OAO Anime/Manga Thread

[Ced 0]

Finished up the first episode of Negima?! It's quite the change-up from the original, but still looks to be interesting. I found the character design changes to be interesting, especially for Takamichi and Asuna. The extra clip at the end is a fun surprise.

[ragingfear79 0]

Just finished watching the first 2 episodes of Death Note and i must say its really really good. If you guys get a chance deff catch it. Also the Bleach fillers are getting better and better. Cant wait for the final battle Between Ichigo, Kariya, Byakuya and Ishida.

[Ced 0]

The fansub for the second episode of Negima!? is up for those who are interested. Hey, more Baka Rangers!

 

The second episode of Buso Renkin is also up and fansubbed. Admittedly the storyline is interesting me so far as we're two episodes in and there's already the threat of impending doom. For those wondering, the only real similarity between FMA and Buso Renkin are the uses of the words alchemy and homunculus and that the homunculi are apparently evil. That's really about it from what I've seen.

[Lightning Flik 0]

I'm highly enjoying this different telling of Negima. Its a swell idea to immediately start off with Eva if you need to have a storyline pre-made. Speaking of which, apparently the storyline is mostly finished at episode 3 and they are doing a time stretch of Negi's teaching and all other things (which I think is a good idea), so we might immediately segue into the Kyoto arc, simply because of what Setsuna was talking about.

 

Although, I'm wondering what the jewelry plays into. Takamichi seems to have one, as did Nagi (now Negi's).

 

Also its kinda weird having them talk for quite a bit of the opening, then near the end bust out the opening song. I'm wondering if its supposed to be that way, or it just was for the second episode.

[EricMM 0]

Is the Disgaea anime out yet? Has anyone seen it?

[devo 0]

It's been out for a while, and I'd reccommend avoiding it. The quality of animation isn't very good and the storyline has virtually nothing to do with the original game and is overall fairly stupid.

[Mecha Mummy 0]

Is the Disgaea anime out yet? Has anyone seen it?

 

Yeah, the general consensus is that the Disgaea anime is pretty terrible. I've never seen it myself and I don't think I will bother with it after the reviews and all.

[ragingfear79 0]

Is not that bad, i mean is not very good either but is not something i would buy in the store if you get my drift. Any1 else watching Death Note?

[Ced 0]

Regarding the Disgaea anime, yes, it's a pretty subpar anime all-around. When it does see domestication, I'd only pick it up as a economic boxset at best simply because it's Disgaea.

 

And on the second viewing of the second episode of Negima!?, I just noticed the awesomeness of the multi-panel segment that shows up during the Negi-Asuna and Negi-Takamichi dialogues. That, the vectored-looking effect they do for the Eva's flashback and the production value as a whole are really impressing me.

 

The whole spoken word deal during the opening song caught me off guard too, but if it stays throughout the series, so be it. Looking at the dialogue, I thought it helped set the more serious tone of the series. Plus, it's one heck of a way to separate itself from other anime openings. Anyway we'll see if it's a permanent deal once the next fansub is released.

[Lightning Flik 0]

I think Disgaea would've been ok if the art at least look up to being the same standard as the promo. Well, not as high, but not as low. Its very hard to enjoy the show when its as bad looking in some spots as you can get.

 

The storyline was non-existant for quite some time and frankly that hurts too. While Disgaea's storyline in the game wasn't the greatest, it still was there from start to finish. The pacing for the storyline is worse than Fate Stay Night, and that was pretty bad.

 

But I think the biggest problem with Disgaea, is sadly... The VAs for Japan just don't cut it. This is one of the few times I can actually say I'd rather have the English VAs doing it because it was mailed in terms of voice acting.

 

As for Negima!? the multi-panels annoyed me at first but then I realized you could watch it each time for a different panel to see the reactions because each one would have a different thing (I tried watching each one and that drove me nuts). Gives the show some replay value. Especially the dialogue parts you mention. I hope we get more fights like in that flashback. Cause they seem to be setting up some good things.

