BleachThis isn't actually an anime, but it's based of one. Like the title says, Rock Musical Bleach is a rock musical based off the popular Bleach anime. I was sort of bored at first, but then I realized how awesome the songs were, especially Mou Hitotsu no Chijou. The musical can be really funny, and pretty serious too. I especially love the Live Bankai Show Code 001 (Not the backstage) because they're so hilarious. You gotta watch the main musicals first though. Currently there's the original musical, then the updated Saien, then The Dark of the Bleeding Moon, and finally No Clouds in the Blue Heavens. They have plans for two more musicals. One of my favorite characters in Rock Musical Bleach is Ichimaru Gin, played by Yuichi "Tuti" Tsuchiya. He just plays his evil character so well. He's creepy in an awesome way and can be really funny, like here. All of the musicals are on YouTube uploaded by the generous andromeda881.
Yakitate!! JapanAn interesting anime about a boy named Kazuma Azuma who's dream is to create a national bread for Japan, called Ja-pan (Pronounced JA-PA-N). This is largely a light-hearted anime (I mean come on, it's a manga about bread) that has loads of comedy. The manga version's drawings of the bread is so good that it literally makes me hungry for it. One of the highlights of this anime is the crazy reactions that the characters make after taking a bite of delicious bread. It's pretty ridiculous in a hilarious way when you think about it. This manga has made me a bread fan. ^^
School RumbleA love-triangle comedy of two students that I just started watching. A delinquent named Kenji Harima loves an innocent girl named Tenma Tsukamoto, who loves this boring guy named Oji Karasuma. While Oji is not important, Kenji and Tenma are. My favorite character in this series is Kenji just because he's so hilarious. Not to mention that he looks cool. Just watching the first episode will give you an idea on how funny this story is.
MacrossA mecha anime that mostly focuses on its characters. I've only read the Robotech novels of the Super Dimension Fortress Macross series, and they were really good. The characters, the love triangle, and the twists all rocked. I'm starting to watch the anime now. I recommend the Super Dimension Fortress Macross over the Americanized Robotech, since Robotech is a stripped up version of Macross.
ChobitsYes, it's a perverted anime, but that's not what makes this anime so great. No, it's the main story of Hideki Motosuwa, who takes home a unique Persnocom (A human-like computer) he names Chi. It's the main story's theme that can be found in the wikipedia article that makes this a very nice anime. Actually, I've only read the manga. But I can tell you that I spent all day at the library once reading all of the manga in one sitting. That's how great this manga was.
Seto no HanayomeIf you like crazy comedy anime, then here it is. It's one of the craziest comedy anime I have ever seen that isn't as stupid as Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. Just watch the first few episodes and you'll see how crazy this anime is. |
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Post by TronBonne on Apr 3, 2008 22:30:37 GMT -5
Wow...you people have an affinity for dark and disturbing animes, don't you. lol In any case, I'm sticking with good ol' lovely complex for now. ;D
Anyway, the only other anime I'm watching now are...
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D.Gray-Man
Allen Walker is an exorcist who is basically trying to stop the The Millennium Earl from destroying the world. I'm bad at descriptions, but I highly recommend this anime. It's got great comedy elements, great fights, and the non-filler episodes almost always end off at a cliffhanger, so you'll always want to know what happens next.
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Hayate the Combat Butler
Hayate was abandoned by his parents on Christmas eve because they had a big debt, so they were going to sell his organs to the Yakuza to pay it off. xD He is saved by Nagi, a rich girl who pays off the debt for him. He becomes her butler to pay her back. This show is pretty funny, and it also parody's a lot of other anime. Oh, it's a romantic comedy as well. |
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Post by Dash on Apr 4, 2008 1:24:57 GMT -5
Ooo! Ooo! I wanna contribute too!
Let's see here...
Lunar Legend Tsukihime
Tsukihime chronicles the story and life of a teenage boy named Shiki Tohno. As a young boy, Shiki suffered a life-threatening injury. As a result of this injury, Shiki became able to see "death lines" on objects and people; if Shiki traces these lines with a sharp object, the person or object that they belong to will be cleanly and easily cut. Soon after discovering this power, he is given a special pair of glasses by a mysterious woman. While wearing these glasses, Shiki cannot see the lines, and can thus live life as normal. Later, Shiki discovers that he can also see a place where the lines meet known as "points" on objects and people; these act as more immediate and powerful versions of the "lines." Eventually, it is revealed that Shiki is not merely killing a person or destroying an object when he cuts its lines or stabs its points, but is instead annihilating the victim/object's existence, therefore killing the victim/object as a side effect.