 

I'm a little disappointed though with Asuna just automatically accepting this magic stuff. In the manga, she has to be kinda violently shook up (love potion and retriving the book of knowledge) in the manga to accept his word about it.

 

Oh, and I was more meaning that as a compliment concerning the whole spoken part. It is unique and different. I also like how the intro isn't as flashy as others (ie: less money spent on it), because it means more flashiness can be put elsewhere.

[ragingfear79 0]

Has any1 seen the Hellsing OVA?

[Golgo 13 0]

I only saw the first back when it came out. I'll need to watch it again before moving on to the second part.

 

CN got Blood+ by the way, which I still haven't gotten around to.

[ragingfear79 0]

any idea when its coming out on CN?

[Golgo 13 0]

I don't know. Just that it's been picked up.

 

According to some talk on the AnimeSuki Forums, Haruhi S2 was planned for 2008 but has been pushed ahead and is now set for Fall 2007. It's all unconfirmed though.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

After having seen the first disc of the show almost three years ago, a few weeks ago I started re-watching .Hack//SIGN and just finished it the other night.

 

It was the first show CN ported that I really didn't bother with. I saw a few episodes, and liked them, but the schedule was whacked for it. Now I don't watch anime on CN at all, due to what else? Their fucked up schedules. Oh and shitty dubs. Those suck.

 

Simply put, this is SUCH an amazing series. If you don't know the plot, it's about a MMORPG that uses VR, but one character named Tsukasa finds himself unable to log out. WHY he can't logout, and the reasons revolving around this are revealed throughout the series. Other characters decide to try and help Tsukasa, despite his seeming reluctance to be helped at all, while others try to use him to get things that they want. Every aspect of the show is perfect. The music, the touching scenes, the evolution of Tsukasa, and the deep, DEEEP characterization of everyone on the cast. There is not a single character without multiple layers. Probably the most character depth I've ever seen in an Anime. These aren't just characters, their people with real motivations and desires. Almost every show has that one character with no real depth, but this show doesn't. We don't find out everything about a few, but we find out enough to get involved in them.

 

The main selling point, beyond the art and storyline is the music. Bebop can go fuck itself and it's over-rated music. THIS is perfect anime music. Nothing stands out too glaring, and everything seamlessly blends in with the show to create an atmosphere beyond what mere background music can usually attain. Yuki Kajiura's arrangements are simply awe inspiring, some of the best produced music I've ever heard. Key of the Twilight, Open your Heart, and Fake Wings are some of the best Anime music EVER. Ever since I finished the show, I've been collecting Kajiura music. It's just too damn good on it's own, or with .Hack//SIGN

 

Everything in this show is touching, but at the same time dipped in melancholy and sadness from the first few episodes. Bad things happen to good people, and even worse things happen to the bad people. You think you know what's really going on in the show, and it completely changes your expectations through revelations. You think you know the motivations behind the "players" but then they change what their really after.

 

The only negatives of this show, are two. #1 - It's slow. Thankfully, it has a superb premise and storyline or else it could have been unbearable. If you can't stomach talking for long periods of time, this aint for you. And #2 - It's a 26 episode series. Which means is has a pretty shit ending. At this point, I've gotten pretty fucking used to it. Most 26 episode shows have so much going on, that they just say "screw it" and end the show in hopes they can get another series, or you'll check out the manga. .Hack is no different. Thankfully, through Wikipedia, I was able to find out what happens to the characters AFTER the show, and it gave me all the closure I could have wanted. The story is ALLEGEDLY continued in the PS2 games...but I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to try them out.

 

Highly recommended, and watch it in Japanese...I cannot fathom this show in English now.

[devo 0]

Bebop can go fuck itself and it's over-rated music.

 

Yeah, that was necessary.

[EricMM 0]

You're putting .Hack's music over Bebop's?