The game plot begins during Shiki's second year of high school. After spending eight years away from the Tohno household, which he was banished from after his injury, he moves back home following the death of the head of the Tohno family, Shiki's father. Shiki's sister, Akiha, assumes the responsibility of being the new head, and decides to let Shiki come back. As the story progresses, Shiki gradually discovers his mysterious past, and becomes implicated into strange adventures.
Hajime No Ippo
Ippo Makunouchi is a very shy high school student who never had the time to make friends because he was always busy helping his mother with the family charter boat fishing business. Because he kept to himself, a group of bullies lead by Umezawa got into the habit of picking on him. On one particular day these bullies decided to give him a rather serious beating, but a middle-weight professional boxer who was passing by stopped the bullies and took the injured Ippo to the Kamogawa Gym (鴨川ボクシングジム, Kamogawa Bokushingu Jimu?), owned by retired boxer Genji Kamogawa, to treat his wounds. After Ippo awoke to the sounds of boxers training, the boxer who saved him, Mamoru Takamura, tried to cheer Ippo up by letting him vent his frustrations on a sandbag. It was then that they had their first glimpse into Ippo's talent for boxing. After that incident, Ippo started his regular training and began his path in Japan's professional boxing.
The story focuses heavily on character development, even during the matches something is learned about the fighters. Ippo and his friendly rivalry with Miyata is the main draw in the early part of the series. That later changes to Ippo's path towards the Japanese Featherweight Championship and eventually the world championship. Along the way we are given glimpses into the other side character's pasts, motivations, relationships to others and current boxing trials.
The anime series has two spin-off movies that were actually part of the manga. Champion Road, which takes place after Ippo becomes the Japanese Featherweight Champion and showcases his first defense of the title, and Kimura Vs. Mashiba, which pits one of Ippo's senpai (upper classmen) Kimura against the Japanese lightweight champion Mashiba (the brother of Ippo's love interest).
All I got for now. Both are very awesome animes.
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Post by Staulmaster on May 11, 2008 11:35:36 GMT -5
This Friday was the last week of my school's anime night, since the semester is finishing this tuesday, and instead of watching animes we watched a movie! And do you know which movie that was?...*looks towards Rockman* That's right! Battle Royal! I had gone in the auditorium and saw that they were showing a movie, I was intrigued as to which one it was. I saw a bunch of students in a room listening to a 'teacher' surrounded by guards. After mentionning the BR programme I immediately knew what it was. Needless to say, I wouldn't have recognized it if it weren't for you Rockman. ;D Unfortunately, I didn't watch the whole thing, my heart is too weak for that kind of thing (I'm wimpy, I know  ), but the concept was interesting I found. Well, come next semester (which starts at around September) I'll tell you all of the new anime shows I'll be watching. |
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Post by UNIT 0918 on May 11, 2008 14:31:22 GMT -5
Naw, you aren't a wimp. Most "normal" people would probably stop watching it once the more graphic parts came on. I wanted to stop watching at those parts too, but I kept watching anyway to see what happened at the end of this weird "game". I'm glad Shuya and his friend survived. It turns out that those who stick together to the end are the strongest (Or at least die not as painfully thanks to the comfort of their friends), as seen by the betrayals from the other students.
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Post by Dashe on May 11, 2008 18:04:11 GMT -5
"Teflon Concrete" (known to most as Tekkonkinkreet)
Okay, I'll say it right here, out in the open for everyone to point and laugh at me...I don't like anime very much. I like the way it looks for the most part, and I've helped my friends with fandubbing, but other than that it really bores me. In high school and earlier in my college career I fell in with the anime fans and wound up being subjected to a lot more of it than I would have liked.
I am part of a general animation club at my school, and last week we watched this anime movie called Tekkonkinkreet (which I could not pronounce well and started calling "Teflon Concrete," much to the anime fans' dismay). Please take this review as you will, and if you really do like anime, which I presume many of you do if you are posting here, you might find this substantially more enjoyable than I did.