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

Bebop's music is regularly considered some of the best, if not the best Anime music ever by many. It's good on the show itself, with a few shining examples such as Rain, Tank, Call Me Call Me, Go Go Cactus Man, Green Bird, and I suppose Real Folk Blues (Which I've never really cared for), the tracks do their job, but I could NEVER bring myself to listen to Bebop music on it's own beyond a few tracks. It's random, it has no overall feel, and you never are able to get any consistent emotional connection to a single track due to how the show is produced beyond the aforementioned Call me Call Me. By contrast, .Hack//SIGN uses the background music to elevate the scenes to another level by never stepping over the line, or being distracting or non-noticeable. Background music is there to complement what's going on the screen, not to overshadow it, which is what .Hack excels at while producing some beautiful music. Music is personal opinion anyway, but I've never seen the so-called greatness Bebop has. The best comparison I can think of, is Bebop uses music like an action movie. It's there, it's fairly loud, and there isn't a whole lot of subtle-ness, but when it is used, it's effective. .Hack on the other hand is more like an epic movie with a deep score, it's there to lift the production up with supports and help it. It never overshadows what's going on

 

I consider Bebop to be one of thee most over-rated series in Anime, right up there with Trigun. It's a great (Bolding so you'll see I'm saying it's GOOD) show that has been elevated to some mythical status mainly because it was the first anime show allot of people were exposed to, OR, the first anime series of adult nature people saw. There are a grand total of five main plot episodes, but even if you throw in Faye and Jet episodes, that gives still leaves allot of filler in a twenty six episode series. In a non-serious show, filler is fine, but Bebop skirts on the edge of seriousness once too often for so much filler to contribute to the show itself. The show has it's high points, such as Ballad of Fallen Angels, which I consider one of the best episodes I've ever seen, BUT it also has it's low-notes such as Heavy Metal Queen which I consider one of the worst fillers I've seen. All the things that other people were affected by in the show; Faye's storyline, The ending, Ed's thing, I know people that consider those huge moments in Anime. They didn't did anything for me because I was never able to build any emotional connection with any character in the show, beyond possibly Jet.

 

I do find it funny, that I write up that long thing on what's good and wrong with .Hack//SIGN, and the only thing that is questioned? I dared to say something was better then Bebop. Hell, I'll go one further. From everything I've heard? Yuki Kajiura > Yoko Kanno. Yes. I went there. Boo me I say. Boo!

 

In all seriousness, most people wouldn't dare say anything negative about Bebop, but I'm not one of them. I think it's a good show, but not worthy for the status it's attained. One of these days, I'll rewatch it. Along with Trigun, and see if on DVD outside of CN's goddamned schedule I'll like the show more. Who knows? But this IS how I feel right now.

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

Actually, the fact that Bebop's music doesn't have a common theme appeals to me. I'm not a huge jazz fan, but Kanno's jazz-fusion/whatever music (to me) is good to listen to on it's own with no context. I haven't heard much of the OSTs, but "No Reply" is one of my favorite pieces of music from any TV show. Other favorites of mine include "Hey Pumpkin Head" and "Bad Dog, No Biscuits".

 

As to comparing it to the .Hack series, I'll have to go back and check for myself. I don't have part 3 (bought the game used) but I've got the rest of it. I'll maintain an open mind and check it out again though. It's been so long since I've seen it I've pretty much forgotten it.

[Justice 0]

It might be just me, but I think you're only looking at the surface of Bebop: It's not as much a plot-driven show as it is a character-driven show. While there are only a few episodes that deal directly with the plot, each episode shows a variety of different character points, situtations that mimic past events, or are metaphors for different events in the character's life, and all sorts of stuff like that. I always thought Bebop was great for layers, but I understand that it can't appeal to everyone.

 

Plus, the reference to jazz and bebop in the show's format (A variety of different riffs that come back to the same underlying story, along with individual 'solos') help make sense of it.

 

I thought .Hack was okay, but it's music never really stood out to me. Bebop's unique sort of ADD/Situational Music fix always got me. But that's just me.

[EricMM 0]

Just another example of people shouting "OVER-RATED!" at something that is worthy of its own high rating...

[Ginger Snaps 0]

So a friend of mine recommended some anime called "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" to me. Is it any good? I don't really watch that much anime outside of sometimes Adult Swim.

[Golgo 13 0]

Depends. Haruhi is a bit of a 'love it or hate it' type of show if only due to the backlash it received.

 

The story is told anachronistically but it's not a big deal. It's also more approachable if you go in knowing some of the anime stereotypes and cliches, especially in preparation for the first episode, but it's not necessary. Then if the shift in tone and setting from the first episode to episodes two and three don't turn you off you're good to go.

 

If you've seen it, the closest Adult Swim show to compare it to would be FLCL.

[Ginger Snaps 0]

I did like FLCL, I thought it was a pretty good show. A little weird but in a good way.

 

What do you mean by backlash?

[Lightning Flik 0]

By backlash its the people who hate have gone overboard with it declaring it the worst thing ever and pretty much only hate it for the sole reason of it become so huge pretty much overnight.

 

Its not their cup of tea and are sick of seeing it blown up as big as it has gotten. Is it as good as it is? As a Haruhi-fan, I say yes, just because everything fits together so well from start to end.

 

FLCL actually is a very good way of comparing it to something similar, but it definitely is differenter than it in many ways. Also, if the first episode confuses the hell out of you, hold off on judging it because the first episode ties into and is explained later.

[devo 0]

The preface to the latest chapter of the Naruto manga reveals that the anime filler will be ending in February, and that the show's name will be changed to Naruto: Hurricane Chronicles. Also, the newest Narutimate Hero will be post-timeskip, on the Playstation 2, and will be released this coming spring.

 

I'm a bit annoyed that it'll be another three months until the filler's over and that they decided to change the show's name to something significantly dumber. Still, I'm delighted that there is a confirmed end to the filler and that there's a new Narutimate Hero coming out, complete with all the post-timeskip characters I've been waiting to fight as.

[Lightning Flik 0]

Considering I just can't let this thing die, five things I wanted to bring up to the other anime inclined people on this board:

 

1) Is Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid worth picking up? I hear a lot of good things about it, but I know next to nothing about it. Can you guys at least tell me somethings about it and is it worth while?

 

2) Is anyone else not that impressed with the current season from Japan? Its a little underwhelming this time around, while I am only into just Negima (fan of manga) and Kanon (actually is quite entertaining, if cliched), from what I've read of the other series just seem to frivolous and not really worth it (I'm not interested at Death Note before anyone asks.).

 

3) I've delved into Kenshin and I love it so far. Should I get Samurai X, its anime counter-part, or should I pass on it do to the fact that they apparently castrated the end of it (or so I'm told).

 

4) If you've watched Haruhi, you've guys likely seen the concert scene with God Knows being played. Well someone did a

of that's just bass and lead and it sounds really good. KURIKINTON FOX is who did it, if you were wondering. Although I have no idea who this is.

 

5) And before someone goes "is there an .mp3 of this": I've converted it for your listening pleasure here. Its pretty much a straight rip out of the video file, but I did my best to keep the quality high. Its my first attempt at something like this so please forgive me if it isn't that great.

[El Psycho Diablo 0]

It depends. TSR is more action oriented than comedy oriented. So if you liked the serious parts of FMP better, you'll like it. If you liked the comedic parts, or Fumoffu better, you may not.

 

I'm not watching much this season, myself. Just Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, which is getting more awesome each week.

[Lightning Flik 0]

The Pizza Hut Rebellion, right? Is it worth picking up? I hear it nearly is similar to GDS and frankly don't wanna go through that again.

[Ginger Snaps 0]

What are people's thoughts on Avatar. I never watched this show because it's on one of the kiddie networks and I only really watch Cartoon Network and only then for Adult Swim. But I have a very dear friend who swears that the show is great. Is it worth watching.