Basically, the premise revolves around two homeless boys trying to survive in a town that's about to be turned into some kind of tourist trap. I found the characterization of the two principles to be pretty implausible after hearing later that the boys were only a few years apart--because the younger of the two acted about six, and the older acted about sixteen. The voice casting, at least for the sub, reflected this. They are also about the ugliest looking anime kids I have seen in a long time, but at least they look like they've been living on the streets. I did like some (not all) of the younger boy's hats, though. The character design for the villains' costumes during the holiday paradeish looking scene near the end was downright laughable. They looked like coneheads, and struck fear into the hearts of...well, nobody.
The look of the film was very graphic, and the perspective on the background layouts had a tendency to get very warped. Sometimes this was cool. Most of the time it gave me motion sickness. I am under the impression that it was a comic first, and the animators merely took the perspectives in the comic book and translated them directly into the animation. I also noticed that the characters' proportions seemed to change from time to time over the course of the film, especially their arms. Maybe it was more warped perspective. I don't know.
Also, I thought I had a pretty good sense of disbelief until I saw these kids jump into the air and up the sides of skyscrapers without any form of mechanical assistance. The gravity in Treasure Town, Japan must be seriously whacked.
Again, I don't usually watch this sort of thing, and probably wouldn't have if it weren't being screened at the club. I'm pretty sure the movie won some kind of award in Japan, so it can't be that bad. It must just be something I'm not used to. I'm just going to stick with Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Castle in the Sky from now on when it comes to anime.
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Post by mybusterbroke on Sept 7, 2008 9:10:58 GMT -5
-------------------------------------------------- Lovely ComplexThis is my favourite. It's a comedy about a teenage girl who's way too tall for her age, and a boy who's way below the average height for teenage boys. The show usually consists of them bickering with each other while constantly trying to find dates, which is hard considering their height complexes (hence the title). It has a lot of quirky, anime-ish jokes, but a lot of them I found really funny. I like seeing how the two main characters (Risa and Otani) are constantly fighting, without realizing that they have plenty of things in common and that they're perfect for each other (of course, you know that at the end they'll end up with each other). Yeah this sounds like one of those Aww wasn't that sweet? Type animes and most likely by far the healthiest. ------------------------------------------------ BokuranoThis one I found to be particularly dark and disturbing. Though, I've informed myself on the basic plot: 15 children are playing on the beach one day, only to stumble upon a cave that they've never seen before (the beginning focuses particularly on the children and their different personalities, so that you may get to know them and their behaviors). Once inside, they see several computers installed on desks. A man comes in, asking them if they want to play a game. There are fifteen monsters they have to defeat to save the earth, one at a time. Strangely and naively, they accept, and each give their name and hand print. As soon as they're finished, they're teleported out of the cave and see a gigantic mecha outside. They're somehow transported inside it, where they see the man from before piloting it. A giant robot appears in front of them, planning to attack the earth. He gives them a tutorial on how to use the robot and destroys the enemy. The children are then teleported back outside. Basically, the premise is that every day, a new monster appears and the children must defeat it one at a time, as they take turns in the giant mecha. Sounds simple, right? Well, the mecha feeds on life force to run, so after a child pilots it, they die. There are other rules to the "game" as well, such as defeating the monster in 48 hours, and every episode always focuses on one character in particular, which is the next pilot. It usually details the background and motivations to that specific character, while building up the tension to the untimely battle. Yeah This one is pretty creepy. ... But I like that you still watch some anime. M2 Just like once a month lol
After looking up Bokurano, I actually find Battle Royale more disturbing simply because the students have to kill each other, including their friends, to survive. But what's even more disturbing about Battle Royale is the fanbase, who I've not taken a liking to in the same amount as I don't like Naruto freaks. If you read comments on Battle Royale YouTube and crunchyroll videos, you may find them very disturbing. These fans rave about how they love the students killing each other and that they would love to do it themselves as well (Humans really are disgusting creatures... ). In defense of those who like battle royal Most of the people posting in there (97% of them) would probably not really enjoy it. They just look at all this excitement and mindgames/tension and then they look at their life which is boring and full of idiots and they wish they were someplace more exciting. the other 3% are just out of jail and looking for something fun to do. {Noted by EC - Double post} |
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